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.
Google’s Back‑to‑Back 2026 Core Updates Slash Organic Traffic for 55% of Sites
Google rolled out two major core algorithm updates in March and April 2026, triggering traffic declines for more than half of tracked websites. The March update targeted large‑scale AI‑generated content, while the April update emphasized “information gain,” rewarding pages that add unique value.
Victoria's Secret Shifts to Fragrance, Targeting Bath & Body Works Share
Victoria's Secret announced a strategic pivot toward fragrance and home scent products, positioning the brand against Bath & Body Works. CEO Hillary Super said the nearly $1 billion beauty segment grew low‑single‑digit in Q4 FY2025, marking the core of the turnaround.
Antigravity Automates GA4 Reports for Instant Insights
Connected Antigravity to the GA4 MCP and now I can simply ask Antigravity to create a report for whatever I want rather than trying to navigate the mess that is GA4. A client recently set up tracking for newsletter...
First $400 Client Taught Me Priceless Lessons
my museum of failure as a content strategist... I charged my first client $400/month to manage all of their social media. I made absolutely no money in the beginning.
M2THAK’s Real‑World Streams Elevate BC.Game to iGaming’s Front‑Row
M2THAK has turned BC.Game into a cultural touchstone by broadcasting live casino action from yachts, Formula 1 venues and other high‑profile locations. The streamer’s mobile, production‑heavy format draws millions of viewers and is being hailed by analysts as the next wave...
Master Lead Follow-Up: Submit Your Webinar Questions for NetLine’s Josh Baez Now
Demand‑generation teams are celebrating strong download numbers, but the real challenge lies in the post‑download phase. Most new leads are still researching and aren’t ready for a sales pitch, so timing and relevance of follow‑up become critical. NetLine’s Josh Baez...
From Devices to Daily Life: Samsung’s AI Living Push
Samsung’s chief marketing officer, Allison Stransky, outlined the company’s "AI for All" strategy at CES 2026, positioning AI as a daily companion across its broad product ecosystem. The plan emphasizes higher‑order benefits—like AI‑driven meal planning in Bespoke refrigerators and SmartThings‑enabled home‑insurance...
Just The FACs, Ma'am: ANA Unveils Its Own New Ad Tax
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) unveiled a new "Fractional Advertising Contribution" (FAC) fee tied to its Aquila cross‑media measurement platform. The fee is set at 0.075% of media‑buy spend with a hard cap of $750,000, effectively limiting the charge...
Magellan AI: Podcast Advertisers Are Buying Blind In 2026
Magellan AI’s new guide, produced with True Native Media, reveals that most podcast advertisers are still planning campaigns without reliable audience data or attribution. Analysis of over 60,000 podcasts shows that 86.5% of podcast households are unique to the platform,...
Sprinklr CX Connect New York 2026
Sprinklr CX Connect 2026 convenes senior marketing, customer experience and service leaders on June 4 in New York’s Convene 237 Park. The half‑day event focuses on AI‑driven innovation, digital ecosystem transformation, and emerging business models reshaping brand‑consumer interactions. Attendees will engage in peer networking,...
AI Powers Email Copy, Ignores Outdated Segmentation
Email marketing has a serious AI problem. Not the kind you're thinking. Everyone aimed AI at the wrong part of the funnel. Two years of AI-generated subject lines and copy. Nobody used it to figure out who should actually get the email. Audience...
Optimized Sales, Ads, SEO Boost Occupancy to 79%
We've gotten a lot better at 3 things in the storage business over the last 12 months: 1. Sales - we are great at leasing units. We have a script. We listen to every call. We have offers and asks and...
Where Did Your Web Traffic Go? How to Reclaim Leads From AI Answer Engines
In 2026 AI answer engines are delivering zero‑click answers, siphoning traffic from life‑science marketers’ websites. The AI scans public pages in real time, providing scientists with quick answers and leaving the source unvisited. Marketers are urged to adopt a dual‑layer...
