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.
Corteva to Pull Brevant-Branded Beans and Canola From Western Canada; Re-Brand Nexera Under Pioneer
Corteva announced it will withdraw Brevant‑branded soybean varieties and canola hybrids from Western Canada for the 2027 season, while keeping Brevant soybeans in the east. The Nexera specialty hybrid line will be rebranded under Pioneer’s Identity Preserved label and sold exclusively through Pioneer agencies. As part of the Corteva‑Vylor spin‑off, the new seed‑genetics firm Vylor will assume the Brevant and Pioneer brands. WinField United Canada will adopt three Brevant canola hybrids into its CROPLAN portfolio, preserving those lines for growers.
The Hidden Cost of Friction
The article reveals that mobile‑first campaigns often stumble after the tap, not because of creative or targeting, but due to hidden after‑click friction such as in‑app browsers, consent prompts, and redirect chains. These micro‑obstacles break session continuity, inflate acquisition costs,...
Creator Leverages 170k Followers for Brand Partnerships
People complaining brands like DJI, Insta360, and GoPro only offer free product deals but honestly I’m into it. I already use the gear, get millions of reel views, and constantly have people asking about my camera setup. I’ve got 170k...
Cboe, Home of the VIX, Boosts Its Corporate Brand and Sets to Launch Its First Prediction-Market Product
Cboe Global Markets, the exchange best known for the VIX volatility index, announced a comprehensive corporate brand refresh and the upcoming launch of its first prediction‑market product. The rebrand introduces a new logo, visual language, and a tagline emphasizing data‑driven...
ContinuumGlobal Launches Campaign Optimizer to Improve Messaging Performance
ContinuumGlobal introduced Campaign Optimizer, an AI‑driven add‑on to its Smart Marketing Engine that promises to boost email engagement by over 15 %. The tool lets marketers refresh existing copy or draw inspiration from other brands, automatically generating brand‑compliant, production‑ready HTML in...
McDonald’s Made a Strategic Pivot and Introduced a Big New Burger. It’s Paying Off
McDonald’s reported a 9% rise in first‑quarter revenue, crediting a renewed value focus and the debut of the 1,020‑calorie Big Arch burger, which sparked viral social‑media buzz. Comparable sales climbed 3.8% globally as average ticket sizes grew. CEO Chris Kempczinski...
California Avocado Commission Invests in Customized Programs Supporting Retailers
Demand for fresh, nutrient‑dense avocados remains robust, prompting the California Avocado Commission (CAC) to deepen its investment in customized retailer programs for 2026. The commission leverages the FDA’s recent “healthy” designation—granted to only 5% of foods—and the new federal food...
Mastermind Cuts 50+ Hours, Saves $25K for Leaders
When someone like Amy Porterfield—who’s built one of the most recognized brands in online marketing—says a mastermind changed her business, it’s worth paying attention. The AI Business Lab® Mastermind saved her 50+ hours through strategic prompts and workflows. Her CEO compressed...
AI Max vs DSA: Advertisers Question Control as Google Responds
Google is transitioning advertisers from legacy Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to its AI‑driven Max campaigns, sparking concerns over lost URL‑level targeting granularity. Marketers argue that DSA’s ability to align ads with site architecture via categories, URL paths, and page rules...
Gen Z Discovers Apparel Shopping IRL Is Cool
Gen Z, the first fully digital generation, is turning away from online‑only apparel buying and rediscovering brick‑and‑mortar stores for social experiences. Teens now plan mall trips with friends, film TikTok videos, and value the tactile feel of fabrics. Retailers such...
Google Launches AI Health Coach for 24/7 Personalized Wellness
Wait until Google Health Coach is connected via Personal Intelligence. This is all part of the roadmap for Google's version of Jarvis -> Google Health Coach is becoming globally available "Now, you can have the most personalized, holistic, adaptive coaching possible,...
