Today's Marketing Pulse
Adobe rolls out agentic AI suite, with Ulta Beauty scaling personalized content
Adobe introduced a new agentic AI portfolio—including CX Enterprise, Brand Concierge and AI agents—at its Las Vegas event, positioning the tools as core to modern marketing. Ulta Beauty is already using Adobe Firefly and deep loyalty data to produce personalized, always‑on content at ten‑fold scale, while aligning its CMO and CTO in a joint "fusion team".
Also developing:
By the numbers: Publicis Groupe UK acquires Fabric Social
OpenAI Turns on Cost-per-Click Ads Inside ChatGPT
OpenAI has activated cost‑per‑click (CPC) advertising inside ChatGPT, allowing marketers to bid $3‑$5 per click. The move follows a rapid decline in CPM rates, which fell from $60 to $25 per thousand impressions within ten weeks. By shifting to a performance‑based model, OpenAI aims to attract performance advertisers who prefer paying for clicks over impressions. The company also announced a senior marketing science hire to design measurement, attribution and privacy frameworks for the new ad ecosystem.
The VERIFY Method for Building a Winning Personal Brand in the AI Era (7 Prompts)
The post introduces VERIFY, a six‑element coherence audit designed to forge a personal brand that can’t be commoditized by AI. It argues that while AI can automate generic tasks, identity, trust, and financial sovereignty remain uniquely human assets. By evaluating...
Hire Social Strategists Who Prioritize the WHY Over Trends
What do I look for in a social media STRATEGIST? Not trends, or ~culture~, or even content. I look for social media professionals that can explain the WHY behind their ideas. Social Media Strategy is all about coming up with strategic...
You Feel Scattered, but You Don’t Know Why.
The post argues that a founder’s personal clarity directly shapes a brand’s consistency. When founders feel uncertain, the brand shows hesitation—content is delayed, websites are labeled outdated, and teams over‑explain. Conversely, resolved founders see tighter messaging without additional hires or...
MS NOW Uses Community to Build Up Its Brand
MS NOW is shifting from a traditional linear news outlet to a community‑first brand, leveraging its recent independence after NBCUniversal’s spin‑off. The network plans to launch a summer‑time app focused on direct audience interaction rather than streaming. Executives highlighted the rise...
WWO: Guidelines for Using AI to Build Your Media Plans
Westwood One’s Audio Active Group released guidelines for local advertisers on leveraging artificial intelligence in media planning. Cumulus Media president of operations Bob Walker emphasizes that AI can be useful but must be used with precise prompts, reputable sources, and...
OpenAI Launches AdsBot to Vet Ad Landing Pages
We've got a new OpenAI crawler and it makes total sense. Meet OAI-Adsbot: From OpenAI: OAI-AdsBot is used to validate the safety of web pages submitted as ads on ChatGPT. When you submit an ad, OpenAI may visit the landing page to...
No More ‘Sleeping Beauties’: Babybel Owner Quietly Emerges as US Healthy Snacks Powerhouse
Peter McGuinness, former Impossible Foods and Chobani exec, took over Bel Group’s North American operations and is accelerating growth of its snack brands Babybel, GoGo squeeZ and The Laughing Cow. The Paris‑based company now generates about one‑third of its global sales in the U.S., with...
Why IBM Says Every Brand Now Needs a GEO Playbook
IBM warns that AI‑driven agents will dominate search, estimating 75% of visibility shifting to machine answers within two years. To stay discoverable, brands must adopt a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) playbook, a 12‑component system covering content, technical foundations, citation strategy,...
AI Cuts SEO Troubleshooting From Hours to Minutes
Old SEO vs New SEO Old SEO: Spend 3 hours analyzing why your organic traffic dropped 40%. Find nothing. New SEO: Connect your Google Search Console to Claude, get a ranked list of issues and fixes in 12 minutes according to your...
How to Rebuild Brand Trust After a PR Crisis
The article outlines how brands can restore trust after a public relations crisis by prioritizing honesty over polished apologies. It stresses that mishandled responses, not the original mistake, erode consumer confidence. Three practical steps are recommended: authentic acknowledgment, consistent corrective...
