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 marketing activities, shifting AI from a productivity add‑on to a core campaign engine. Early adopters are already using generative tools, while the next wave will involve autonomous agents that coordinate decisions across workflows. The firm outlines a five‑step roadmap for implementation.
E.l.f. Spotlights Competitive Dance with New Sponsorship
e.l.f. Cosmetics has signed a founding partnership with the International Dance League (IDL) for its 2026 season, creating a joint content studio and serving as the league’s livestream partner. The deal includes on‑site makeup services focused on Power Grip Primer and distribution of e.l.f. kits to competitors. IDL’s debut event attracted 100 million views, with 68% of viewers women aged 18‑34, while TikTok dance hashtags have amassed 181 billion views. The collaboration aligns e.l.f.’s digital‑first strategy with a rapidly growing, socially‑driven sport audience.
How Founders Use Trademark Registration to Secure Their Brand
Founders often launch brands without legal protection, leaving them vulnerable to copycats and platform disputes. Registering a trademark with the USPTO legally secures the name, logo, and domain, signaling legitimacy and building consumer trust. With over 3.58 million active trademarks as...
What Publishers Can Learn From Penguin Random House’s $1 Million In-House Media Experiment
Penguin Random House invested $1 million in an in‑house media unit inside its Crown Publishing imprint, launching the food‑focused brand Taste. With just one full‑time employee, Taste’s newsletter and podcast are projected to exceed $1 million in revenue by 2027. The experiment...
Planet Propaganda Taps Monarko To Build Media Practice
Planet Propaganda announced the hiring of Dan Monarko as its Chief Media & Growth Officer to launch a new media practice tailored for an AI‑driven marketplace. Monarko brings senior media experience from BarkleyOKRP, where he oversaw campaigns for Premier Protein,...
Google Adds AI-Powered Bidding and Demand-Led Budgeting to Search and Shopping
Google is extending its AI automation suite to Search, Shopping and Performance Max with Journey‑aware Bidding, Smart Bidding Exploration, and demand‑led budget pacing. The new tools let the algorithm ingest full‑funnel signals, target incremental queries and shift spend in real...
New AI-Powered Bidding and Budgeting Innovations in Search and Shopping
Google announced a suite of AI‑driven tools for Search and Shopping ads, including journey‑aware bidding, Smart Bidding Exploration, and demand‑led pacing. Journey‑aware bidding feeds the algorithm with the full lead‑to‑sale funnel, while Smart Bidding Exploration expands reach by targeting less...
Molecule Names Digital Natives U.S. Strategic-Creative AOR
Digital Natives has been appointed the U.S. strategic and creative agency of record for Molecule, a cooling‑technology mattress brand, after winning a competitive pitch. The agency will launch its first work this quarter, focusing on brand‑awareness campaigns that combine social...
Scene-Level Targeting Unlocks CTV Performance, Cuts Waste
How much is your CTV strategy leaving on the table by sticking with broad audience targeting? In the first episode of our From Show to Scene series, sponsored by @wurlctv , @LJayNYC of @KERV_ai joins us to challenge legacy...
Day 16: The 7 Emails Keep You Out of the Promotions Folder
Tyler Cook, a deliverability specialist at Hypermedia Marketing, rebuilt a 300,000‑subscriber welcome flow into a seven‑email sequence. By starting with a short, non‑founder email that elicits a reply, he forces Gmail and Yahoo to auto‑whitelist the sender. Subsequent emails add...
11 Google Ads Best Practices to Maximize Return on Ad Spend
Google’s latest best‑practice guide outlines eleven tactics to stretch return on ad spend across Search, Shopping, YouTube and other formats. It stresses starting with clear goals, conversion tracking and a well‑structured account before selecting the appropriate campaign type. The guide...