Your Creative Woes Stem From Weak Offers, Not Ads
Most brands think they have a creative problem. They don't. They have an offer problem dressed up as a creative problem. Here's what I mean: You're testing 15 new creatives a week. Rotating hooks. Swapping thumbnails. Trying UGC vs. static vs. carousel. And nothing moves. CPAs stay...
MNTN Wants Its AI Video Ad Generator To Stand Apart From Its CTV Platform
MNTN unveiled QuickFrame AI 3.0, an AI‑driven video ad generator that lets users craft multi‑scene narratives and reuse assets across projects. The tool is sold as a standalone subscription aimed at small‑ and mid‑market advertisers and individual creators, separate from MNTN’s...
Inside Jeans Country: American Eagle’s First-Ever Stagecoach Activation
American Eagle debuted its first Stagecoach activation, "Jeans Country," a denim‑themed desert experience that ran April 24‑26 in Indio, California. The brand attracted roughly 2,000 festivalgoers who explored photo‑worthy touchpoints, including a customization station, an Old West lounge, and a...
Klaviyo Expands Integration with Anthropic
Klaviyo has broadened its integration with Anthropic’s Claude AI, linking its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server across Claude.ai and Claude Cowork. The expanded connector lets marketers query Klaviyo customer and performance data in natural language, generating reports, briefs, and campaign assets...
The Psychology of Beauty Retouching: Why Perfect Images Influence Buyers
The article explains that consumers form trust judgments about a brand within 100 milliseconds of seeing an image, making visual polish a decisive factor before any copy or price is considered. Research from Princeton shows facial cues drive perceived trustworthiness,...
“SEO Expert” Became “AI Search Expert” (Gulp.): How To Control AI Answer Accuracy via @Sejournal, @Lorenbaker
SEO professionals are now expected to manage AI search outcomes as brands increasingly rely on generative models for answers. In a recent webinar, seoClarity executives outlined three tactics—Orchestrator’s Playbook, Answer Certainty Metrics, and Narrative Reclamation—to help marketers ensure AI delivers...
Caribbean Blinds Unveils A Striking New Look
Caribbean Blinds has launched a refreshed brand identity, dropping “Blinds” from its name and adopting the strapline “Outdoor • Shade • Shelter.” The new logo emphasizes a turnkey approach across vertical, horizontal and sloping shading solutions. Employees are now called “Shading Heroes” and receive...
AI Becomes the New Marketing Hook for All
the moment I predicted YEARS ago is finally here… Whether or not you use AI in your business, courses, frameworks, etc. is now becoming a marketing talking point. A feature. A benefit. A positioning statement to either repel or attract the...
Why Your Ads Aren't Working
In this episode, host Richard Gaffin and Joy Sharma break down the five core levers of e‑commerce growth—landing pages, offers, creatives, customer journey, and marketing moments—and argue that the customer journey is the single most critical factor for scaling a...
Why Chasing Vanity Metrics Is Killing Your Social Strategy
Viral Nation EVP Richelle Batuigas argues that likes, views and impressions are poor indicators of marketing success. She unveils the Cultural Relevance Score, a framework that measures awareness, affinity and velocity to tie social activity directly to business outcomes. The...
IHG Reports Strong U.S. Demand, a Middle East Hit, and a Bet on AI Content Over Scale
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced a natural‑language search tool for its website and app, covering more than 7,000 properties. The initiative is backed by partnerships with Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, and includes a data‑overhaul to make hotel content AI‑ready. While...
![Keyword Research Has A New Strategy & It’s Getting Local Businesses Into AI Results [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3-3-837.png)
Keyword Research Has A New Strategy & It’s Getting Local Businesses Into AI Results [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
The Search Engine Journal webinar reveals that modern local SEO hinges on turning keyword research into "trust signals" that feed AI-driven business recommendations. By embedding keyword‑rich language in Google Business Profile posts, reviews, and responses, agencies can influence the AI...
