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.
How to Build a Viral Faceless Facebook Page in 30 Days (2026 Guide)
The 2026 guide outlines a step‑by‑step 30‑day plan to launch a faceless Facebook page that can go viral without ever showing a face. It leverages Facebook’s evolution into a content discovery engine, emphasizing Reels, saves, and early comment engagement as the primary distribution levers. The roadmap covers niche selection, content pillars, scheduling, growth hacks like group participation and cross‑promotion, and a clear path to monetization once thresholds are met. By following the daily actions, creators can build an engaged audience and start earning within weeks.
Rightmove Launches New Marketing Campaign
Rightmove is rolling out a new brand campaign on 8 May to boost engagement among prospective home‑movers and improve the quality of enquiries agents receive. The multi‑channel push will run on TV, video‑on‑demand, YouTube, social and outdoor media, aiming to reach...
Self-Improving Agents & Knowledge Graphs: The Experimental Flywheel
The author compares manual LinkedIn posts to AI‑generated content (Cici), finding manual posts achieve 5‑6× higher impressions and restore course sales. He argues that scaling content improvement requires a self‑improving knowledge‑graph loop that can diagnose why a post works, prescribe...
Why Are People Mad at Allies of Skin?
Allies of Skin sparked a consumer uproar after posting an Instagram photo that highlighted its products in Lauren Sánchez Bezos’s Met Gala makeup prep. Followers accused the brand of aligning with a politically charged figure and many vowed to stop purchasing,...
How to Create a Social Media Viral Video
The guide explains that viral videos are the result of a disciplined content strategy, not luck. It outlines the psychological triggers—emotion, identity, and relationship building—that drive rapid sharing across platforms. Platform‑specific recommendations cover TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and X,...
Google Shares How Brands Should Use AI Creative To Stand Out via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
Google highlighted its AI‑creative suite on the Ads Decoded podcast, emphasizing tools that expand creative variation while keeping advertisers in the loop. New controls—text guidelines, AI briefs, and Asset Studio—let brands steer AI‑generated assets, supporting up to 40 custom rules...
Pepsi CMO Takes ‘Omni-First’ Mindset for Prebiotic Cola Launch
PepsiCo’s chief marketing officer Mark Kirkham unveiled an “omni‑first” approach by launching its new Prebiotic Cola exclusively online through Walmart Connect on Black Friday 2025. The limited‑run sold out within 24 hours and generated 80% positive sentiment, giving the brand...
Can an AI Agent Help Financial Advisors Reel in Referrals?
WealthReach unveiled Multiply, an AI‑driven referral coaching tool priced at $150 per month per advisor, extending its Attract and Convert suite. The platform translates Dan Allison’s feedback‑marketing methodology into actionable prompts that guide advisors on how to solicit client referrals...
Meta Adds More Insight Tools to Edits to Enhance Video Projects
Meta’s Edits video‑editing app rolled out a suite of new insight tools that surface engagement rates, peak viewing times, and follower‑versus‑non‑follower metrics for Instagram Reels. The update also adds comparative performance data, letting creators see how each Reel stacks up...
Google's Query Length Claim Overblown; Data Shows <3% Shift
Maybe this is totally innocuous, but it's still weird. Left: Datos numbers on query length in Google (10M+ devices, this is not a small sample set) Right: Public statement by Google's Liz Reid (via SearchEngineLand) Feels like a mild exaggeration by Google, but...
Reddit Shares Key Trends for In-App Financial Services Research
Reddit’s inaugural FinServ Summit revealed that 70% of finance shoppers use the platform to research products and trust community insights for major purchase decisions. A ComScore‑backed study shows more than half of Americans visit Reddit weekly for answers, highlighting its...
Bosch Gets Its Kicks With Route 66 Activation
Bosch’s automotive‑aftermarket division is using the Route 66 100th anniversary to launch its first windshield wiper blade products. Agency Bailey Lauerman created the “Bosch Impressive Innovation Centennial Road Trip,” a nine‑day road trip from Chicago to Santa Monica featuring YouTube influencer Jason Fenske, Gears and Gasoline...
