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.
10 Best Email List Management Tools for 2026 (Expert Comparison)
Neal Schaffer’s guide ranks the top ten email list management platforms for 2026, highlighting free‑plan generosity, automation depth, and integration capabilities. The analysis shows Sender and MailerLite provide the most generous free tiers, while tools like Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign excel for e‑commerce and advanced automation. Segmentation and automated workflows are shown to dramatically lift engagement and revenue, with industry data indicating up to 30% higher opens and 320% more revenue from automated sends. The piece advises businesses to start with a free plan and upgrade as list size or feature needs grow.
Jo Malone London Taps Sisters Lizzy and Georgia May Jagger as Global Brand Ambassadors
Jo Malone London, part of the Estée Lauder Companies, has appointed sisters Georgia May Jagger and Lizzy Jagger as global brand ambassadors for its new English Pear fragrance line. The campaign, built around a sisterhood narrative, will showcase the English Pear & Freesia and English Pear & Sweet Pea scents. It...
Sofology Scoops up the Positivity of Being a Bit Fussy
British sofa retailer Sofology is extending its “So fussy” creative platform with a new multi‑channel campaign that celebrates picky consumers as discerning shoppers. The ad, produced by TBWA\\MCR, uses an ice‑cream‑making metaphor to showcase attention to detail and premium quality....
Wickes Retail Media to Connect Brands with Home Improvement Customers
Wickes has launched Wickes Connected Retail Media, a first‑of‑its‑kind retail media network for the UK home‑improvement category, offering both onsite and offsite advertising capabilities from day one. The platform, built with Epsilon’s COREid identity graph, merges digital and in‑store signals...
One Clear CTA Beats Multiple Choices Every Time
Spotted three different CTAs on a single landing page yesterday: "Request a Demo" "Discuss Your ROI" "Explore the Platform" Two of them went to the same form. None had clear visual hierarchy. Users were getting decision paralysis. Most teams don't realize that every additional CTA...
Tesco Breathes New Life Into ‘Every Little Helps’ Slogan
Tesco has revitalised its iconic "Every Little Helps" slogan by launching a new brand platform centred on the question “Need Anything From Tesco?”. The initiative reframes the long‑standing tagline as a promise to support shoppers and local communities, linking everyday...
5 Ways to Make Your Organization AI-Ready
In this episode, host Jordan Cooney talks with AI transformation expert Steve Wonker about why AI success hinges on redesigning organizational workflows rather than merely adding tools. They highlight how most AI pilots deliver minimal value, with a small fraction...
“The Darker Side of Water”: Behind the Scenes of Channel 4’s “The Fountain of Filth”
Channel 4 commissioned a provocative bronze sculpture titled “The fountain of filth” to promote its investigative series “Dirty Business.” The piece, built by 4Creative, Glue Society and Biscuit Filmworks, depicts men, boys, paddles and surfboards spewing water from their mouths. Campaign’s...
What Is Query Fan-Out? Understanding the Hidden Queries Driving AI Search
Query fan‑out is the technique AI search engines use to turn a single user prompt into dozens of related sub‑queries, enabling richer, context‑aware answers. Research shows an average of 9‑11 fan‑out queries per prompt, with some cases exceeding 20 searches,...
Taboola Names Krishan Bhatia as Chief Business Officer; Amazon Ads & NBCUniversal Veteran to Lead Global Sales & Partnerships
Taboola announced Krishan Bhatia as its first chief business officer, tasked with leading global sales and partnerships. Bhatia previously built Amazon’s global video‑advertising business and led NBCUniversal’s digital advertising division. He will oversee the Realize performance‑advertising platform, CTV, generative‑AI products...
Love’s Travel Stops Enhances Rewards Loyalty Program
Love’s Travel Stops has revamped its loyalty program, now letting all drivers earn and redeem points on fuel and in‑store purchases across its 608 shops and 62 country stores. The unified Love’s Rewards program is accessed through an updated mobile...
Abstract Infosys Expands Digital Services Portfolio to Include Advanced SEO and Integrated Digital Marketing Solutions
Abstract Infosys announced a major expansion of its digital services, adding a full suite of advanced SEO and integrated digital marketing solutions. The new portfolio includes technical SEO audits, structured data, link building, local search, multi‑channel campaigns, and real‑time performance...