AI Redefines Martech Stack as Growth Slows to 0.7% in 2026 Report
The State of Martech 2026 report, authored by Scott Brinker and Frans Riemersma, finds the martech ecosystem grew only 0.7% to 15,505 solutions, while churn accelerated with 1,488 new products added and 1,367 removed. The data suggest AI, orchestration, and...
People Inc. Boosts Digital Revenue as Google Traffic Falls 63%
People Inc., the rebranded IAC publishing arm, posted an 8% year‑over‑year increase in Q1 digital revenue to $253 million despite a 63% collapse in Google‑referenced traffic. The growth stems from off‑platform audience expansion, AI licensing deals and a new contextual ad...
VTuber Ironmouse Ends Sponsorship with Perfect World’s ‘Neverness to Everness’ Over AI Use
Twitch star Ironmouse announced she is terminating her sponsorship of Perfect World’s open‑world gacha title Neverness to Everness after the developer Hotta Studio allegedly misled her about the game’s use of generative AI. The move has prompted other creators to...
One Bold Free Offer Multiplies Demo Bookings Fivefold
3 changes to our cold email copy 5x'd demos booked at Retention(.)com. The old version led with price. Subject line: "$18 per lead is a lot." Body explained: > What we do > Mentioned our free trial > Asked if they had thoughts Reasonable...
Optimize Product Pages: 5 Rules for Converting Traffic
Most ecommerce brands pour all their effort into their ads and emails, only to then send all that traffic to a product page that hasn't been touched in months. Here are 5 product page rules you need to know: → Make the...
Study Finds 59% of Gen Z Cancel Streaming Subscriptions Over Single Shows
Dentsu and IGN Entertainment’s 2026 Generations In Play report reveals that 59% of Gen Z users cancel and renew streaming subscriptions to chase a single title, while 62% refuse to pay full price for video games. The findings signal a...
Rakuten Advertising Unveils Mirai, First AI‑Driven Affiliate Marketing Optimizer
Rakuten Advertising has launched Mirai, the industry's first AI‑driven optimization agent for affiliate marketing. The conversational platform lets advertisers create and fine‑tune offers through natural language, cutting manual effort and delivering real‑time performance gains. The rollout marks a strategic shift...
Google’s Mueller: Vibe Coding Won’t Handle Your SEO For You via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google Search Relations engineers John Mueller and Martin Splitt explored AI‑driven "vibe‑coding" on the Search Off The Record podcast. They found that while tools like Claude Code, Gemini CLI and Google AI Studio can spin up functional sites quickly, SEO quality still depends...
D&D Beyond Introduces Weekly Content Drops for Subscribers
Wizards of the Coast launched D&D Beyond Drops, a weekly content feed for paid subscribers, on May 7, 2026. The service adds new maps, reveals, spells, and feats each Thursday, with larger monthly drops that include narrative encounters and player options. Both...
This Boxed Wine Brand Grew to Over 8 Figures in Sales. Its Secret Weapon? Italian Nonnas
Gratsi, a Birmingham‑based boxed‑wine startup, has built a $50 premium product around a YouTube series called “Nonna Wisdom,” which showcases Italian grandmothers and grandfathers sharing traditional recipes. The show averages 55,000 views per episode and one installment topped 250,000 views,...
Reformat Proven Products, Unlock Billion‑Dollar Valuations
Chad Janis just sold his gummy company Gruns to Unilever for $1.2B. His thesis is taking a tried and true concept, and packaging it in a new format. Example: Greens powder works, but it's a frothy mess on your countertop. So Chad turned...
Make CPE Work for You
Sandi Leyva’s article shows tax and accounting professionals how to turn conference attendance into a profit center. It outlines three practical ways to recoup costs—leveraging new client leads, upselling existing services, and applying learned techniques to raise fees. Leyva also...