Professional Website Crucial for Enterprise‑focused Early Startups
Most early stage don't bother spending money on professionally looking web site. A lot of times, especially if they sell into enterprise, healthcare, fintech, etc. it maybe a mistake. This is not to say that web site is the only way they...
LinkedIn Certification Program Aims To Link Marketers With Experienced Agencies
LinkedIn has introduced an “Agency Certification” program that flags agencies with proven expertise in LinkedIn Ads. The certification requires a Business Manager account and completion of LinkedIn Marketing Academy courses, after which agencies earn a badge and promotional toolkit. Harmelin...
AI Lets Solo Founders Launch Billion‑dollar Startups
A GLP-1 telehealth company reportedly did $401M in 2025 and could hit $1.8B in 2026 with one employee. That’s the signal. Matthew Gallagher allegedly started with $20K, used AI to write code, produce website copy, generate ads, and scale the operation with...
What’s It Like Being an Independent Sports Creator in 2026?
Independent sports creator Kofie Yeboah illustrates how niche video essays can thrive alongside legacy outlets. He breaks down the fragmented revenue mix of YouTube AdSense, Patreon subscriptions, and brand partnerships that fund his deep‑dive content. The piece also questions whether...
Cesar Unveils Renovated Milan Flagship at Design Week, Expands Beyond Kitchen
Cesar launched its renovated Milan flagship store at Milan Design Week 2026, unveiling a suite of new products that extend the brand’s design language from kitchens to living rooms, dining areas, bathrooms and more. The rollout marks a strategic shift...
DemandDrive Becomes Official Clay Studio Partner, Boosting Sales‑Engagement Integrations
DemandDrive announced it has joined Clay’s Solutions Partner Program as an official Clay Studio Partner, pairing its outsourced sales expertise with Clay’s AI‑driven data platform. The move comes as Clay, recently valued at $5 billion and past the $100 million ARR mark,...
Google AI Max Spurs 15% Rise in Search Budgets, Pushes CPC Higher
A year after Google rolled out AI Max for Search, advertisers report a 7‑10% year‑on‑year lift in spend and a 10‑15% jump in cost‑per‑click. The AI‑driven bidding model is expanding query coverage but also inflating budgets, prompting marketers to rethink...
Marketbridge Names Geoffrey Sidari Chief Innovation Officer to Drive AI Growth
Marketbridge announced the appointment of Geoffrey Sidari as Chief Innovation Officer and Head of AI, charging him with accelerating AI‑enabled go‑to‑market solutions for its B2B clients. Sidari brings more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of marketing, analytics...
Salsify Launches SalsifyIQ, AI‑driven PXM Layer for Agentic Commerce
Salsify introduced SalsifyIQ, the first product experience management intelligence layer built for agentic commerce, at the Digital Shelf Summit in Atlanta. The new “brain” creates a product knowledge graph that unifies data, AI agents and workflows, aiming to accelerate brand...
Dataline Launches Wodwo, AI‑Powered Self‑Serve Audience Builder for Marketers
Dataline introduced Wodwo, an AI‑driven self‑serve platform that creates custom digital audience segments in less than an hour. Leveraging a database of 230 million profiles, the tool promises faster, cheaper audience building for brands and agencies.
Lords Of The Fallen 2 Studio Paid A Gaming YouTuber To Promote Its Boring Bikini Armor
CI Games, the studio behind Lords of the Fallen 2, paid YouTuber TheBackgroundNPC to produce a sponsored video promoting a new bikini‑style armor set for female characters. The 20‑minute video framed the gear as a fan‑requested feature, but it sparked immediate...
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Does The Right Buyer Even Know You Exist? Our LinkedIn Restructure That Took High Quality Lead Rate From 32% to...