How Beauty Start-Ups Can Build Scalable Product Lines
Florence Roghe, founder of Collateral Projects, warns beauty start‑ups that rapid launches often lack a clear value proposition and long‑term roadmap. She stresses that products must deliver distinct, disruptive value in a crowded market, not just chase trends. Successful scaling...
New “Voiceprint” Claude Plugin Clones Your Writing Style via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
A new Claude Code plugin called Voiceprint generates a linguistic fingerprint of a user's writing style by analyzing five sample texts across varied emotional tones. Leveraging stylometric techniques—function‑word frequency, sentence‑length burstiness, and punctuation habits—the tool creates personalized output that mirrors...
888 and William Hill Owner Appoints Search Agency
The parent company of online gambling operators 888 and William Hill has engaged a specialist search agency to lead a senior‑leadership recruitment drive. The move follows a closed internal review of the business’s strategic direction. The appointment signals a focus...
As Hispanic Ad Gap Persists, Radio Delivers the Audience
Hispanic consumers now make up roughly a quarter of U.S. adults under 30 and wield $2.6‑$2.7 trillion in buying power, driving over 70% of the nation’s population growth between 2022‑2023. Despite this scale, they receive only about four cents of every...
Structuring Problem-Solution Commercials
Jeffrey Hedquist outlines a proven framework for problem‑solution radio commercials, emphasizing that credibility begins with a believable problem. He advises sequencing the ad: present the problem, tell an emotional solution story, then, if needed, reveal price after trust and value...
Juice, Blend or Grind? Choosing Your Marketing Blade for 2026
Indonesia’s $102 billion CPG sector is feeling a squeeze: volume grew 6% while value rose only 3%, and net‑profit margins fell 64 basis points. Portfolio values dropped 14.5% against a market index gain of 12.7%, highlighting a widening inflation gap. Marketers...
Free Guides Convert Far Better than Discount Pop-Ups
I've tested 100+ email pop-ups. Here's the pattern: '10% off' offers got a 2% conversion rate. 'Free guide to solving X problem' offers got 15%. Your assumption that discounts are king is wrong. Value is.
How to Restore Trust in Your Marketing Measurement
Platform bias and recent privacy changes have crippled traditional attribution, with Safari stripping click IDs and Apple’s ATT limiting app‑to‑web tracking. This erosion of reliable user‑journey data fuels distrust among marketers, finance leaders, and the C‑suite, who see rising unattributed...
A Look Back at GMG’s Sun & Sand Sports ‘Ready Starts Here’ Campaign
Sun & Sand Sports launched the “Ready Starts Here” campaign in early 2026, syncing with Dubai’s Fitness Challenge to motivate everyday athletes. The initiative combined a hero film, in‑store experiences at Mall of the Emirates and Kite Beach, and a...
Fibr.ai Wants to Re-Invent CRO with an Agentic Web Experience Layer. Here’s Why It Matters
Fibr.ai is launching an AI‑driven conversion rate optimization platform that automates hypothesis generation, variant creation, testing, and winner selection. The system scans URLs, builds personalized page variations, and monitors performance, while marketers retain a human‑in‑the‑loop for review. It extends personalization...
Plurio Raises $3.5 Million to Bring Agentic AI to Performance Marketing
San Francisco‑based Plurio announced a $3.5 million seed round to accelerate its AI‑driven performance‑marketing agent. The platform ingests cross‑channel campaign data, forecasts downstream results and can automatically apply approved changes on Meta, Google and TikTok. Plurio already oversees more than $100 million...
Chupa Chups Wraps up "Hardest to Open Lollipop Yet"
Chupa Chups partnered with ad agency BBH to launch a social campaign featuring a lollipop engineered to be the "hardest to open". The confection is encased in a carbon‑composite shell, coated with silicon carbide, wrapped in aramid fibres, and finally dipped...
Stagwell and Emberos Launch Agentic Tool to Help Brands Navigate AI Search
Stagwell, together with AI‑visibility startup Emberos, has launched Stagwell Search+, an AI‑agent‑driven platform designed to boost brand discoverability in AI‑generated search results. The solution, built by Assembly, combines monitoring, predictive strategy, workflow automation, e‑commerce focus, and governance across paid, owned,...
