Today's Marketing Pulse
McKinsey predicts agentic AI will power two‑thirds of marketing activities
McKinsey’s new report forecasts that agentic AI could drive up to two‑thirds of all marketing functions, shifting AI from a productivity add‑on to a core strategic engine. The analysis notes early adopters are using generative tools, while the next wave will involve autonomous agents that orchestrate decisions across workflows, guided by a five‑step implementation roadmap.
DMWF Spotlight: The New Rules of B2B: Gen Z, AI, and the Rise of Social-First Marketing
B2B marketing is undergoing a rapid transformation as Gen Z buyers demand transparent, peer‑validated experiences and AI amplifies strategic insight. These forces are pushing social media from a support role to the primary go‑to‑market engine, where credibility and real‑time influence shape pipeline before sales outreach. Oktopost positions itself as the AI‑ready social operating system that directly links social engagement to measurable revenue outcomes. The company will detail these tactics at the DMWF conference in London on May 6‑7.
Storytelling Anchors Brand Experiences and Locks In Audiences
“Stories are what are going to make people lock in.” 🎭✨ As the VP of Creative at Agency EA , Joanna Badamo leads the teams behind major experiential programs for brands like Samsung, Hilton, and Molson Coors. She joins the...
TikTok Shop Is Changing E-Commerce, but How?
In this episode, hosts Jordan West and Brett Curry discuss how TikTok Shop and YouTube advertising can be combined to drive e‑commerce growth, highlighting five current YouTube ad strategies and the power of Shorts when paired with TikTok Shop content....
DMWF Spotlight: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): A Comprehensive Guide for 2026
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is emerging as a critical discipline that enables brands to appear within AI‑generated answers on platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and voice assistants. Unlike traditional SEO, AEO focuses on concise, structured content and schema markup so...
Measure Visibility, Citation, Sentiment in the AI Era
There’s no clean attribution when a buyer reads about you in ChatGPT, sleeps on it, & signs up 3 days later... What metrics can brands lean into in this new AI era? Here are a few pillars to think about: - Visibility...
To Succeed With Paid Media, This Indie Agency Advises Nailing Organic First
LV8, a social‑first agency founded in 2024, has launched a dedicated paid‑media practice led by Ian Hiscock. The firm treats content creation and media buying as a single workflow, amplifying high‑performing organic posts with paid spend. By using organic insights...
‘One Version of the Truth’: How M&S Used Insights to Transform Its Summer Woes
Marks & Spencer (M&S) tackled its chronic summer fashion underperformance by leveraging a deep consumer‑insight project with Basis Global. The insights team created a unified “one version of the truth” using a ‘Moments Framework’ that captured customers’ emotional drivers rather...
The ENTERTAINER ‘Our Home. Our Heart’ Campaign Sees 100,000+ Offers Redeemed
The ENTERTAINER launched the "Our Home. Our Heart" campaign on March 12, 2026, offering free One Heart memberships to UAE residents to bolster the hospitality sector amid recent challenges. The initiative expanded from an initial 50,000 offers to 250,000 claimed...
Marketers, Not Engineers, Drive Today’s Billion‑Dollar Brands
The (lazy) narrative: "agencies are dead" The reality: good marketers will get VERY rich — Building a product used to require a ton of capital, years of engineering or R&D, and a team you probably couldn't afford. (Trust me. I built a VC-backed tech...
3 CMS Platforms Control 73% Of The Market & Shape Technical SEO Defaults via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Chris Green’s analysis of 17 million sites shows WordPress, Shopify and Wix now dominate 73 % of the CMS market, eclipsing legacy platforms like Joomla and Drupal. Their combined 2025 revenue exceeds $13.5 billion, funding engineering teams that set default technical‑SEO configurations for...
Bark Out Loud Rolls Out New Pet Food Campaign with Huma Qureshi
Bark Out Loud by Vivaldis has launched the #ThriveSharedJourney campaign for its Thrive pet food line, featuring Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi. The film positions pet wellbeing as a collaborative process between pets and their owners, emphasizing nutrition awareness alongside lifestyle...