AI Can Discover and Execute Tasks You Never Imagined
Everyone uses AI the same way. That was me until a few weeks ago. You open a window, type what you need, and it gives you something back. That's useful, but it has a ceiling most people don't realize: you can...
'Taste' Sensation: GSD&M Promotes Mateo's Salsa As Farm Fresh
GSD&M unveiled the “Farmer’s Market Fresh Taste” campaign for Texas‑based Mateo’s Salsa, featuring two 15‑second television spots and six‑second social cutdowns. The integrated effort runs across OLV, CTV, social platforms and retail media networks, targeting millennials and Gen X. The creative...
![The Complete Website Migration Checklist [SEO-Friendly]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://static.semrush.com/blog/uploads/media/4e/bf/4ebf4354465d540ec22344963980d852/9b5a416b3627e3a7db0f62caa75e71fe/website-migration-checklist.png)
The Complete Website Migration Checklist [SEO-Friendly]
The article delivers a step‑by‑step website migration checklist that spans pre‑migration planning, build‑and‑test, URL mapping, the actual migration, and post‑migration monitoring. It emphasizes establishing baseline analytics, creating a detailed redirect map, and using a staging environment to catch crawl or...
I Built a Complete Sales Funnel in an Afternoon. Here's the Prompt Sequence.
Solopreneurs can now build a full digital‑product sales funnel in a single afternoon using a nine‑prompt AI workflow. The sequence starts with a buyer‑pain diagnosis, then creates opt‑in page copy, a three‑email welcome series, and finishes with sales‑page, objection, checkout,...
Papa Johns and Toy Story 5 Mark First-Ever Collaboration
Papa Johns announced its first-ever partnership with Disney‑Pixar’s Toy Story 5, launching three themed personal pizzas, a special Rootin’ Tootin’ Ranch dip, and limited‑edition collectibles. The items debut in the U.S. on June 1 at $6.99 and run through July 19, with the promotion expanding to...
Haleon India Witnessing Double-Digit Growth Momentum, Open to Inorganic Growth Opportunities
Haleon India posted double‑digit growth in Q1, driven by a ₹20 (≈ $0.24) Sensodyne launch that attracted 70% new consumers. The company doubled its distribution footprint, with rural sales now accounting for a quarter of revenue. CEO Kedar Lele highlighted plans...
Lay’s World Cup Marketing Strategy Focuses on ‘Scaled Intimacy’ with Fans
Lay’s has entered the FIFA World Cup arena as a global sponsor, launching the second phase of its “No Lay’s, No Game” platform. The campaign pairs star‑studded ads—featuring David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Steve Carell and others—with a real‑world watch‑party stunt in...
What 301 CPG Brands Reveal About People Inc.'s INVERSION Bet
An analysis of 301 consumer‑packaged‑goods (CPG) brands shows that every billion‑dollar breakout, aside from MrBeast’s Feastables, was founded between 2015 and 2019. Brands like Olipop, Liquid Death, Alani Nu and Chomps achieved valuations from $500 million to $1.85 billion within five years....
Coca-Cola to Funfetti: Food Brands Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday with Limited-Edition Products
Food brands are rolling out patriotic products ahead of the United States’ 250th birthday in July 2026. Coca‑Cola unveiled limited‑edition America250 bottles and state‑specific mini‑cans, while Talking Rain’s Sparkling Ice teamed with Flavor Flav to launch a red‑white‑blue Life Savers sparkling water. Pillsbury...
AI-Powered Website Chat Doubles Conversions, Boosts Leads
This is the future of websites. Interact AI is a new interface that actually talks to every visitor the second they land. No more static pages. No more demo forms or waiting for sales. It answers questions, showcases your product, and gets smarter with...
Your Life Moments Are Your Personal LLM
AI and people both rely on LLMs as their foundations. AI has large language models. People have little life moments. Your lived experiences—your memories, stories, voice, and perspective—are what separates you. It's what enables you to convey greater value to...
