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.
‘Better Value Than LinkedIn Ads’: Tech Firm Octave Bets Big On F1 Partnership With VCARB
Global tech firm Octave has signed a three‑year sponsorship with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team, launching the deal at the Australian Grand Prix. The partnership aligns Octave’s asset‑lifecycle intelligence platform with the high‑pressure environment of Formula 1, positioning the brand alongside a Red Bull‑backed squad. Octave’s CMO David Cryer claims the deal delivers better value than traditional LinkedIn advertising and offers direct access to C‑suite decision makers who follow the sport. The agreement also includes on‑car branding and integration of Octave’s software into live race operations.
Retail and Grocery Brands Dominate ChatGPT Ads
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has entered its fourth week of serving contextual ads, with Sensor Tower reporting that retail and grocery promotions dominate the ad inventory. Over a two‑week sample, more than 100 distinct brand ads appeared, outpacing other categories such as...
Inside ‘AutoBait’: DoubleVerify Exposes AI Slop Factory Sucking Ad Budgets
DoubleVerify’s Fraud Lab has uncovered AutoBait, a coordinated network of more than 200 AI‑generated lifestyle sites that churn out clickbait articles and hyper‑realistic images to harvest advertising revenue. The operation delivers tens of millions of ad impressions each month, with...
Customers.AI Review 2026: The Identity Resolution Tool That Helps Shopify Brands Capture More Revenue From the Traffic They Already Have
Customers.AI is an identity‑resolution and deliverability platform built for Shopify brands that run Klaviyo. Its X‑Ray pixel lifts visitor identification from roughly 15‑20% to 60‑70%, feeding anonymous shoppers into Klaviyo profiles. The Alfred AI agent scores these visitors daily, enabling...
TikTok Ad Campaigns Drive Movie Ticket Purchases
TikTok released data, in partnership with measurement firm Samba, linking ad exposure to real‑world movie ticket purchases across 38 U.S. campaigns from early 2023 to mid‑2025. The analysis shows a median 172% lift in purchase rates for exposed audiences, with...
L.E.K. Brand Heat Index Shows Which Shoe Brands Are Top of Mind
L.E.K. Consulting’s 2026 Brand Heat Index, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. consumers, shows Nike retaining the top spot in athletic footwear for both men and women. Hoka and On Running are closing the gap, especially among female...
Casavogue Celebrates 54 Years with Anniversary Savings
Casavogue, Montreal’s flagship high‑end furniture showroom, marks its 54th anniversary with a $500 discount for every $3,000 spent on sofas, bedroom and dining sets. The promotion runs across a curated selection of premium collections, encouraging customers to refresh core home...
Walmart Canada Kicks Off Sponsorship with Canada Soccer to Bring Canadians Closer to the Game
Walmart Canada announced a multi‑year sponsorship with Canada Soccer and the Canadian Premier League, aiming to make the sport more accessible nationwide. The partnership features forward Jonathan David as Walmart’s official ambassador and includes grassroots initiatives, match‑day activations, and fan‑engagement offers....
How to Run an Instagram Account Performance Review that Actually Leads to Growth
Most Instagram monthly reports focus on vanity metrics like reach and follower count, which do not drive growth. The article proposes a five‑step performance review that centers on actionable signals such as saves‑to‑reach ratio, profile visits, and story completion. Using...
Consent‑Driven Targeting: Building Trust With Patients and HCPs
Life‑science marketers face mounting pressure to deliver personalized content while meeting stricter privacy regulations such as CCPA and the EU Data Act. Companies are shifting from static consent checkboxes to unified, real‑time consent frameworks that synchronize preferences across CRM, CDP,...
AI Fundraising Hit 1,750% ROI in a Kentucky Race
An AI‑driven email campaign in a down‑ballot Kentucky race generated a 1,750% return on investment, delivering $17.50 for every dollar spent. The initiative lifted revenue per staff minute from $8.33 to $56.47 and, in a separate San Francisco effort, saved 12...
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Subway Seeks to Serve 1M Meatballs on National Meatball Day with Free Footlong Upgrades
Subway is offering a free foot‑long upgrade on March 9 for customers who purchase a six‑inch Meatball Sub as part of its Sub of the Day or Meal of the Day. The promotion, timed with National Meatball Day, aims to sell...
AI Can Fix the Chaos of Scaling Creator Ops
Creator ops for any brand that is scaling are an absolute mess. If someone can solve all these problems using AI, it will make them richer than they could imagine. - Outreach volume. The bigger companies need to be contacting...
Early Marketing Hires: Prioritize Strategy, Execution, or Creativity?
For other founders: When hiring early marketing talent, what do you prioritize most — strategy, execution, or creativity?
What SMEC’s Data Reveals About AI Max Performance via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
Smarter Ecommerce (SMEC) examined over 250 e‑commerce Search campaigns that used Google’s AI Max feature. The study found a median 13% lift in conversion value but a 16% rise in cost per acquisition, indicating higher revenue at a higher price....
