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.
The New Creator Video Play: Moving From Shorts to CTV | Behind the Numbers Special Edition
In this special edition of the Behind the Numbers podcast, eMarketer analyst Emmy Liederman moderates a panel with Nicole Marcus of Dick's Sporting Goods and Alison O'Keefe of Best Buy about the evolving creator video landscape and its migration from short-form platforms to Connected TV (CTV). The discussion highlights how both retailers are shifting from one‑off influencer deals to longer‑term, story‑driven partnerships that blend micro, nano, and mega creators with brand‑specific product moments. They explore the blurred lines between creators and traditional celebrities, the need for flexible production models, and how sports and other live events are being extended through creator‑generated content on CTV and social feeds. The guests share practical frameworks for selecting talent, building internal creator ecosystems, and leveraging influencer‑driven storytelling to reach audiences as they abandon linear TV.
Huggies Puts Priceless Luxury Items in the Line of Fire in ‘Expensive Sh*t’ Teaser via McCann NZ + NY
Huggies, together with McCann New York and McCann New Zealand, launched the “Expensive Sh*t” campaign to showcase the blow‑out protection of its Little Snugglers diapers. The stunt features a live‑streamed hour where eighteen newborns crawl over half a million dollars of designer...
Boasting About SEO Wins Gets You Caught Fast
The funny thing about people publicly boasting about their explosive SEO campaigns is that bringing viral attention to them is the single best and fastest way to get caught, including potentially having multiple accounts in your GSC all penalized at...
How I Became My Own AI Case Study & What I Learned
In this episode, the host explains how they leveraged AI to amplify a single content idea into multiple formats—articles, videos, posts, and notes—resulting in a steady rise in LinkedIn impressions, reaching over 2,000 in a week and 40,000 organically over...
Digital Marketing for Law Firms in 2026 – Where to Focus Your Efforts
Digital marketing for law firms in 2026 is shifting from volume to quality as AI reshapes content discovery and platforms tighten standards. Firms that prioritize authentic LinkedIn commentary, accessible web experiences, and human‑guided paid media outperform trend‑chasing competitors. Accessibility is...
Logitech Launches New ‘Charger Not Needed’ Campaign for Light-Powered Keyboard via UMM
Logitech ANZ, together with agency UMM, has launched a billboard campaign in Sydney promoting its new Signature Slim Solar+ keyboard, which runs without a charger by harvesting any light source. The ads, displayed at Wynyard and Town Hall stations, highlight...
How Smart Shopify Brands Are Using AI Personalization to Grow AOV Without Spending More on Ads
Shopify merchants earning $200K‑$5M are turning to Rebuy’s AI‑driven personalization to lift average order value by 11‑25% and subscription revenue by up to 63% without extra ad spend. The platform layers recommendation widgets across five key touchpoints—homepage carousel, product detail...
2degrees Introduces Blue Chameleon to Show Kiwis Why Turning Blue Pays Off via TBWA\NZ
2degrees has launched a new integrated campaign featuring a blue chameleon to promote its "Fighting for Fair" platform and encourage Kiwis to switch for cost savings. The 60‑second hero film, directed by Matt Devine and enhanced with ALT VFX, follows...
Subscriber Counts Are Vanity; Track Open Rates Instead
Newletter subscribers is the perfect vanity metric, especially for people with no opt-in or catchpa. What’s your open rate? How many people are actually reading it every week?
Founders Prioritize SEO, LinkedIn Automation, AI Video Tools
I just pulled our AppSumo internal search data from March. 63,410 searches. Here's what founders are actually looking for right now: 1- SEO tools 2- LinkedIn automation 3- AI video 4- CRM 5- Email marketing 6- WordPress plugins If you're building an...
‘The Bondi Feeling’ Campaign Invites Sydneysiders to Rediscover the Fun of Bondi
Waverley Council has unveiled "The Bondi Feeling" campaign, a multi‑channel destination marketing effort aimed at re‑engaging Sydneysiders with Bondi’s beaches, lifestyle and local businesses. The initiative features a hero illustration by Beck Feiner, a slate of high‑profile events from Bondi Live...
AI Misplaces Funnel Stages, Requires Manual Correction
Gamma 5, Dave 0 in the "funnel wars" where I have tried 15 different prompts to get it to point the marketing funnel downwards. Let's not forget that it actually re-ordered the layers as well, somehow putting conversion at...
AI Agents Replace SEO Agency I Never Had
I replaced my entire SEO agency with 8 AI Agents Here's how: I never had an SEO agency
#MasterclassNotes: Why Distinctiveness Is Now a Priority for Marketers, Agencies
At the 2025 AdForum Worldwide Summit, marketers declared agency distinctiveness a top priority. Research cited shows brands that invest in differentiation grow 170% faster than the market. Agencies such as Wonderhood, Publicis, Samy, Dept, and others showcased clear positioning, brave...