Asian Paints Launches Damp Proof Campaign Featuring Ranbir Kapoor
Asian Paints has launched a new Damp Proof campaign starring Ranbir Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, created by Ogilvy. The ad emphasizes terrace protection against monsoon leaks and summer heat, promoting a heat‑reflective coating that can lower surface temperatures by up...
US X-Venture & India’s SbInfowaves Announce Global Alliance To Launch ‘Agentic AI’ Marketing Infrastructure For USA-SMEs
X‑Venture.US and India’s SB Infowaves have formed a strategic alliance to deliver an Agentic AI‑driven marketing and operational platform for U.S. small‑and‑medium enterprises. The partnership pairs X‑Venture’s private‑capital placement expertise with SB Infowaves’ autonomous AI “digital colleagues,” aiming to modernize legacy firms...
How AI Agents Decide Which Brands To Recommend: Trust Is The New Ranking Factor via @Sejournal, @Purnavirji
Autonomous AI agents are turning trust into a ranking factor, shifting marketers from chasing visibility to proving eligibility. Brands must supply clear, verifiable data that agents can parse and use to justify recommendations. The Wharton paper outlines three trust pillars—goal...
Cutting Marketing Won’t Fix Rising CAC—Fix Selling Friction
“The CAC isn’t clearing. We need to cut marketing spend.” I’ve heard that line more than once. On the surface it sounds rational. CAC is rising. Attribution dashboards look weak. So marketing must be the problem. But most of the...
How Quick Commerce Is Turning Into A Visibility Engine For Retail & D2C Brands
Quick commerce has evolved from a niche last‑minute service into a mainstream habit, with Indian consumers ordering multiple times a week. The 10‑minute delivery market, worth roughly $6 bn today, is projected to reach $35‑40 bn by 2030, while gross order value...
First Customers Signed in a Week: Essential Web Thrives
Nothing beats putting a new offer into the world and signing your first customers within a week. essential web is growing 🤯
Most Marketing Agencies Are Held Together by Duct Tape. GoHighLevel Wants to Fix That.
Marketing agencies typically juggle six to twelve separate tools, driving up costs and operational friction. GoHighLevel offers a single‑platform alternative that bundles CRM, email, SMS, funnel building, scheduling, reputation management and AI‑driven automation. Its architecture provides unlimited, isolated sub‑accounts per...
One Idea, Multiple Assets, Unlimited Distribution
The power of a content system is not hype. It is a viable strategy. Why it works: - One idea - Multiple assets - Unlimited distribution
10 Types of Digital Marketing You Need to Master in 2026
The article outlines ten digital marketing disciplines essential for 2026, emphasizing that businesses should focus on a handful of channels rather than spreading resources thin. Email marketing delivers the highest return on investment, generating $36‑$42 for every dollar spent, while...
System Builders Gain Exponential Edge Over AI Dabblers
Hot take: The real AI divide is dabblers vs. system builders. Dabblers ask for one-shot blog posts. Builders create prompt libraries, workflows and iteration loops. One group saves time. The other compounds advantage. I break down how I've been using Claude & ChatGPT to...
SwipeFiles Unveils Mad Men‑Inspired Branding Refresh
💼 SwipeFiles got a branding upgrade → Over the past few months, we've been working to give SwipeFiles a new look. And what we came up with was inspired by Mad Men ↓ https://t.co/tkhNbJePuz
Traveller Made Highlights Branding as Key to Luxury DMC Growth
Traveller Made’s CEO Quentin Desurmont warns luxury destination management companies (DMCs) that superior logistics alone no longer secures profitability; they must develop distinct brand identities. He suggests borrowing branding tactics from the luxury goods sector, where desirability and exclusivity have...
Only Join Platforms Where Your Customers Gather
Should you be on [insert social platform here]? If your goal is to solicit customers, and they’re there, then be there. If your goal is to be social with a specific group of people who are there, then be there Else don’t.
