Know What's Happening in Marketing
Know What's Happening in Marketing
PopSockets turned phone backs into a $169M revenue stream
The company transformed the unused back of a smartphone into a monetizable surface, evolving from a garage prototype in 2011 to a global brand that posted $169 million in revenue by 2017. Its success hinged on embedding a simple grip into an existing daily habit, generating constant repeat interactions and word‑of‑mouth growth.
eBay has begun beta‑testing a video‑enabled version of its Promoted Listings Priority in Australia. The feature allows sellers to attach 5‑ to 60‑second videos that auto‑play in eligible ad placements, reverting to static images where video isn’t supported. Pricing remains cost‑per‑click, identical to existing Priority ads, and sellers can use current listing videos or upload new ones. The rollout introduces video‑specific analytics such as view and completion rates, building on hints from last month’s marketing terms update.
A Fortune 100 retailer overhauled its mobile architecture, adopting a unified deep‑linking and QR‑code framework to accelerate app installs and transaction volumes. The new foundation integrated privacy‑first measurement tools, allowing the retailer to track cross‑channel performance without compromising user data....
Scotland’s Kingdom of Fife is issuing a two‑year RFP for a destination‑marketing firm to run its “Welcome to Fife” campaign. The effort seeks to brand the region as a world‑class, sustainable tourism hub, highlighting historic sites, golf courses, fishing villages...
Most freelancers focus on services only. That is risky. When I crossed $270K in revenue, I was not relying on one income stream. I had services, courses, ebooks, affiliate sites and speaking fees. Some were distractions. Some were strategic. If I were starting today,...
MediaScience introduced Creative Twin, an AI‑powered tool that replicates ads element‑by‑element for precise testing. In a study with 812 U.S. respondents, participants could not distinguish AI‑generated copies from originals. The platform lets marketers modify individual components—such as talent, hair style,...
Patrón Tequila has launched a global campaign titled “The Perfect Pour,” directed by Oscar‑winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, marking his first television commercial. The ad features del Toro overseeing a set staffed by animated skeletons, tying his meticulous storytelling to Patrón’s handcrafted,...
Global Media has struck a data partnership with Sainsbury’s Nectar360, merging first‑party shopper information with its own listener data on the DAX digital audio platform. The integration lets advertisers target UK audio audiences using anonymised purchase insights and directly measure...
Robot Food has crafted a new visual identity for Mizkan as it enters the European market, centering on the "Japan-ease" concept that makes Japanese cooking feel approachable. The design fuses traditional Japanese motifs with vibrant food photography, bilingual labeling, and...
In this episode, Smart Marketer’s Molly Pittman and Director of Advertising Denis Paskalev field live questions about what’s actually working with Meta Ads in 2026, covering campaign structure, creative testing, and scaling strategies for various business types. They emphasize that...
KonverJ’s recent thought‑leadership piece argued that affiliate marketing succeeds when treated as a partner ecosystem rather than a single channel. Reader demand for actionable guidance prompted the firm to convert the concept into a practical planning aid called the Audience...
The post presents a 20‑step framework that reframes growth as a trust problem rather than a channel problem. It argues that product delight fuels sharing, which builds trust and drives sustainable virality. The guide outlines tactics—from a minimum lovable product...
FreeWheel announced a direct integration with data‑partner Tunnl, adding more than 3,500 issue‑driven audience segments to its CTV buying platform. The partnership promises a roughly 90 percent match rate on premium CTV inventory, reducing waste and accelerating activation for political advertisers....
National Lottery operator Allwyn is establishing Studio 59, an in‑house creative and content studio slated to open in April. The unit will unify creative, social, production, planning and brand marketing to accelerate content creation across retail, digital and communications channels....
Did the social media content for your business lose its luster after you outsourced it? Before all you social media managers come at me, hear me out:
Enterprise SEO often fails because teams are involved too late, operating reactively with ticket‑based fixes that delay implementation and repeat structural errors. The article proposes an SEO commissioning workflow that embeds search requirements at the design stage, defining intent, eligibility...
Sprout Social has long served as an all‑in‑one hub for social publishing, engagement, analytics and, more recently, influencer campaign management. As brands’ influencer programs mature, many find that a single suite can’t meet the deeper relationship‑building, payment tracking, or listening...