Konodrac Launches Smart TV Self-Promotion Platform
Spanish tech firm Konodrac has introduced Smart Self-Promotions, an automated platform that turns traditional TV self-promotion into data-driven campaigns for linear, HbbTV and OTT environments. The solution leverages census-level audience data to segment viewers, deliver interactive calls-to-action, and provide full-funnel...
Collette Launches Solo Travel Savings
Collette has launched a Solo Travel Savings Campaign offering up to $1,000 off select Explorations tours for solo guests traveling through March 2027. The promotion, running through July 15, targets the fast‑growing solo traveler segment, especially those over 50 seeking...
How Personalized Hotel Websites Turn Interest Into Bookings
Personalized hotel websites are becoming essential as 71% of travelers expect tailored interactions and 68% favor personalization over loyalty programs. By delivering real‑time, intent‑based content, hotels can convert more visitors, with direct‑booking conversion rates rising about 25% and repeat bookings...
How Brands Are Measuring Value Across the Entire Customer Journey
Advertisers struggle to monetize brand‑building efforts, with only 53% confident in ROI measurement. Amazon Ads introduced Long‑Term Sales (LTS), a metric that assigns monetary value to shopper actions across the full journey using its authenticated identity graph. LTS combines short‑term...
OpenAI Holds Talks with The Trade Desk to Sell ChatGPT Ads and Hit $17B Revenue
OpenAI is in early talks with ad‑tech giant The Trade Desk to sell advertising on its ChatGPT platform, part of a broader push to generate $17 billion in consumer revenue this year. The company has already partnered with Criteo to launch...
Will The Trade Desk Right-Size Its Margins?
The Trade Desk faces criticism for a complex, opaque fee structure that includes platform, data, and bid‑shading charges. Consultant Sarah Caputo argues the DSP should lower its take rate and simplify fees, especially the double‑digit bid‑shading fee on savings. Recent...
How to Nagivate the Line Between Greenwashing and Greenhushing
Brands and retailers are confronting intensified regulatory scrutiny and potential sanctions over sustainability claims, prompting many to adopt “greenhushing” – the practice of keeping environmental initiatives hidden. While this approach reduces the risk of violating emerging green‑claim laws, it also...
Accounts in Transit: Scout Lab Lands TrustedHousesitters
Scout Lab has been appointed communications agency for TrustedHousesitters, tasked with consumer press, brand positioning, and media strategy to amplify its trust‑based travel model. Magrino secures the role of public‑relations agency of record for BSH’s North American operations, covering product...
Domino’s Redefines Celebrity Meals in Social-First Campaign
Domino’s is rolling out a social‑first campaign that showcases influencer‑crafted pizza combos ahead of March Madness, promoting its under‑$10 “Best Deal Ever.” The initiative pairs creators like Jesser, Trisha Paytas and Courtney Cook with college basketball players, and includes a partnership with...
Credit‑Card Trials Double Revenue Efficiency vs Freemium
If 1,000 people land on your website… How much revenue do you actually generate? Kyle Poyar , ChartMogul and ProductLed analyzed 200 SaaS & AI companies for our 2026 Funnel Report. Here’s what happens with 1,000 visitors: Freemium 1,000 visitors...
The Next Phase of Search: AI SEO Playbook for 2026 and Beyond
Search is shifting from clicks to AI‑generated answers, with Google’s AI Overviews delivering roughly 49% more impressions while click‑through rates fall about 30%. Assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity cite only ~1% of listed sources, favoring high‑trust domains like...
Rep Cap Launches Analyst Relations for HR/Work Tech
Rep Cap, a B2B content consultancy for work‑tech, insurance and financial services, announced a dedicated Analyst Relations practice aimed at boosting HR and work‑tech firms' visibility with industry analysts. The new service offers three engagement models—a continuous retainer, a short‑term...
Original Content on Social: Harder to Find, but More Important for Brands to Nail
A new Sprout Social report shows just 56% of social users think brands deliver truly original content. Meanwhile, about one‑third find trend‑jacking embarrassing and only 27% consider it effective if executed within 48 hours. Marketers are prioritizing AI‑generated assets, yet...
Vote for DR80+ Club T‑Shirt Design
We're bringing back the @Ahrefs DR80+ Club. 👑 ...and we need your vote for the best t-shirt design. *Why does DR80+ matter?* DR (Domain Rating) is Ahrefs' metric for a website's link popularity. Essentially, how many high-quality sites are linking to it. This metric...
12 Best Rank Tracker Tools I've Tested
Rank tracker tools monitor keyword positions across search engines, offering daily updates, SERP‑feature insights, and competitor analysis. The article reviews twelve leading solutions—from Surfer and Ahrefs to Nightwatch and AccuRanker—highlighting each platform’s unique capabilities such as local‑level tracking, AI‑driven overviews,...
Unlock AI Search Visibility with My New Video
If you found my latest blog post about AEO/GEO vs SEO interesting, you should check out the companion YouTube video I just published. I cover everything in detail and provide some additional context. My video covers all of the information...