Microsoft Quietly Scraps “This Is an Xbox” Campaign
it looks like Microsoft's "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign has been quietly canned. The original announcement post has been removed, but the ads still remain on YouTube https://t.co/PeCX9AG175 https://t.co/XqJXAU83Zf
Build a Trusted Audience Before Launching Your Ideas
I think at that point it might be more beneficial to have distribution already, like an audience you built up that trusts you, which I try to do on here
The Jingle Is Dead — Long Live Sonic Language
South African marketers are still treating audio branding as a simple jingle, while global brands have moved to multilayered sonic ecosystems that include adaptive stems, voice personas and spatial mixes. Fintech leaders such as Capitec are already deploying full sonic...
Consistent Content Pays Off with Unexpected Viral Wins
McDonald's CEO has been posting talking-head & review content for the last 4 years Most have averaged around 20-40k views, nothing crazy A lot of executives would have seen that as a waste of time and given up But then BOOM, one...
Houston Group Delivers Inclusive Makeover for Plan Partners
Houston Group completed a full brand repositioning for disability services provider Plan Partners, unveiling the empathetic positioning “For you and your care team”. The refresh responds to recent NDIS policy shifts and replaces a corporate image with a human‑centred, accessible...
I Was Inconsiderate but Now I’m Everywhere
Derek Sivers announced that he is expanding his personal content beyond his own website to a suite of social and video platforms. He likens his previous single‑site approach to a record producer who forced everyone to travel to a remote...
Sorry for Your Glossier
Glossier is set to launch a new fragrance called Soie in the coming weeks, marking its latest attempt to gain traction in the crowded perfume market. The brand’s recent history includes three perfume releases within a five‑month span, a rollout...
Delta Launches Euro Summer 2026 Travel Inspiration Campaign With Interactive Destination Quiz
Delta Air Lines has rolled out a digital campaign called Delta Destinations to inspire European summer travel for 2026. The initiative pairs curated city guides—starting with Amsterdam, Malta, Porto and London—with an interactive “Euro Summer Destination Match Quiz” that aligns...
Ownable Ideas Turn Buyers Into Followers
Your buyer already knows what they want. They’re waiting for someone to show them why everything they’ve tried falls short. That’s why an ownable idea is so powerful. When you find the right one, you stop chasing clients and start attracting...
Why Restaurants Should Embrace the Inner Kidult
The article highlights the growing "Kidult" trend—adults, especially Gen Z, who gravitate toward nostalgic, child‑like experiences—as a low‑cost, high‑impact lever for restaurants. Data from Placer.ai shows that promotions such as McDonald’s Grinch Meal and Starbucks’ Bearista generated the largest traffic spikes...
Timothée Chalamet Said ‘No One Cares About Opera.’ The Industry Turned It Into Viral Marketing
Actor Timothée Chalamet’s remark that “no one cares about opera” sparked a swift backlash that opera companies turned into a viral marketing campaign. Major houses such as Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera launched discount codes and...
Real Customers Inspire CSC’s New ‘Made for Me’ Brand Campaign via HERO and The Media Store
Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) has launched its new “Made for Me” brand platform, a refresh aimed at its Australian Public Service and Defence Force members. Developed with creative agency HERO and media partner The Media Store, the campaign tells the...
Is Your Content Calendar Eroding Customer Trust?
Dr. Anna Harrison argues that traditional content calendars are built on a linear funnel model that assumes audiences progress uniformly, but trust actually develops in asynchronous loops. AI‑generated summaries further destabilize scheduled campaigns by reshaping how users discover content. The...
Jisoo Embodies Classic American Cool for Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger has appointed K‑Pop star Jisoo as the face of its Spring 2026 campaign, marking her fourth partnership with the heritage label since becoming a global ambassador in October 2024. The campaign showcases Jisoo in relaxed American classics—striped cardigans, linen waistcoats,...
Gradial Launches GEO Agent With Built-In Execution to Help Brands Win in AI Search
Gradial unveiled Gradial GEO, a new capability that spots visibility gaps in AI‑driven search results and automatically implements fixes directly in a brand’s CMS. The tool continuously monitors generative engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, updating pages in real...
Now See Exactly How Audiences Use AI Tools
We make audience research software. It tells you lots of things about any group of people on the web. But... it couldn't tell you how they used AI tools (prompts, topics)... until today 👇
Website Redesign SEO: How To Preserve Organic Traffic
A website redesign reshapes the SEO signals that search engines rely on—URLs, navigation, content density, and load speed—often causing a short‑term traffic dip of 0‑20 % in the first month. Conducting a full SEO audit before any visual work creates a...
Your Brand Mistakes Are Killing Lead Generation
Your personal brand is costing you 1000s of opportunities. Don't be blind to it. Avoid these mistakes: You probably think showing up consistently is enough. But personal branding is reputation management at scale. Every post and comment you share either builds or breaks...
Google Embraces Zero-Click Search, Keeps Traffic, Increases Ad Costs
Everyone says AI is unbundling Google Search. ChatGPT processes 1.6 billion queries a day. Perplexity grew 340% last year. The narrative writes itself. But look closer at the numbers and something else is happening. ChatGPT has 12% of Google's search volume. It sends...