Instagram walls transform Instagram posts, influencer content, and user‑generated media into continuously updated website assets. By aggregating multiple pieces of social content, they turn fleeting feeds into persistent social proof that supports trust, product discovery, and conversion. The guide outlines...
Twirl remains a popular choice for structured creator‑led content, but growing brands are seeking platforms that can handle larger creator volumes and more flexible workflows. Alternatives such as Modash, Humanz, Creator.co, Billo, Collabstr, Insense, Influee and Trend.io each emphasize different...
I had a planning call this week and we ended up talking about the "content marketing is dead" idea. I think it’s the opposite. AI makes average content cheaper to produce, so average content gets ignored even faster. If you want your...
Coca‑Cola North America is deepening its FIFA World Cup partnership by placing Panini collectible stickers on 20‑ounce Coke and Coke Zero Sugar bottles, reviving a soccer‑sticker tradition that dates back to 1970. The activation, rolling out from April 20, features...
In this episode Gary Vaynerchuk explains why most real‑estate agents’ social‑media efforts fall flat and what they need to change. He argues that content quantity and quality both matter, but the real breakthrough comes from treating attention like a real‑estate...
The author celebrated 100 Substack posts for Tracy’s Tidbits, reflecting on lessons learned about audience composition, publishing cadence, and content formats. Consistency—publishing every Wednesday—proved essential, while cross‑posting to LinkedIn emerged as the primary traffic source. Visuals and short “Notes” added...
Communications in the GCC don’t halt during geopolitical turbulence; they pivot to topics like business resilience and community support. Brands are urged to align storytelling with journalists’ current interests, emphasizing employee welfare, adaptation, and social responsibility. The article highlights Ramadan...
New blogger? Do these 5 things immediately: • Pick a clear niche • Publish helpful content • Comment on other blogs • Network with bloggers • Stay consistent Speed + consistency = early traction.
The 2026 Klaviyo Email Benchmark Report is here 📊 We analyzed: • 600+ brands • 740M emails • $300M in 30 days ($3.6B annualized) And found a massive gap between top performers and everyone else. Most ecommerce brands have no idea where they actually stand. https://t.co/N9YXthbeeI
Food‑delivery aggregators such as Talabat, Deliveroo and Careem have turned into digital shelves for restaurants across the UAE and wider Middle East. Visibility on these apps—driven by algorithmic rankings, menu presentation and promotions—now determines a brand’s ability to attract orders,...
How to show up in Google Discover 2026 edition: tweet things you also might be interested in 😅 https://t.co/QuiAVIpyCy
Real Impact in 2026: 20+ Marketers on Their Essential AI Tools and Workflows https://t.co/VrZTQ1aEsO via @hotinsm in Social Media Tips and Tricks
Revlon has signed a licensing agreement with Salt Life, the ocean‑focused apparel brand owned by Iconix International, to develop its first fragrance collection. The debut line, inspired by Salt Life’s “ocean‑driven lifestyle,” is scheduled to hit retail shelves in 2027....
UScellular abandoned product‑centric messaging in favor of cultural insight, launching the "Phones Down for Five" campaign that highlighted growing screen‑time fatigue. By framing phones as both connectors and distractors, the brand tapped a tension people already felt, prompting genuine conversation....
Revive Collagen has appointed Spice Girls icon Mel B as the ambassador for its new menopause product range. The 50‑year‑old MBE, known for her advocacy of women’s health, said the brand’s focus on supporting women during menopause resonated with her. The...
Founder Adam Pearce explains that ecommerce longevity hinges on diversified traffic sources and a robust conversion rate optimization (CRO) program. He details how CRO improves advertising efficiency, strengthens organic search and generative‑AI visibility, and fuels personalized email marketing. Real‑world examples—from...
Nespresso has appointed pop star Dua Lipa as its new global ambassador alongside longtime face George Clooney. The partnership will launch on April 14 with the “Vertuo World” campaign, signaling a creative shift aimed at attracting Gen Z coffee drinkers. Nespresso’s...