Why Binary Audience Decisions Aren’t Fit For The Agentic Era
The article argues that traditional Boolean audience segments have become a bottleneck in the era of AI‑driven, millisecond‑level ad decisioning. As publishers, measurement firms, and first‑party data sources flood the bid stream with real‑time signals, the combinatorial possibilities outpace any...
Merrell Aims to Invite More People Outside Through New Brand Platform
Merrell is celebrating its 45th anniversary by unveiling the global brand platform “It Starts Outside,” which reframes outdoor activity as everyday and inclusive. The campaign, produced with Uncommon Creative Studio, features short vignettes starring Olympian Alexi Pappas and visually‑impaired marathoner...
The Step-by-Step Guide to Brand Elevation | Case Study
Fashion brands are moving upmarket to defend against ultra‑low‑cost rivals like Shein and Temu, while premium labels are encroaching on traditional luxury territory. Retailers are adding higher‑margin items to offset inflation‑driven cost pressures. Successful elevation requires coordinated upgrades across product,...
Foodpanda and GUT Asia Unveil New Brand Platform ‘Make Life Delicious’
foodpanda has unveiled a new brand platform called “Make Life Delicious” in partnership with agency GUT Asia. The campaign, directed by Henry Scholfield, features the brand’s mascot Pau Pau in a series of five short films that showcase foodpanda as a...
Asembl Drops Raw C X Violet Crumble Coconut Water Crossover
Asembl has launched a limited‑edition 325ml Raw C coconut water infused with Menz’s Violet Crumble honeycomb flavor, now sold in selected Coles stores across Australia. The drink combines Raw C’s hydration benefits with the nostalgic sweet crunch of the iconic...
The Ferri Group Rebrands to Reassert Its Role as Metro NY’s Hometown Rep Firm
The Ferri Group, formerly Pecinka Ferri, has rebranded under the independent ownership of Joe Ferri Jr., emphasizing a faster, more agile approach in Metro New York’s foodservice market. The firm highlights its Fairfield test kitchen as a live showroom and...
Colgate-Palmolive APAC’s Samir Singh to Lead APAC Tambuli Awards Grand Executive Jury
Samir Singh, Executive Vice President for Marketing, APAC at Colgate‑Palmolive, has been appointed President of the Grand Executive Jury for the 2026 Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards. The awards, organized by the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Media...
Zitcha Adds Former Meta Leader Phil Bonanno to Drive APAC Growth
Retail media platform Zitcha has appointed former Meta client partner Phil Bonanno as its APAC commercial director, based in Melbourne. Bonanno brings more than 11 years of experience developing insight‑driven retail advertising strategies at Meta, where he worked closely with...
THE SHOUT GROUP and Tropicana Twister Scale Up ‘Multiply the Goodness’ for Ramadan and Raya
THE SHOUT GROUP and Tropicana Twister are relaunching the award‑winning “Multiply the Goodness” campaign for Ramadan and Raya, scaling it from a seasonal kindness drive to a lasting social‑impact platform. This year the focus shifts to Project 100, a partnership with Epic...
What Makes a Great Agency Partner?
Retail marketers often pick agencies based on relationships, reputation lists, price, and niche experience, but those criteria only get to the long‑list stage. The article argues that true partnership hinges on deeper factors such as transparent KPI sharing, resistance to...
Bunnings’ Justine Mills & CommBank’s Jo Boundy Talk Retail Media’s Transformative Business Effects
Bunnings’ marketing chief Justine Mills and CommBank’s Jo Boundy discussed the disruptive potential of retail media during B&T’s CMO Power List interview. They highlighted how Hammer Media reshapes supplier‑to‑consumer engagement and how Bunnings is now acting as a publisher, leveraging...
TAG Wins Skin Control Account To Drive Next Phase Of Digital Growth
Digital growth consultancy TAG announced it has secured Australian skincare brand Skin Control as a new client, expanding its portfolio that already includes MYOB, Modibodi, Morgans, Australian Unity and Nala. The partnership tasks TAG with overseeing strategy, marketing and technology...