How to Extract Actionable Insights From Ahrefs Brand Radar
920392843920 people have asked me how I get insights out of Ahrefs Brand Radar. Here's me actually going through and looking at insights for Ahrefs: https://t.co/T15xG2XAlk
Oh Jibbitz! LoveShackFancy Puts A Whimsical Spin On Crocs
LoveShackFancy has teamed with Crocs for a limited‑edition spring collection that debuts on March 5. The line includes classic clogs, platform clogs and ballet‑style flats, all drenched in the brand’s pastel floral prints, bows, gold accents and interchangeable Jibbitz charms. Prices...
Daily AI Content Insights Drive Stunning Growth
Started posting daily on LinkedIn about what I'm learning around AI for content marketing and holy crap look at this beautiful graph https://t.co/p6bihegxGi
Disney Slashes Bundle Price 62% to Drive Q1 Growth
Disney is looking to crank up its streaming subscriber numbers for the first quarter of 2026 — introducing a 62% price discount on the ad-supported Disney+/Hulu bundle for a three-month period https://t.co/ThNJ10Kpe2 via @variety
The Verified Source Pack Agents Trust First via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
The article introduces the Verified Source Pack (VSP) as a new infrastructure layer that delivers machine‑readable, authoritative truth for AI agents. It outlines four core components—content, structure, provenance, and discoverability—and explains how VSPs complement existing pages and schema. The piece...
ChatGPT Carousels Align with 83% of Top Google Shopping Results
“Over 83% of ChatGPT carousel products were found as strong matches in Google’s top 40 organic shopping results.” Another article showing how ChatGPT uses Google’s results - this time for Google Shopping. Great new research by Tom Wells at @peec_ai https://t.co/ABBzFlGH55
OpenClaw Setup Boosted Views From 358 to 85K
Building Live: The OpenClaw Setup That Took My Articles from 358 to 85,000+ Views https://t.co/2AfO60Gvta
Blaze Pizza Partners with Marvel Television's 'Daredevil: Born Again Season 2'
Blaze Pizza has launched a limited‑edition Sweet Heat pizza in partnership with Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, debuting on Disney+ March 24. The pizza, featuring spicy red sauce, double pepperoni, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and Mike’s Hot Honey, hit U.S....
New Google AI Mode Features Boost SEO and Customization
It’s New 3/5: Google AI Mode recipe cards and links covered by @gregfinn, @mordyoberstein on AI Overview drop downs, @TheMarketingAnu on build to order attributes and I wrap with JavaScript SEO accessibility https://t.co/Ab4n3Z0rKc
PulsePoint Scales HCP Omnichannel Offering with Reddit Integration
PulsePoint announced an integration that lets healthcare marketers activate its proprietary HCP audience segments directly on Reddit. The self‑serve capability joins PulsePoint’s broader omnichannel ecosystem, enabling coordinated campaigns across social, programmatic display, EHR, DOOH and more. Marketers gain NPI‑level measurement...
Aave Newsletter Now Public: Latest Ecosystem Updates
We are now distributing Aave Newsletter publicy. Learn the latest progress on the Aave ecosystem.
Songs to Put You on Airplane Mode: Finnair Believes Music Should Be as Important as In-Flight Snacks
Finnair has launched a bespoke in‑flight soundscape composed by Finnish composer Lauri Porra, featuring a 12‑track, 45‑minute orchestral suite. The music is timed to each stage of the journey—from boarding to landing—and incorporates traditional Finnish instruments such as the kantele and...
Gaming Marketing Consultancy Open World Acquires Influencer Platform Drope.me to Scale Creator Campaigns
Open World, the marketing consultancy division of Loaded Holdings, has acquired influencer platform Drope.me to add automation and performance‑tracking tools to its gaming creator campaigns. The acquisition enables Open World to scale activations from dozens to thousands of creators simultaneously....
Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio
Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovation Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign from March to June 2025 across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora. The effort, aimed at younger, digitally‑first men, leveraged Ovation’s EMRge marketing intelligence...
Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio
Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovative Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora from March to June 2025. The campaign, aimed at younger “Stylish Steve” and older “Professional Paul” men,...
Brand Buzz: Social Highlights From McDonald's, Aldi, Guinness and More
Campaign’s Brand Buzz roundup highlights how major brands used social media last month to drive conversation and sales. McDonald’s launched a limited‑time menu item on TikTok, sparking viral user videos. Aldi promoted its new eco‑friendly packaging through Instagram Stories, while...
Thrad Joins AgenticAdvertising.org as Founding Member
Thrad, a leading AI advertising infrastructure provider, announced its entry as a founding member of AgenticAdvertising.org (AAO), an initiative to develop open standards for AI‑powered ads through the Ad Context Protocol. The move comes amid OpenAI’s launch of a high‑cost,...
Lumen Launches New Attention Measurement Solution for Advertisers with Netflix
Lumen Research has teamed up with Netflix to launch an attention‑measurement solution that tracks how viewers engage with ads across Netflix’s ad‑supported CTV, desktop, and mobile platforms. The offering is initially available to advertisers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy,...
Zink Talent: Samantha Zink’s Strategy for Developing Long-Term Creator-Brand Partnerships
Zink Talent, founded in 2018 by former fashion PR executive Samantha Zink, now manages about 70 creators across beauty, skincare, fashion and lifestyle. The agency has shifted its roster criteria from raw follower counts to engagement, consistency and business discipline,...