Carousels Top Instagram Engagement, Reels Close Behind
When it comes to best-performing post formats on Instagram, Carousels lead the way in engagement, while Reels are not far behind: https://www.socialinsider.io/social-media-benchmarks/instagram ✅
The Creator Economy Keeps Adding Tools – The Influencer Marketing Factory Keeps Finding the Same Gap
The Influencer Marketing Factory (IMF) has evolved from a $1,500 startup into a full‑service creator‑economy agency handling organic, paid amplification, and TikTok Shop for brands like Google and Hyundai. Over the past three years, about 90% of its clients now...
SocialChain Taps Havas Play UK Veteran Sophie Berman to Lead Influencer Division
SocialChain has appointed Sophie Berman, former Head of Talent and Influencer at Havas Play UK, to lead its CreatorChain influencer division. Berman will oversee strategy, talent partnerships, and scalable campaign tools while reporting to CEO Jacinta Faul. CreatorChain, which counts...
Giant Eagle Taps Ibotta As Exclusive Digital Promotions Partner
Giant Eagle has appointed Ibotta as its exclusive digital promotions partner across more than 200 stores. The deal integrates Ibotta’s Performance Network, expanding the retailer’s digital offer gallery and delivering performance‑based promotions for CPG brands. The partnership aligns with Giant...
TikTok Targets Australian E-Commerce Brands With Ecommerce Equation Partnership
TikTok Australia has teamed up with e‑commerce education platform Ecommerce Equation to help local online retailers grow on the app. The partnership launches a “TikTok Bootcamp” that teaches organic and paid media tactics and provides members with exclusive ad‑credit rewards....
Rufus, ChatGPT, and the Agentic Ad Convergence
Amazon disclosed that roughly 20% of shoppers who engage with a sponsored brand prompt in its AI assistant Rufus keep the conversation going, marking the first concrete performance metric for ads inside an AI shopping interface. Rufus’s monthly active users...
Exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Get in Front of 10,000 Decision-Makers Before Space Runs Out
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will convene more than 10,000 founders, investors and operators in San Francisco from October 13‑15, and offers a limited number of 6‑foot exhibit tables. For $12,500, exhibitors receive a fully branded booth, five all‑access passes, lead‑capture tools, and extensive TechCrunch...
Danone Global CEO Antoine De Saint-Affrique On Evian’s Bicentennial: “Evian Is A Blessing Of A Brand”
Danone’s Global CEO Antoine de Saint‑Affrique marked evian’s 200th anniversary by emphasizing the brand’s single‑source, 15‑year natural filtration and its long‑term stewardship of the Impluvium watershed. The French mineral water producer bottles only 80% of its capture, preserving reserves for...
How Dutch Bros Doubled Its Brand Awareness in 18 Months
Dutch Bros posted a 31% revenue jump in Q1 2026, powered by an 8.3% same‑store sales increase and a 5.1% rise in transactions. Company‑operated stores, which make up 72% of its 1,177‑store network, delivered a 10.6% sales gain, helped by a 6.9%...
Fast-Growing Breakfast Chain Sees Sales Jump After Menu Revamp
First Watch rolled out its first core menu overhaul in over a decade, launching a five‑item seasonal lineup in January 2026 that includes the fan‑favorite B.E.C and premium dishes like Chimichurri Steak & Eggs Hash. Early Q1 results show total...
🗺️ 5 Steps to Turn Your Google Maps Profile Into a Patient Booking Engine
The article outlines a five‑step system that transforms a Google Business Profile into a self‑servicing patient booking engine. It stresses completing every profile field, automating review collection, responding to reviews within 24 hours, posting weekly updates, and synchronizing data across...
Bing Shifts To
It's New 5/7: Bing On Indexing For AI Grounding vs Traditional Search via @mordyoberstein GA4 data API update by @TheMarketingAnu Google Ads AI Max more exclusions coming by @gregfinn and Bing Places for Business is mobile friendly - We Search...
A New Era for Your Wellness: Introducing the Google Health App
Google is rebranding the Fitbit app as the Google Health app, rolling out a redesigned four‑tab interface and an AI‑driven Health Coach built on Gemini. The update, which auto‑installs on May 19, adds medical‑record syncing, broader app integrations, and enhanced cycle‑tracking...