Longer SaaS Queries Boost Reddit’s SERP Presence
When it comes to SaaS... The longer the query: The more likely Reddit starts to show up in the SERP. More here: https://t.co/PlWF0NT1Gq https://t.co/FgrZjhWLCj
Ugg Brings Back the Fluff Yeah Sandal With a Sci-Fi-Inspired Twist
UGG has revived its popular Fluff Yeah fluffy sandal for a limited Spring 2026 run after strong fan demand. The brand launched a sci‑fi‑inspired campaign starring comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, featuring a hand‑crafted miniature Los Angeles set and a Venice Beach pop‑up on...
Pixar-Style Ads Boost Client Performance – Get Workflow
Pixar-style ads are crushing for my clients right now. I created a workflow to get you started, plus ad examples. Like and comment "AI slop" for access. https://t.co/3xxn0NUqub
ChatGPT Isn’t Replacing Google Search, Despite Hype
I guess ChatGPT isn’t killing Google search after all. (We knew that, but I still see posts on here and IG saying this daily)
Chocolate-Scented Magnum Activation Sparks Commuter Backlash on London Tube
Magnum launched a multi‑sensory activation in the St Pancras‑King’s Cross tube walkway, releasing bursts of chocolate aroma and a cracking sound to mimic biting the ice‑cream. The installation, running from 9 March to 22 March, provoked mixed reactions, with many commuters describing the scent...
Uber Emboldens St Patrick’s Day Partygoers to ‘Irish Exit’ with a Quick Getaway
Uber has launched the "IrishXit" campaign for St. Patrick’s Day, urging partygoers to leave safely via UberX. The initiative features Love Island star Maura Higgins in a meta‑creative spot that dramatizes an "Irish exit" from a party. Partnering with Mother New York,...
Ioana Stoica on Co-Creation, Digital Platforms and the Governance of Place Branding
Ioana Stoica, a senior lecturer in digital marketing, argues that place branding is a long‑term governance of meaning rather than a conventional marketing exercise. She emphasizes that residents, not customers, co‑create a place’s identity through everyday experiences and digital storytelling....
How to Choose an AI Writing Assistant: Best Tips for 2026
Choosing an AI writing assistant hinges on matching the tool to specific writing goals, whether for academic research, marketing copy, or creative storytelling. The guide stresses evaluating core features such as grammar correction, content generation, and personalization, while also weighing...
Telstra Business Launches New ‘Tame Your Tech’ Campaign via In-House Agency Roam
Telstra Business introduced the “Tame your Tech” campaign to promote its Managed IT Services, developed by the newly formed in‑house creative agency Roam. The centerpiece is an animated film where sentient cables move from anticipation through chaos to a controlled...
Beyond the Brief: Inside SnackaChangi’s ‘One Chip per Kiwi’ Campaign – a Triumphant Trainwreck
SnackaChangi and Pitchblack Partners launched a "one chip per Kiwi" stunt that turned an impossible sampling brief into a nationwide content engine. By framing the absurd promise as a media‑driven narrative and later handing over the unspent sampling budget, the...
Rethinking AEO when Software Agents Navigate the Web on Behalf of Users
The rise of AI‑powered agents that browse the web on users' behalf is eroding the long‑standing assumption that every click, scroll or purchase funnel step reflects a conscious human decision. While the raw data—page views, button clicks, time on page—remains...
#183 - The 2026 CMO: AI, Smaller Teams and the New Rules of Marketing Leadership with Kat Wendelstadt, CMO at...
In this episode Kat Wendelstadt, CMO of Electric Twin, discusses how the CMO role is evolving in 2026, driven by AI, tighter budgets, and the need for hands‑on technical skills. She highlights the pressure on senior marketers to execute tasks...
Pepsi Ropes in Saiyaara Star Pair Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda as New Brand Face
PepsiCo India has appointed rising actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda as the new faces of its summer campaign, aiming to deepen ties with Gen Z consumers. The move continues the beverage giant’s long‑standing practice of leveraging pop‑culture icons to reinforce...