Brands Briefing: Anthropologie’s Weddings Business Has Become a Powerful Customer Acquisition Engine
Anthropologie entered the wedding market in 2011, but its bridal segment has exploded in the last two years as brides seek coordinated outfits for every ceremony moment. Chief merchandising officer Holly Thrasher says the business is growing "exponentially," turning weddings...
Data vs Story: What Drives Big Purchase Decisions
When you're making a big purchase or investment decision, what tips you over the edge in their marketing messaging: the data or the story behind it?
Kochava Announces New Yahoo DSP Workspace Now Available on StationOne, the Integrative AI Hub by Kochava
Kochava unveiled a Yahoo DSP workspace on its StationOne AI hub, marking the first demand‑side platform integrated into the system. The new workspace bundles AI‑driven Skills, Agents and a dedicated Yahoo DSP Connector, letting marketers buy, manage and optimize programmatic...
Campbell’s Risa Cretella on Reinventing Iconic Brands and Winning in Commoditized Categories
Campbell’s executive vice president Risa Cretella explains how the company is reinventing its iconic brands by injecting an entrepreneurial mindset into a large organization. She emphasizes fast, data‑light decision‑making and empowering teams to act on clear consumer demand. The discussion highlights...
Faster Insights, Smarter Workflows, and a Platform Built for Enterprise Scale
Hootsuite unveiled a suite of enterprise‑focused updates that turn real‑time social data into actionable business intelligence. New capabilities include LLM Insights monitoring brand mentions across AI assistants, multilingual conversation clusters, and the Yeti Agent for deeper topic detection. The platform...
Turn Facebook Emoji Reactions Into New Followers
Author friends… need to encourage more people who’ve interacted with your posts on FB to follow you? On your business suite you can find this little button here and select which emoji they pushed that you want to send invites...
Pedro's Candid AEO/GEO Guide Challenges New Schema Narrative
Pedro just wrote one of the most honest & accurate pieces about AEO/GEO that I’ve *ever* read. (And TBH - I’ve also been wondering about the “new” framing around Schema markup this whole time. 🫠🫠)
Brianna Doe on the One Thing CMOs Should Change About Creator Marketing Right Now
Brianna Doe, founder of Verbatim, argues that CMOs must stop treating influencer marketing as a siloed paid‑media tactic and instead embed creators within broader brand programs. She highlights the creator economy’s rapid growth, the flood of AI‑generated content, and the...
B2B SaaS Leverages LinkedIn Influencers for Brand and LLM Citations
LinkedIn influencers are a *thing* and B2B SaaS companies are putting them to work (for double duty) to drive brand awareness and win LLM citations. I dove into this in tomorrow's newsletter, with insights from @YoungHeike + others. Sign up to get...
Three Proven Fixes for a Weak Newsletter
Top 3 fixes for an underperforming newsletter from Sean Devlin. Search "Nathan Barry Show" to watch the full episode. https://t.co/AAv1uciBHv
Trust Is the Real Innovation in Agentic Advertising
PubMatic argues that trust, not technology, is the key to scaling agentic advertising. Early adopters report 87% faster campaign setup, 70% quicker issue resolution, and sub‑millisecond response times that beat manual optimization. The company’s AgenticOS builds on its Activate platform,...
Find Underpriced Growth Channels Early for Long-Term Advantage
Looking for underrated growth channels? 👉 Find “underpriced” channels early 👉 GPT marketplace = thousands of users/month (for free) 👉 Early positioning = long-term advantage Episode 248 is live 👇 https://t.co/NXvJ9ucWeW #SaaS #Startups #Growth https://t.co/nuXgklWHna
Get Free Google Brand Insight, 25‑Minute Feedback Session
Looking for 5 Shopify merchants to spend 25 min with me this month. I'll show you something about your own brand on Google you've probably never seen before. You tell me what's useful and what's broken. No pitch, no signup. Just feedback. DM...
What Does Declining Traffic Mean for the Future of Search?