Meta’s AI Push Has Made Its Way Into Ad Creative. Not All Marketers Are Happy About It
Meta has been automatically applying AI‑generated tweaks to advertisers' creative assets, often without the brands’ knowledge. Snag Tights discovered altered ads that misrepresented its products, prompting the company to request a shutdown of Meta’s AI testing on its account. Other...
Your Next Customer Will Find You Using AI. Now What?
AI‑powered large language model (LLM) search is reshaping how consumers discover products, with 44% of U.S. online buyers now starting their journey in an LLM or AI tool. Adoption is twice as fast among Gen Z and millennials, but the trend...
Gordon Ramsay Launches World‑First “Idiot Sandwich” Pop‑up in Manila’s Uptown BGC
Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill Philippines is opening the world’s first Idiot Sandwich pop‑up at Megaworld’s Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City, Manila. The concept turns a notorious internet meme into a physical sandwich‑focused venue, promising premium ingredients and a...
Four Publishers, One Growth Playbook: What The Guardian, Denník N, Uusi Juttu and Kyiv Independent Told Perugia About Reader Revenue
Four diverse publishers—The Guardian, Denník N, Uusi Juttu and the Kyiv Independent—shared a unified reader‑revenue playbook at the Perugia International Journalism Festival. Each relies on membership‑first models, with the Guardian generating roughly $125 million in digital reader revenue and 1.3 million supporters, while the...
Arby’s Launches Limited‑Time BBQ Lineup and Mac‑and‑Cheese Bowl to Revive Traffic
Arby’s introduced a limited‑time BBQ sandwich duo and a new Mac‑and‑Cheese bowl, a brand‑refresh move led by CMO Jeff Baker. The rollout targets lagging sales and aims to draw diners back to the chain’s 33,000‑plus locations.
Podcast Data Firm Bumper Unveils Audience Verification Metric to Boost Advertiser Confidence
Bumper, a podcast data and growth firm, launched the Bumper Score, a new audience verification metric that rates podcasts on a 0‑200 scale with 100 as the industry average. The score aggregates first‑party hosting data, verified listener information from major...
Fashion Retailer Quince Tops Podcast Ad Spending, Sports and Comedy Dominate Genre Placements in March
Fashion retailer Quince led March 2026 podcast advertising with an estimated $6.57 million spend, primarily on comedy programs. BetterHelp, Amazon, Meta, and T‑Mobile rounded out the top five, each allocating roughly $5‑6 million, with a strong preference for sports podcasts. Magellan AI’s...
Ecominsights Unveils SaaS Platform to Streamline Amazon Market Research
Ecominsights announced the general availability of its Amazon product research SaaS platform, delivering structured data on millions of listings to brands, distributors, agencies and investors. The tool promises to replace fragmented, manual research with a unified intelligence suite for product...
Meta Launches First Instagram Campaign in Thailand to Drive Reels Adoption
Meta has launched its first dedicated Instagram brand campaign in Thailand, a 10‑week digital effort built by BBH Singapore. The initiative features two hero films, six 20‑second Reels and 15 creator‑led pieces starring local influencers to spur Reels creation among...
Lacoste ‘Returns to Its Roots’ with New Visual Identity
Lacoste unveiled a refreshed visual identity that reintroduces a serif‑based logo and highlights the original Robert George crocodile illustration. The redesign sharpens the brand’s proportions, restores its historic green hue and adds clay and farine tones, while the iconic crocodile and...
Why Marketers Are Switching Mobile Measurement Partners (And What To Look for Instead)
Marketers are abandoning legacy mobile measurement partners as consumer journeys now span TikTok, QR codes, email, web and apps. Nearly 50% of B2C marketers plan to replace their MMPs within the next 18 months. Branch positions itself as a next‑gen...
New Guide: The Identity Gap Holding Back Travel Marketing Performance
Travel marketers have poured money into orchestration tools, yet 70%‑95% of website visitors remain anonymous, limiting personalization and direct bookings. Wunderkind’s new guide argues that identity resolution is the missing layer that can turn invisible traffic into measurable revenue. By...