The piece introduces a three‑stage LinkedIn framework—Be Seen, Be Believed, Be Chosen—to move B2B advertising from pure conversion to a full‑funnel approach. A healthcare client’s restructure cut quarterly spend from $64,000 to $33,000, lifted click‑through rates over 100×, and raised...
SHEIN’s Lisa Zlotnick on How ‘Festival House’ Cracked the Gen Z Code
At the 2026 Meltwater Summit, SHEIN’s U.S. Brand PR head Lisa Zlotnick explained how a survey of 18,000 app users uncovered that nearly 70% of Gen Z shoppers plan festival outfits three to four weeks in advance and expect tops under...
Linkless Posts Achieve Tenfold Reach Across Platforms
Great little example of ZCM: Post 1 - no link, 16k+ impressions Post 2 - same topic, but with a link, 1.9k impressions As usual, ~10X the reach with linkless content (this is LinkedIn, but we've seen the same pattern on Threads,...
Liquid I.V.’s McLaren Racing Partnership Cements Its Foothold in Formula 1
Liquid I.V. has signed a multi‑year official partnership with McLaren Racing that runs through 2027, deepening its presence in Formula 1 after earlier activations at Miami and Las Vegas. The deal places the brand’s logo on pit‑crew helmets and Academy driver gear,...
The Search Engine Is Becoming a Decision Engine. Here’s How to Survive the AI ‘Zero-Click’ Era.
Search engines are morphing into decision engines, delivering AI‑generated Overviews that answer queries directly on the results page. These Overviews have slashed organic click‑through rates by up to 61%, turning traffic into influence rather than clicks. To stay visible, brands...
Should You Start a Substack to Promote Your Book?
Authors are increasingly turning to Substack as a promotional engine, with editors now scrutinizing subscriber numbers and engagement metrics when evaluating new fiction. Non‑fiction publishers have long valued proven audiences, and Substack provides a ready‑made data set for both genres....
Turn Talks Into Your Most Effective Marketing Tool
In a Duct Tape Marketing podcast, Jess Ekstrom explains how stage speaking can serve as a high‑impact marketing channel for small businesses. She distinguishes between keynote speaking, where the talk itself is the product, and lead‑gen speaking, which sacrifices a...
AI Lead-Gen Site Earns $1K Daily, No Dropshipping
Forget Dropshipping. This “Boring” AI Website Prints $1,000/Day (Feels Illegal) WATCH HERE 👉 https://t.co/2CH7VDOJv6 In this video, I break down how this AI website model works using a real example, a Dallas AC repair lead-generation site built with AI. I show...
Creative Diversity Drives Profitable Scaling Beyond Product Quality
Your ability to scale profitably comes down to how much creative diversity you can produce at scale. If you have a good offer and your product doesn't suck, this is the next largest lever to actually growing.
Microsoft: AI Answers Need a Smarter Search Index
Microsoft Bing’s latest technical blog explains that AI‑driven answers require a fundamentally different search index than traditional web ranking. The new “grounding” system must verify facts, track source attribution, ensure freshness, and detect contradictions before synthesizing responses. Unlike classic search,...
Dutch Bros' Clutch Reopenings Triple Sales, Spark Long Lines
Dutch Bros rebranded and reopened seven Clutch Coffee locations in Q1, generating long lines on reopening and generating more than 3x previous volumes. Sheesh. $BROS
New AI Mode, Answers, and UCP Updates Added
Updated the Algo / AI Changes update list with the changes announced for AI Mode and AI answers and also the appearance of UCP in traditional Search. https://t.co/0KdmuSXKw2 https://t.co/Po4SWV5XZV
Navigate The Next Era Of Search At Forrester’s CX Forums
Zero‑click search has become mainstream, with 26% of U.S. online adults using ChatGPT in the past month to research products. This shift pushes answer engines like Google AI Mode and ChatGPT to the top of the discovery funnel, delivering high‑quality,...
