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.
Review of the Week: Airwallex Takes a Shot at Football Storytelling
Airwallex has unveiled a new advertising campaign that tells a football‑centric story, produced by Uncommon Creative Studio. The spot positions the fintech’s cross‑border payment platform as a team effort, using iconic match‑day imagery to simplify complex financial concepts. Launched alongside a broader brand‑building push, the film aims to broaden Airwallex’s appeal beyond its traditional B2B audience. Early reactions suggest the narrative could resonate with both sports fans and business decision‑makers.
The Highest ROI Marketing Channel Most Hotel Groups Ignore
Hotel groups are pouring roughly 80% of their marketing spend into acquiring new guests while neglecting the far cheaper, higher‑ROI channel of re‑engaging past guests. A single direct booking acquired via Google Ads can now cost $82‑$440, and OTA commissions...
Google Ads PMax Tests Select Partners To Run Ads With
Google Ads Performance Max (PMax) is piloting a new "Partners in Alfa" setting that lets advertisers decide whether their ads appear on the Search partner network, the Google Display Network, or both. The option surfaced on LinkedIn, where Adriaan Dekker...
How to Automate a Newsletter With AI (Anyone Can Do It)
A new guide demonstrates how to automate a news‑style newsletter using a single AI prompt, eliminating the need for complex n8n workflows or multiple APIs. By leveraging grounded web search from You.com’s Research API inside Claude and ChatGPT, the solution...
“Keen” On Trail Running: Why Now’s the Time to Get Lost
Keen is entering the trail‑running segment with its first dedicated shoe, a move driven by product manager Scott Robertson’s hands‑on outdoor background. Robertson, a former park ranger and rock‑climber, led the design and testing phases, using real‑world terrain to refine...
Should We Rebrand in Today’s Tumultuous Climate?
Nonprofits facing economic uncertainty and donor fatigue are questioning whether a rebrand would appear tone‑deaf, yet experts argue that a clear, mission‑aligned brand is essential for trust and impact. They suggest first conducting a brand audit to identify quick‑win fixes...
B2B Buying Decisions Demand Consensus, Not Champions: Lessons From B2BMX 2026
At B2BMX 2026, industry leaders warned that relying on a single champion is no longer sufficient for B2B deals, as buying committees now average six or more stakeholders. They advocated moving from champion‑centric tactics to consensus‑building by mapping roles, stacking...
How the San Francisco 49ers Uses Gen AI, Gamification and Personalization to Make Global Fans Feel Local
The San Francisco 49ers have launched an AI‑powered mobile app in partnership with PwC to deliver a hyper‑personalized fan experience for its three‑million‑strong global audience. The app leverages generative‑AI, including the Sourdough Sam chatbot, to tailor news, stats, ticketing and...
Aerie’s $2 Billion Brand Shows New Sales Playbook Amid AI Backlash
Aerie has turned a $225 million sub‑brand into a near‑$2 billion revenue engine by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook and launching a high‑profile ad that denounces AI‑generated bodies. The strategy, anchored in authenticity and a “Real” pledge, lifted comparable sales 23% last...
Marketer Switches to Claude for 90% of Content, Keeps ChatGPT for Images
Alex Cohen, founder of Xander Marketing, now runs 80‑90% of his agency’s copy work through Anthropic’s Claude while retaining OpenAI’s ChatGPT for image creation. The split reflects a growing tension between competing generative‑AI platforms as marketers seek the best tool...
FixEd Podcast: The News SEO Playbook with Clara Soteras
In a FixEd podcast, Clara Soteras explains how AI is reshaping SEO for news publishers. She highlights that Google’s AI‑generated Overviews are siphoning traffic from niche and evergreen articles, especially tech sites. Soteras argues traditional metrics like page views are...
Make Your SaaS Algorithm‑Friendly with Structured Brand Signals
Here's how to turn your SaaS into an entity Google and ChatGPT actually recognize: → Claim your Knowledge Panel → Create a Wikidata entry → Schema your About page (Organization + Person) → Pitch for brand mentions, not just backlinks → Standardize founder bios across...