Audi India Appoints Wondrlab as Communications Partner
Audi India has appointed Wondrlab as its communications partner after a multi‑agency pitch, tasking the firm with leading a platform‑first brand strategy. The agency will weave Audi’s global philosophy into a unified Indian ecosystem that spans digital, social, content, media...
Lay’s Uses WhatsApp to Create a Group Chat for World Cup Fans
Lay’s, a PepsiCo snack brand, launched a WhatsApp Channels group chat for FIFA World Cup fans, featuring celebrities such as Lionel Messi and David Beckham. The initiative is part of the fourth‑year “No Lay’s, No Game” campaign, extending the brand’s sports‑marketing push from the Super...
Retailers Turn to Digital Rebates as Alcohol Sales Slump
Retail grocers and convenience stores are rolling out digital alcohol cashback programs through Swiftly to counter a 5% year‑over‑year decline in liquor sales. Swiftly’s platform grew from about 11,000 to over 33,000 stores in 44 states after acquiring BYBE, enabling...
The Quiet Rise of ‘Dark Brands’: Companies That Win Without Being Famous
The article highlights the emergence of “dark brands” – private‑label and marketplace‑native products that thrive without consumer awareness. Growth in e‑commerce and algorithmic recommendation engines now drives sales, eclipsing traditional brand visibility. In the United States, store brands account for...
Contextual Segmentation: Why Context Explains Customer Behavior Better than Clicks Alone
Traditional segmentation relies on clicks, pageviews, and on‑site actions, but those signals often miss the underlying why behind a purchase. An experiment at Online Plastics Group linked sales to public housing data—energy labels and building permits—to uncover real‑world contexts driving...
Astro Teams with Naga DDB Tribal on Raya Platform Celebrating the Power of Togetherness
Astro has teamed with advertising agency Naga DDB Tribal to launch its 2026 Ramadan‑Raya campaign, “Bila Bersama, Lagi Jadi,” centered on the traditional pelita panjut lamp as a symbol of togetherness. The initiative features a 15‑minute short film, a batik‑inspired...
Fernleaf and Havas Malaysia Launch SmartGro Campaign for Digital-First Kids
Fernleaf has teamed with Havas Malaysia to roll out the SmartGro campaign, spotlighting its upgraded growing‑up milk formulated for digital‑first children. The new blend adds lutein to filter blue‑light exposure while retaining DHA, high protein, calcium, and essential vitamins. A...
Why On Earth Is Menulog On The Back Of The Bunnies’ Jerseys?
Menulog’s logo will still appear on the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ 2026 jerseys even though the delivery service stopped operating in Australia in November 2025. The jerseys were printed before the shutdown, and the partnership agreement was extended to avoid the expense...
Guardian Malaysia’s Hari Raya Campaign Reframes the Meaning of Giving
Guardian Malaysia unveiled its Hari Raya campaign “Seikhlas Pemberian, Seindah Lebaran” on March 1, 2026, partnering with THE SHOUT GROUP to produce an emotive film about a grandmother‑granddaughter gifting moment. The brand teamed with luxury fashion label Fiziwoo for an exclusive motif featured...
How Simmons Is Turning Snoozing Into a Shareable Moment
Mattress maker Simmons marked World Sleep Day with a social‑first campaign featuring humor‑laden greeting cards. Created by The Secret Little Agency, the cards encourage sharing on Instagram and include a limited‑time SG$100 discount on Beautyrest Prime and Platinum mattresses. The...
Turning B2B Events Into Content Engines
Corporate B2B events are evolving from logistical chores into strategic content engines. Marketers often spend 80 to 200 hours on operational tasks, diverting senior talent from narrative development. By treating logistics as infrastructure and outsourcing execution, companies free creative resources...
New Claude Code Tool Enables Live Copy Variation Cycling
Playing with a new tool that allows you to generate copy variations in Claude Code and cycle between them directly on the page and then apply to save the changes https://t.co/q5bTH4fScm
Burger King Crowned for Self‑deprecating Ad Campaign
Burger King wins the award for the most self-abnegating commercials of all time. Imagine if you were eating there all these years and now they say, "The joke was on you; we always sucked, till a a couple of minutes...