![How Innovation Succeeds with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://img.transistorcdn.com/VIH3Rn5ET8-eHQxgBGNydnhXL95pc10_Kq7qTpjezuc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQ3MzEvMTU3MDAz/MjQ3NC1hcnR3b3Jr/LmpwZw.jpg)
How Innovation Succeeds with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]
In this episode, host John and guest Kory Marchisotto explore how to make innovation thrive, emphasizing the need to cultivate a supportive culture before generating ideas. They outline a three‑step vetting process—art, science, and gut instinct—to pressure‑test concepts and only...
NAB Celebrates Power of Partnership in Building a Life Through Home in New Campaign via TBWA
NAB unveiled its latest Home Lending campaign under the "Your Partner at Every Stage" platform, reinforcing the bank’s "More than Money" promise that banking is a partnership, not just a transaction. The campaign uses a stage metaphor to illustrate support...
How Mars Australia and Amazon Ads Accelerated Growth for DINE with AI-Powered Cat Decoder Campaign via EssenceMediacom
Mars Australia’s DINE brand partnered with Amazon Ads and EssenceMediacom to launch the AI‑driven “Cat Decoder” campaign, letting cat owners upload photos and receive personalized video translations of their pets. The full‑funnel activation spanned Amazon’s canvas—including Prime Video and the...
AI Catches My Tangents, Keeps Presentations On Track
I'm speaking to LIV Sotheby’s International Realty this week and ran my talk track through Claude I asked it to point out anywhere I went off on a tangent or lost the flow (probably the most common mistake I make) Maybe...
Instagram Opens up Content Scheduling to All Users
Instagram is rolling out its creator‑focused tools to all public accounts, removing the previous requirement to switch to Professional Mode. The update adds the insights dashboard, content scheduling, and trending audio features for every user. More advanced options, such as...
X Tests Experimental Topic Feed Filter
X has begun a public test of a new topic‑feed filter that lets users emphasize chosen news categories in their For You stream. The feature debuted on iOS for U.S. and Canadian users and was quickly expanded to a slate...
TikTok Publishes Latest EU Usage, Enforcement Data
TikTok’s latest EU transparency report shows its monthly active audience in Europe rose to 178 million, an 8‑million jump and a 31% increase since October 2023. The platform removed about 112 million pieces of content between July and December 2025, with automated systems handling...
Instagram Introduces Thumbnail Post Editing for Grids
Instagram has added a new profile‑grid customization feature that allows users to edit the thumbnail images displayed on their profile grid. The update follows a January 2025 preview and coincides with the platform’s shift to larger, Reels‑compatible thumbnails. While casual users...
QBE and Sydney Swans Mark 40‑year Partnership with Integrated Campaign via The Core Agency
QBE Insurance marks 40 years with the Sydney Swans, one of the longest-running sports sponsorships in Australia. To celebrate, The Core Agency rolled out an integrated campaign featuring out‑of‑home billboards, a digital video series and season‑long online activations. The partnership...
Yo-Chi X DTP Partnership Brings Youth Myki to Life with My-Chi Monday Blitz via Snack Drawer
Yo‑Chi, the Gen Z‑focused snack brand, has partnered with Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and creative agency Snack Drawer to launch “my‑Chi Monday.” The eight‑week campaign runs until 23 March, offering Youth myki holders a 20% discount on Yo‑Chi purchases every Monday. The...
Newcastle Permanent Is “Head and Heart Approved” In New Creative Platform via Enigma
Newcastle Permanent launched a new creative platform called “Head and Heart Approved,” developed by indie agency Enigma. The campaign visualizes the tension between rational and emotional decision‑making, positioning the bank as a choice both the head and heart can agree...
Current Hotel Promotions for March 2026
Hotel loyalty programs are rolling out a slate of March‑2026 promotions aimed at accelerating point earnings and elite status. Major chains such as IHG, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and Choice are offering double or triple points, bonus elite nights, and stay‑based...
Passion Beats Perfect Reviews: Test Anything, Scale Fast
I lost $5k on a product with 'perfect' 5-star reviews. Market said no. I tested a product with mixed reviews but a passionate following. Scaled to $50k/month. The market doesn't care about perfection. It cares about passion. Test everything.