Leaders Must Become Visible Voices, Not Just Promoters
@joe_zappa , Founder and CEO of Sharp Pen Media, joins the AdTechGod Pod to unpack a fundamental shift in media and leadership. Power has moved from institutions to individuals, and the executives who recognize this are building influence, pipeline, and long-term...
Team Tackles SEO, GSC Bugs, and AI Ads
On It's New, @MordyOberstein covers @johnmu on SEO statements, I cover GSC bugs and read more best practices and @TheMarketingAnu covers the Microsoft Ads AI news - no smiling thanks to @gregfinn https://t.co/a66J6LjzNe
Jenni Kayne Is Going Global
Jenni Kayne, the California‑born lifestyle label known for cashmere sweaters and minimalist home goods, announced the launch of international shipping on its e‑commerce site. The rollout initially covers 18 markets across Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with additional regions slated...
First‑time Founders Spread Too Thin, Miss Traction
Most first-time founders go wide too early. They set up ads, post on social, maybe do some cold outreach - and then wonder why nothing is sticking.
Google and ChatGPT Decline Evident Despite Radar Lag
Yep, drop in Google, drop in ChatGPT. It can take Brand Radar a bit of time to catch up (just based on how it refreshes prompts), but it's clear as day. See below.
B2B Influencer Marketing in 2026: The Rise of LinkedIn Influencers in B2B Tech
B2B influencer marketing has migrated from occasional expert webinars to a creator‑led model anchored on LinkedIn, where founders, CMOs and product leaders publish consistently. These "LinkedInfluencers" build trust through repeated, expertise‑rich posts that shape buyer opinions long before a sales...
ChatGPT Ads Launch CPC Campaigns with $3‑5 Bids
Interested in ChatGPT ads? Looks like CPC campaigns are live for some advertisers. @juokaz pinged me with some screenshots. You can select between Reach or Clicks for objective and then enter your Max CPC for the campaign. ChatGPT says to...
AI Overviews and Zero-Click Search Redefine SERP
#AI Overviews, Zero-Click Search, and the New SERP: Key Takeaways from STAT’s 2026 Analysis [NEW POST] - B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity - https://t.co/IlliieKlqo New #GEO and #SEO research from @getSTAT . https://t.co/RKdz1POwmU
GREW Solar Launches ‘The Next Starts Here’ Campaign with GT Players
GREW Solar has unveiled a new advertising campaign, “The Next Starts Here,” in partnership with the Gujarat Titans cricket franchise. The film stars Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar, using on‑field performance as a metaphor for...
When the CEO Becomes the Brand
Elon Musk’s political activism has turned Tesla into a polarizing brand, causing its first‑choice share to fall to 27 % versus 44 % for Toyota. A November 2025 conjoint study shows left‑leaning shoppers shun the brand while right‑leaning consumers become more favorable. Simulated...
CVS Health on Where AI Is Delivering Value in Healthcare
CVS Health announced that artificial intelligence is now a core engine for cost reduction and operational efficiency across its pharmacy‑benefit manager, retail clinics, and broader health services. AI‑driven models have trimmed claim‑processing time by roughly 30%, lowered medication non‑adherence by...
How to Measure Demand Gen Creative Impact with Asset Uplift Tests
Google introduced asset uplift experiments for Demand Gen campaigns, letting advertisers run A/B tests that isolate the incremental impact of specific creative assets. The framework requires a minimum of 50 conversions, continuous budget, and a 50/50 split to achieve statistical...
OnStar Partners with Skywards Everyday to Turn Everyday Drives Into Everyday Rewards
OnStar, General Motors' connected‑car platform, has partnered with Emirates Skywards Everyday in the UAE, allowing subscribers to earn airline miles for using the service. The program awards one Skywards Mile for every AED 3 (approximately $0.81) spent on an OnStar Core...
Teamwork Communications Group Wins PR Mandate for Sarvodaya Healthcare
Teamwork Communications Group has been awarded the public‑relations mandate for Sarvodaya Healthcare, a multi‑specialty hospital network operating across North India. The agency will oversee media relations, thought‑leadership initiatives and integrated communication campaigns to raise the group’s brand visibility. The partnership...