9 “Revenue-First” Prompts for Small Business Owners
The post delivers ten AI‑driven prompts—nine labeled “Revenue‑First”—designed to help small business owners boost top‑line growth and trim expenses. It uses a staffing‑agency case study, showing how a recruiter turned a bland job description into a passive‑candidate magnet and generated...
Ways Moves Beyond Marketing to Position Itself as an Integrated Growth Platform
Ways Marketing Solutions is repositioning itself from a traditional agency to an integrated growth platform in Saudi Arabia. The firm has rolled out proprietary tools—including EasyWays for SMEs and the AI‑driven Tune by Ways—to unify planning, execution, and optimization. It...
Why Artemis II Chose Threads for Growth
In today’s newsletter I interviewed the Artemis Digital Lead about the Artemis II social media strategy. I asked her about the decision to join Threads.
22 Proven Ranking Factors for AI Citations Revealed
New: AI Citation Ranking Factors Everyone talks about AI Citations as a way to boost visibility + traffic, but what works? To find out, I gathered every study/experiment from the past 2 years, and scored the biggest wins 22 Ranking Factors associated with...
AI‑Curated Viral Pipelines Are the Future of Social Media
Love it or hate it, this is where social media is heading. Why force originality when you can curate viral trends, run them through Claude agents, strip the AI smell, and auto-publish? Robin just open-sourced this pipeline (Claude Code, Postiz, Apify). Fascinating to...
Hiring Content Marketing Manager for Fast‑Growing AI Platform
we're hiring a Content Marketing Campaign Manager at @CustomersAI 🧵 we help Shopify and Klaviyo brands identify website visitors and turn them into high-intent email flows and AI-powered audiences. last two months were our strongest ever from a revenue bookings...
Turn Claims Into Proof: Show 3x Leads Results
Founders: Know your proof points cold. 'We're better' is a claim. 'We deliver 3x more qualified leads' is an argument. 'Here are 5 customers seeing 3x more leads' is proof.
Reddit: The Untapped Truth Engine for $10M Brands
Reddit is a goldmine for brands scaling to 8-9 figures. People are searching “best [product] reddit” because that's where the truth lives. Here's how I'd use it to scale a brand to $10M: 1. Reddit is the platform where your customers tell...
Fundamental SEO Basics Still Drive AI Search Rankings
What actually moves the needle in AI search: - Schema markup (clean entity signals) - Original data nobody else has - Mentions across multiple sources - A site fast enough that bots don't give up None of this is new, but it is often ignored.
ABM Success Starts with Right Accounts, Not More Tools
If ABM feels overwhelming, it might be because you’re approaching it the wrong way. Saul Marquez shares why ABM isn’t about adding more tools—it’s about focusing on the right accounts and truly understanding how they buy. 👉 https://t.co/6kGGbBQdYf @OutcomesRocket #ABM #hcmktg
B2B Visibility Now Driven by Creators and SMEs
Aaaaand another one: @Substack's Comms lead surfacing that more teams are talking creator partnerships over on LinkedIn today. The future of B2B visibility is creators and third-party SMEs 👏 https://t.co/ayEauSHIgX
Finding the Sweet Spot: Human Intuition Meets AI
The Sweet Spot: Where Human Intuition Meets AI Muscle by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/yaFHby9lpF @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Salesforce #Marketing #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #MarketingSuccess #ArtificialIntelligence https://t.co/bXbGmQ3HhX
Four-Step Cold Email Formula Most Ignore
I've sent over 100,000 cold emails throughout my career. The formula that actually books meetings comes down to 4 steps. Almost nobody follows all 4.
Match Demand: Answer, Teach, Review to Gain Views
The real reason you're not getting views? Low demand. 👀 It doesn't matter how good your video is if nobody's searching for it. Stick to three formats: answer questions, teach skills, review products. Serve the demand. 🎯 https://t.co/QpjDZ9U1Ps
Free SEO Content Structure Audit for Three Projects
I have some time off this afternoon, so post your URL and I'll audit your SEO content structure. I'll pick 3 random projects.