Daily Search Forum Recap: May 7, 2026
Google announced five new ways to improve linking from AI Mode and AI Overviews, tightening the connection between AI‑generated answers and source pages. Microsoft Bing published a detailed blog differentiating indexing for traditional search versus grounding for AI responses. Google...
Google Is Rebranding the Fitbit App to ‘Google Health’
Google is rebranding the longtime Fitbit app as Google Health, with an update rolling out on May 19 for Android and iOS. The change coincides with the planned retirement of the 12‑year‑old Google Fit app later this year and introduces the...
Papa Johns’ CMO on Driving Cultural Relevance with a ‘Toy Story’ Tie-Up
Papa John’s has struck a global partnership with Disney and Pixar to promote the June 19 release of “Toy Story 5.” The campaign, rolling out in more than 40 countries, features three limited‑edition collectible pizza boxes, character‑inspired menu items such as the new Rootin’ Tootin’...
The Next Gen in Produce Moves Beyond Fresh to ‘Alive’
Ra Foods is launching a national digital‑first campaign for its Wild About Sprouts brand, promoting hydroponically‑grown sprouts that continue to live inside a transparent recyclable clamshell. The packaging creates a "mini‑garden" that keeps the sprouts alive, extending shelf life two‑to‑three...
Eastman Is Using AI to Screen for Greenwashing
Eastman’s sustainability team has deployed a generative‑AI chatbot, called “Green Claims,” to audit marketing and packaging language for potential greenwashing. Trained on FTC, EU and other guidance, the tool flags vague terms such as “biodegradable” or “compostable” and suggests precise...
SEO: Feed the Machine, Optimize Until It Prints Money
SEO is an OPTIMIZATION game You feed your machine, and see what’s coming out on the other side. If on the other side you’re not printing money, then something is broken in your machine. You have to take whatever is working and optimize...
The ROI Problem With AI Traffic Nobody Is Measuring Correctly via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
The article argues that measuring ROI of AI‑driven traffic with traditional click‑through metrics is flawed because large language models provide answers in place rather than routing users. While AI referral traffic hovers around 1% of total visits, overall organic search...
Claude Agents End Programmatic’s Black‑box Era
30 years of the “Black Box” era of programmatic are over. Remember when buying ads meant normalizing everything to the lowest common denominator? Trapped in sandboxes. Rigid formats. No first-party data. Those days are gone. Why “buy efficiently” through programmatic… When you can buy intimately using Claude-powered...
Adidas Sets Football Legends a New Challenge in World Cup Spectacular
Adidas has launched a five‑minute "Backyard Legends" World Cup commercial starring football greats Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, plus rising stars Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham. The spot also features Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet and music star Bad Bunny, with...
Balmain Signs Five-Year Kidswear Deal with Brave Kid, Spring 2027 Launch
Balmain has signed a five‑year licensing agreement with Brave Kid to develop, produce and distribute a luxury children’s line, with the first collection slated for spring 2027. The partnership gives the French house a dedicated partner for kidswear while leveraging...
R&B Fashion Launches an AI Fashion Runway with Takumi AI
R&B Fashion has launched an AI‑powered runway campaign in partnership with Dubai‑based Takumi AI. The “Fashion Walk” video showcases 94 distinct looks across men, women and teen collections, displayed on LED screens in 135 R&B stores. Takumi’s proprietary AI system...
OpenAI Unveils Self‑Serve Ads Manager for ChatGPT with CPC Bidding
OpenAI has launched a beta self‑serve Ads Manager for ChatGPT, letting U.S. advertisers buy ads with cost‑per‑click (CPC) bids and track conversions. The move expands access beyond agency‑managed pilots and adds familiar performance tools to the AI chat environment.