Energize Marketing: 2026 The Year of the Pipeline Mandate
Energize Marketing’s 2026 State of Demand Generation report declares 2026 “the Year of the Pipeline Mandate,” marking a decisive shift from activity‑based metrics to measurable pipeline and revenue impact. The survey of 300 senior B2B marketers shows 52% rank qualified...
AI Turns Creative Threat Into Time‑Saving Partner
Wayne Stiles builds a business around creativity and storytelling. AI could easily feel like a threat in that world. Instead, the AI Business Lab® Mastermind helped him turn it into his most valuable creative partner. He now leverages AI as a...
How to Automate Growth Without Losing the Human Touch
Modern go‑to‑market teams are leveraging AI‑native CRMs to automate repetitive tasks while preserving human relationships. By integrating flexible GTM tools, companies can align sales, customer success, and product data in a single platform. Automated lead routing, interaction tracking, and call...
Vanessa Wallace Joins GLD as CMO
GLD, the Miami‑based lifestyle jewelry brand, has appointed Vanessa Wallace as its new chief marketing officer. Wallace brings nearly two decades of experience at Nike and most recently served as CMO of Savage x Fenty. In her role, she will oversee growth,...
How Celsius Is Building Brands — Not Just Beverages — as Growth Surges
Celsius Holdings posted a record $2.5 billion revenue for 2025, an 85% jump that lifted its U.S. energy‑drink share to roughly 20% in Q4. The growth was driven by the recent acquisitions of Alani Nu and Rockstar Energy, expanding the portfolio beyond...
Beauty Brand Clarins Rolls Out U.S. Mobile App to Assist Shoppers In-Store
Clarins has relaunched its mobile app in the United States after a successful pilot in the United Kingdom, extending the rollout to Canada, Australia, France and other markets. The app uses a hybrid native‑web architecture that leverages existing mobile site...
How Gap Is Trying to Get Its Cool Back
Gap Inc. is leveraging its 1990s heritage to revive brand relevance, spotlighting iconic archive imagery while launching a fresh, music‑video‑style campaign. The new ad features Katseye, a Gen Z girl group, designed for short‑form platforms like TikTok. Within days, teens began...
Measure Reddit Impact Beyond Clicks: Reach, Sentiment, Insight
Here is the mistake I see B2B teams make over and over. They measure Reddit success like paid ads. Clicks. Leads. Immediate conversions. That is the wrong scoreboard. A smarter framework looks like this. 1) Reach. Many Reddit users never log in. A post with...
Meta Success Hinges on Traffic Diversity, Not Ad Volume
Almost every brand doing well on Meta and continuing to grow on Meta has one thing in common, diversity in traffic / landing pages. Not thousands of ads.
B2B Purchases Aren’t Made by Individuals
B2B buying decisions now involve 5‑16 stakeholders across finance, IT, operations, and executive functions, making consensus the true driver of deals. Millennials and Gen Z compose roughly 71% of these buying groups, preferring digital, collaborative research channels over traditional sales...
Self‑audit Revealed Flaws, Fixes Boosted Score From F to A
And then I used a product I built to score its own site got F 😂 used the same product’s recommendations moved from F to A ❗️❗️❗️
AI Revives Dead Brands with Personal, Emotional Touch
Sears catalogs were once the engagement standard. We use AI to revive @DeadBrands with a personal touch. We transform data into emotional connections. Tell us what you want to hear from us. https://t.co/ZsEwnG4p2n https://t.co/AgJNZPQ38m
Eight Out of Ten PMax Advertisers Are Now Running CTV Ads
Eight out of ten Performance Max advertisers are now seeing connected‑TV impressions on YouTube, a shift driven by Google’s expanded CTV capabilities. Since Q2 2025 the platform has auto‑generated TV ads from product‑feed images, and in January 2026 introduced shoppable CTV formats...
Raw iPhone Videos Outperform Polished Ads—Authenticity Wins
I've tested 300+ ad creatives. Here's the pattern: Polished professional videos got ignored. Raw UGC-style videos shot on an iPhone went viral. Your assumption that high production value wins is wrong. Authenticity does. Test everything.
Boost LinkedIn Engagement with AI-Generated Posts
Trying to get more involved with the @LinkedIn community, but are finding that your posts don't get engagement? Use AI to make 'em more engaging. Here's how to give it a try: https://t.co/y53idalzyJ #linkedin #chatgpt #ai #socialmedia https://t.co/1A3x3iQXTW
Coach’s Explore Your Story Campaign Is For Gen Z Bookworms
Coach has launched the “Explore Your Story” campaign linking its iconic Tabby bag with readable book charms to engage Gen Z readers. Developed with global Gen Z‑led communities, the initiative features celebrities such as Elle Fanning and Paige Bueckers selecting...
What Premium Actually Buys You on CTV
Premium CTV inventory, while more expensive, offers advertisers higher-quality audience engagement. Vevo, partnering with measurement firm Amplified, has produced rigorous attention data demonstrating that premium placements deliver longer view times and stronger brand recall. The partnership’s findings provide concrete evidence...