Battersea Power Station’s leasing director says social influence has become a critical leasing KPI, reshaping how landlords curate retail mixes. Gen‑Z now turn to social media before search engines, prompting landlords to prioritize brands with strong digital followings. Battersea leverages...
Agencies are turning to white‑label link‑building marketplaces to outsource link acquisition, allowing them to meet fluctuating client demand without expanding permanent staff. This model shifts costs from fixed overhead to variable, campaign‑based expenses, improving margin flexibility. By leveraging established publisher...
An SEO professional deliberately inserted an AI‑generated hallucination about a non‑existent March 2026 Google core update into a LinkedIn newsletter. The fabricated article quickly ranked on Google’s first page for “Google March update 2026” and appeared in the AI Overview feature....
Porsche Middle East, Africa and India CEO Dr. Manfred Bräunl explained the brand’s shift toward experiential marketing and community‑centric initiatives. The company launched the DRVN by Porsche café and the two‑day "Icons of Porsche" event, drawing over 30,000 participants. Porsche now...
WPP Media’s new “Women’s Sports Playbook” report shows rapid growth in advertising within women’s sports. Ad impressions rose 79% year‑over‑year and overall spend reached about $127 million, up roughly 70% YoY. Brands such as Ally Financial saw 85% higher engagement on...
Google’s John Mueller explained that moving a site to HTTPS can temporarily hurt rankings because the change functions like a full site migration. The process forces Google to recrawl and reprocess every URL, and mis‑configured 301 redirects or misuse of...
BambooBox announced a $6.6 million Series A round led by Peak XV’s Surge to accelerate its Managed ABM Operating System. The platform blends AI‑driven orchestration with forward‑deployed ABM experts, aiming to solve the execution gap that many enterprises face with traditional ABM tools....
Kraft Heinz announced a five‑year deal to become the NFL's official condiment partner, giving roughly 20 of its brands high‑visibility placements at games and related events. The agreement arrives as the company has paused a planned split into two publicly...
Luxury conglomerate Tapestry, owner of Coach and Kate Spade, has appointed Dentsu as its global agency of record for media planning and buying outside the United States. The agreement covers the APAC region—including Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and...
Amazon Ads announced Uber Eats as the first brand to sponsor Prime Video’s comedy slate in the UK, launching on March 19 2024 alongside the Season 2 premiere of *Last One Laughing UK*. The partnership runs through the end of 2026 and includes...
Brands that try too hard to mimic Gen Z often backfire, eroding credibility. Successful examples like Tower 28, SULT, and Hinge demonstrate that treating Gen Z as peers, embracing transparency, and leveraging authentic long‑form storytelling resonate better. The article outlines...
Penguin Random House unveiled “Playful Penguins,” a modular visual identity featuring a suite of illustrated penguin characters in varied poses and props. Unlike a single mascot update, the kit allows the brand to mix and match illustrations across campaigns, seasonal...
Creator commerce platform LTK has introduced Quick Collabs, a new feature that lets brands launch flat‑fee, one‑click campaigns that creators can opt into. The tool leverages LTK’s data on 44 million monthly shoppers, $6 billion in annual spend, 400,000 creators and 8,000...
Clean Creatives released the “Toxic Accounts” study, analyzing 1,859 ads, press releases and social‑media campaigns from 2020‑2024. It finds BP, Chevron, Shell and Exxon have abandoned climate‑friendly narratives, instead portraying fossil‑fuel use as essential for economic stability and national security....
Instagram tested an AI‑driven “Shop the Look” feature that automatically tags products in creator posts, aiming to boost social commerce. The rollout, launched in February, sparked backlash as tags appeared without creators’ consent, linking followers to unvetted items and knockoffs....
Brands are racing to sign college athletes for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals as March Madness draws record viewership, turning the tournament into a high‑impact marketing platform. Companies from footwear to fast‑food chains have partnered with stars like Azzi Fudd,...
Watsons Malaysia, in partnership with Omnicom’s MBCS, launched the “Pentas Raya Glam” campaign to celebrate the Hari Raya festive season. The multi‑channel activation features a humorous film starring local celebrities, a #WatsonsPentasGlamRaya dance challenge on Instagram and TikTok, and in‑store sensory...