Platforms Poised to Capture $16.1B in Influencer Boosts by 2028
Brands are set to spend $16.1 billion on paid amplification of creator posts by 2028, edging out the $15.71 billion they currently allocate to creator‑produced sponsored content. The shift reflects a growing preference for platform‑driven boosting, especially on TikTok and Instagram, and...
KPMG India Partners with CleverTap to Embed AI‑driven Engagement in Enterprise Transformations
KPMG India and CleverTap have formed a strategic alliance to embed the latter’s AI‑powered engagement platform into KPMG‑led enterprise transformation projects. The partnership targets banking, financial services, retail and consumer sectors, aiming to cut churn and boost customer lifetime value...
How Claude Built a Full Video Marketing Campaign in Under 24 Hours
Claude, Anthropic’s advanced language model, assembled a full‑scale video marketing campaign for a fictional headphone brand in under 24 hours. The AI produced hero visuals, motion‑design animations, ad copy, and a landing‑page layout, iterating on each element to meet predefined creative...
Proximity Beyond Audiences Reimagines Performance Metric For TV
Blockgraph and the 4As released a report urging advertisers to replace audience‑first TV buying with proximity‑based targeting. The study shows 93% of shoppers travel less than 20 minutes to a store, and households within a brand’s conversion radius respond far...
SEO Stays #1 ROI; Email Outperforms,
30 distribution insights for 2026: 1. Website/blog/SEO remains the #1 ROI-generating channel for marketers, followed by paid social media at 26%. 2. 40.65% of website traffic still comes from organic search in 2026, compared to just 0.26% from AI-referred traffic. 3. 50% of...
BT Launches Behind Brilliant Things as Part of Rebranding
BT Group will unveil its new "Behind Brilliant Things" brand on 8 May 2026, coinciding with its appointment as the Official Telecommunications Partner of UEFA EURO 2028. The rebrand aims to unify BT, EE and Plusnet under a single narrative...
Rightmove Unpacks ‘Glow’ to Promote Range of Services
Rightmove has launched “Glow,” an integrated multi‑channel campaign designed to showcase its suite of tools and services beyond the traditional property‑search function. Developed with agency Neverland, the campaign features a brand‑led film shot in Manchester and Liverpool, augmented with AI...
Sister Mary Modernizes Genesee While Celebrating The Brand’s Rochester Roots
Design agency Sister Mary has refreshed Genesee’s visual identity and packaging, modernizing the 148‑year‑old beer brand while preserving its Rochester heritage. The overhaul is built around the "Behind the Seen" concept, spotlighting the brewers, workers and loyal drinkers who shaped...
The Weird New Job That Explains AI Marketing
Stripe posted a "Forward Deployed AI Accelerator" role that places an AI‑savvy specialist inside marketing teams to make artificial intelligence the default way of working. The position is not about running campaigns or copy; it focuses on redesigning workflows and...
From Mocked Creator to Sought‑After Advisor
People called me "whack" and "lame" for creating videos on social media... until it worked, and now those same people ask for advice.
SEO Basics Stay Unchanged: Authority, Citations, Topics, Speed
Funny thing about 2026 SEO: The advice is the same as 2016. - Build real authority - Get cited by real sources - Cover topics, not keywords - Make your site fast and clean
Cut Client Costs From $500 to $20 with AI
One of our members went from $500/client/month in operational costs → $20. By replacing his agency with AI agents that run overnight on his own SOPs. He sat down on camera and walked through exactly how. We're giving the recording away...
Embrace AI: Learn Now or Lose Jobs
AI is coming for content marketers and journalists' jobs (largely already has.) The only thing to do about it: Get curious and start learning how to use it. https://t.co/NlfayVxMjw
McDonald's Gears up for Red Bull Energy Drink Rollout
McDonald's expressing some enthusiasm about its upcoming energy drink partnership with Red Bull but noted that they had to do "some things" to meet demand at the restaurants. $MCD
McDonald's Rolls Out World Cup Marketing Across North America
McDonald's in the U.S., Canada and Arcos Dorados (the Latin American franchisee) have marketing plans for the upcoming World Cup. $MCD