Google: When It Comes To SEO, Nobody Knows Everything
Google’s search quality lead John Mueller reminded the community that SEO is not static and no one can claim complete mastery. He warned that self‑proclaimed “SEO gurus” often lack depth and can mislead practitioners. Mueller emphasized humility, acknowledging past mistakes,...
Accounts in Transit: USAA Educational Foundation Extends Crosby
Crosby Marketing Communications has signed a two‑year extension to provide integrated marketing services for the USAA Educational Foundation, a nonprofit that offers free financial‑education resources to service members, veterans and their families. Ripley PR was appointed agency of record for...
Burger King UK Positions Whopper as Ultimate Post-Race Meal
Burger King UK has rolled out a new advertising push called "Whopper of a finish," positioning the Whopper as the ideal post‑race meal for British horse‑racing fans. The campaign follows the 2024 "Bundles of joy" launch and combines TV spots,...
Google: You Can Do A Lot Of SEO That Don't Work & Still Do Ok
Google’s John Mueller reminded the SEO community that the discipline is inherently complex and resilient. He noted that practitioners can implement many tactics that ultimately have little impact and still maintain decent rankings. This underscores the difficulty of pinpointing which...
How to Conquer the Efficiency Tax in Higher Ed Marketing
Higher education marketers are chasing tighter targeting to prove ad spend efficiency, but this creates an "efficiency tax"—higher media costs with diminishing incremental impact. As audiences shrink, institutions recycle the same prospects across channels, inflating frequency without expanding reach. The...
BHIVE Names Milind Soman as Brand Ambassador
BHIVE Workspace has appointed Indian endurance athlete Milind Soman as its brand ambassador, linking the star’s fitness pedigree to the company’s campus‑format coworking concept. The model fuses traditional office space with sports courts, fitness clubs and community‑led activities, positioning BHIVE...
TenTrade Names Ballon D’Or Winner Luis Figo as Global Ambassador
TenTrade, a multi‑asset CFD brokerage, has named former Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo its global ambassador. The partnership will be driven by the "Inspiring the Next Number 10" campaign, tying Figo’s reputation for excellence to TenTrade’s performance‑focused trading platform. TenTrade...
OpenAI Is Working With Consultants to Sell Codex
OpenAI has launched a Codex consulting program with Accenture, Capgemini and PwC to accelerate enterprise sales of its AI‑coding tool. Weekly active users hit four million, up from three million just two weeks earlier, while the firm appointed Colleen Kapase...
Can Bed Bath & Beyond Make ‘Everything Home’ Viable?
Can Bed Bath & Beyond turn its vision of an "Everything Home" ecosystem into coherent business model? I try to unpack it in my latest https://t.co/NgREfyBHwT article. Inside Bed Bath & Beyond’s Grand Vision For An ‘Everything Home’ Ecosystem via...
Mother Dairy Rides IPL Viewership with Targeted JioHotstar CTV Push
Mother Dairy has launched a high‑impact Connected TV (CTV) partnership with JioHotstar for IPL 2026, orchestrated by WPP Media. The campaign embeds the brand in live match feeds, pre‑show segments, and milestone moments such as half‑centuries and centuries. By leveraging...
"Protect and Elevate the Xbox Brand": Microsoft Hires for Major New Comms Role, Pointing to a Potential Shift in PR...
Microsoft announced a new Senior Manager, Xbox Brand & Reputation role, the first senior communications hire since Asha Sharma became CEO. The position will oversee global strategic comms, PR counsel, influencer relations, and agency management for Xbox. Its responsibilities span...
JioHotstar Brings Purchase Intent-Led Ads to Streaming Platform
JioHotstar has rolled out a purchase‑intent advertising capability that ties streaming content to immediate product discovery. The solution uses aggregated, privacy‑safe data to form audience cohorts based on behavioural signals, moving beyond traditional demographic targeting. Instamart is the inaugural partner,...
When It Comes "AI Unleashed" - Big Brands and Media Companies Are Still Uber-Cautious
Big brands and media firms are embracing AI to speed ad creation, but they remain ultra‑cautious. At a recent conference, a media exec warned that every ad will still be manually reviewed, slowing the promised hyper‑automation. Lenovo’s SVP of Intelligent...