Great Newsletters Blend Taste, Storytelling, Expertise, and Trust
From @denk_tweets: "Exceptional newsletters aren't built on pure info. They're built on: > Taste > Storytelling > Expertise and analysis > A voice that readers trust"
Free Tool Reveals Your Site's Visibility Across LLMs
AI visibility is tricky to assess without a fancy tool, so I built one myself. Get a high-level overview of how your site shows up across top LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others (for free.) https://t.co/vydMh9x8WB https://t.co/hBj3a9la1S
GrowthRise Mastermind Recap May 5, 2026
GrowthRise’s May 5 mastermind highlighted how biotech compliance vendors can overcome trust barriers by shifting from cold‑email demos to sustained visibility through LinkedIn thought‑leadership, community engagement, and retargeting ads. The session also covered AI‑driven go‑to‑market automation, stressing guardrails, human oversight, and...
Shorts Are My Top Growth Driver, Newsletter Coming Soon
Fascinating insights from my @YouTube channel: Shorts are WINNING for me, and I will be doing a deep dive on this in my newsletter very soon📈 https://t.co/81VS3AtmgC
Guest Posts That Actually Expand Your Blogging Network
RT @RyanBiddulph Writing Guest Posts for Blogging that Actually Grow Your Network https://t.co/Fa7HOkHaR4 via @InspireToThrive
How AI Image Generation Helps Shopify Stores Produce Better Product Visuals Faster
The article outlines how AI image generation can accelerate visual creation for Shopify merchants, offering a practical framework that integrates AI into existing creative workflows. It emphasizes that AI is best used for ideation, seasonal mockups, ad concepts, and educational...
AI Search Success Requires Third‑Party Brand Visibility
B2B SaaS companies really nailing AI search strategy right now are not just thinking about owned content; they're thinking about how the brand shows up across third-party sites, too. IMO, it probably always should have been this way. https://t.co/oVIRa7IDLM
Invest in Reddit Now to Capture B2B Intent
The best time to invest in Reddit was last year. The second-best time is now. B2B buyers openly compare tools there every day. Install the Reddit Pixel. Retarget pricing-page visitors. Run always-on ads. Capture intent while competitors wait. https://t.co/OF7FNXFH4b
Toast Debuts Toast IQ Grow
Toast launched Toast IQ Grow, an AI‑powered marketing platform that adds more than 20 new features across marketing, payroll, inventory and operations. The solution pairs a Marketing Agent that automatically builds audiences and runs campaigns with a dedicated human marketer...
Own the Conversation, Not Price, to Win Deals
They gave it away for FREE… and still lost. It wasn’t the product. It was the conversation. We shifted from price → outcomes. Recovered $8M. $87M → $1B in 4 years. If you’re defending price, you’ve already lost. Own the conversation. Win the deal. https://t.co/5UtOhNgSia
LinkedIn Creator Partnerships Boost B2B SaaS Leads
B2B SaaS are getting smart about leveraging LinkedIn creator partnerships and seeing real impact on lead generation + sales. I did a deep dive on the data in today's newsletter: https://t.co/Gjlq6bTA8f https://t.co/Q5MXl083gP
The New Math of Experiential: How Xbox and Sparks Achieved an 11x Return at Gamescom 2025
Xbox teamed with experiential agency Sparks for a multi‑zone Gamescom 2025 booth that drew over 100,000 visitors and generated more than 500 million digital impressions. Sparks introduced two proprietary metrics—Earned Engagement Value (EEV) and Earned Event Impression Value (EEIV)—to quantify on‑site...
Map Content, Build Pillars, Cluster, Link—Skip Random Blogs
Chill and Think Boomer Mike beats Huff N Puff Millenial Dwayne just for this one thing: No random blogs. Instead, Uncle Mike: - Map its content - Creates pillar pages - Builds supporting clusters - Connect everything with internal links No need to overcomplicate it.
LinkedIn Ranks Among Top Three AI Citation Sources for B2B
Ope look another report showing LinkedIn is in the top 3 list for generating AI search citations in core B2B categories. Full report: https://t.co/v8vNkqSkea https://t.co/4TqipPgFTM