The article warns that AI‑driven, zero‑click searches are reshaping how brands are discovered, turning traffic declines into signs of content authority rather than failure. Large language models now pull answers directly from authoritative guides, leaving no click trace in analytics....
AI Brand Crisis: Choose a Stance or Fade
Pick a Side or Get Left Behind: The Looming AI Brand Crisis by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/wjmKxBqwE0 @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #Leadership #Marketing #MarketingStrategy #MarketingSuccess #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #ContentMarketing #MarketingTips #MarketingEthics
Cross‑border Freight Ignores Rich Lucha Libre Heritage
It’s disappointing that very few if any cross border freight companies lean into the deep history of Lucha Libre for their marketing
Karol G Sells 2 Million Tickets in Four Days, Sets Latin Music Record
Karol G’s Viajando Por El Mundo tour moved 2 million tickets in the first four days after tickets went on sale, making her the first Latina artist to headline a stadium tour globally. The rapid sell‑out underscores her growing influence in...
Bing Hits 1B MAU; Google Ads, ChatGPT Updates
It's New 5/5 - @mordyoberstein covers Bing’s 1 billion human MAU, @TheMarketingAnu on Google Ads ata retention changes, @gregfinn on ChatGPT Ads CTR and Google Web Bot Auth (37 months ago news today) https://t.co/zZwsXXyzKI
AI Marketing Toolkit Grows: New Tools Added
The best list of #AI #marketing tools anywhere continues to expand: https://t.co/Kb2ld19wrv New tools added recently include @HeadshotlyAI, Agentive SEO, Quadratic, @vistasocialapp , @ChatGPTapp Images, @moengage , @amplemarket , @socialpilot_co , Chatterbox Turbo by @resembleai , @lightfld , and @PlanableApp.
B2B Influencer Marketing: What Practitioners Are Actually Doing in 2026
B2B influencer marketing has moved from a niche experiment to a multi‑million‑dollar channel, with enterprise software firms paying creators five‑ to six‑figure fees for LinkedIn posts. Buyers now start their purchase journeys by trusting individual voices rather than reading analyst...
Scale with Many Niche Ads, Not One Narrow Ad
You can't scale with an ad that's only relevant to a tiny audience. You can scale with many ads that are relevant to many tiny audiences.
Programmatic Gets Tougher; AI Redefines Advertising Landscape
@TomBurkeIV , Chief Revenue Officer of @AI Digital, joins AdTechGod to break down why programmatic is getting harder, not easier, and how AI is reshaping the entire advertising landscape https://t.co/dkDWldy12X
Toyota Merges Four Distinct Campaigns in EV Push
Toyota is launching a multipart advertising push that merges four separate creative campaigns to promote its all‑electric lineup. The effort, handled by Burrell, Saatchi & Saatchi, Intertrend and Conill, targets diverse audiences including EV skeptics, small‑business owners, Asian American and...
Amazon Hires Jenn Levy to Drive Youth‑Focused Unscripted Content
Amazon has installed Jenn Levy as Head of Nonfiction Series, tasking her with building unscripted formats that resonate with younger audiences. Levy says the streamer will prioritize “holy sh*t” reality concepts and move away from traditional game‑show blocks.
Optmyzr Report Shows Google Ads CTR Up 21% as Conversions Slip
Optmyzr’s Q1 2026 benchmark, covering more than 21,000 Google Ads accounts, reveals click‑through rates climbing 21.31% to 2.22% year‑over‑year. At the same time, conversion rates fell 0.96%, cost‑per‑acquisition rose 4.41% and impressions dropped roughly 11%, suggesting a trade‑off between reach...
Inside WBD’s New Pitch to Advertisers Amid Paramount Shakeup
Warner Bros. Discovery is staging a May 13 upfront to reassure advertisers as it navigates a pending $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance. Ad‑sales chiefs Ryan Gould and Bobby Voltaggio highlighted the breadth of WBD’s portfolio—from news and sports to streaming and...