McDonald’s Rolls Out Premium ‘Dirty Soda’ and Refresher Line to Revive Afternoon Sales
McDonald’s is debuting six new premium beverages—three fruit‑based refreshers and three crafted “dirty” sodas—across its U.S. network on May 6. The rollout targets the $100 billion beverage category and aims to lift sluggish afternoon sales while delivering higher margins than traditional fountain...
Free Masterclass Reveals Full Claude Design Startup Blueprint
THIS GUY IS LITERALLY GIVING AWAY THE DESIGN PLAYBOOK FOR CLAUDE DESIGN 🤯 A Free 2-hour masterclass showing how to build an ENTIRE startup: → brand guidelines → decks → website → apps → videos ... using ONLY Claude Design. Guide is below + full tutorial in 🧵...
Meta Q1 2026 Beats Revenue Forecast, Highlights AI Push, Reality Labs Loss
Meta reported first‑quarter revenue of $56.3 bn, a 33% jump year‑over‑year, and earnings of $10.44 per share, surpassing analysts’ expectations. The earnings call spotlighted rapid AI adoption across its family of apps and disclosed a loss at the Reality Labs division,...
Network Marketing Coaches See Surge in Digital Side‑Hustles, 275K Join
Darren Ewert and Mike Dreher say demand for digital side‑hustles has exploded, with their Dream Team Community platform now supporting over 275,000 active participants. The coaches attribute the surge to post‑pandemic remote‑work trends, AI anxieties and a growing need for...
Matalan Models New Channels for Summer Style Push
Matalan is rolling out a new summer campaign for its "Style for Every Moment" platform, expanding into cinema, digital‑out‑of‑home, TV, online video, print and social media. The centerpiece is a TV ad directed by Benjamin Lennox that follows core female...
Canva Announces Their New Collaboration with Claude Design by Anthropic Labs
Canva announced a deeper partnership with Anthropic’s Claude Design, embedding the AI‑generated draft engine directly into Canva’s Visual Suite. The integration lets users import Claude’s ideas, HTML artifacts and interactive code for drag‑and‑drop editing without regenerating content. Canva also introduced...
Diving Deeper: Looking Beyond Sales for Improved Restaurant Marketing
The upcoming Restaurant Marketing Workshop in Boston (June 2‑3) will feature a panel of industry leaders discussing how QSRs and fast‑casual brands can move beyond sales‑only metrics. Speakers from Dave’s Hot Chicken, Bikky Inc., and Condado Tacos will share a framework...
Godrej's Logo Row Exposes a Storytelling Gap, Says Lulu Raghavan
Godrej Industries Group unveiled a new corporate identity that quickly attracted criticism for resembling the logo of Queensland agency Guerrilla. Landor’s APAC President Lulu Raghavan argued the backlash missed the deeper issue: a weak brand narrative rather than a design...
New Instagram Tools to Drive Traffic, Optimize Your Content, and Establish Branding
In this episode, Michael Stelzner, Jerry Potter, and Instagram expert Chelsea Pice discuss Instagram's newest feature: clickable links in post captions for Meta‑verified creators, limited to ten links per month. They explore why Instagram is finally allowing links—user demand and...
Proxy Advisors: ISS STOXX Rebrands & Announces AI‑Enabled Solutions
ISS STOXX unveiled a refreshed brand and a new website under the tagline “Unlock the Power of Data.” The rebrand bundles its five core divisions—Governance, Sustainability, Indices, Market Intelligence, and Corporate—into a more cohesive digital experience. In parallel, the firm...
Morning Owl Bets on Trust and Transparency in India’s Crowded Mattress Market
Morning Owl, an Indian mattress startup, differentiates itself by offering 100% natural Dunlop latex sourced from Kerala farms and verified through GOLS, OEKO‑TEX and Eco‑INSTITUT certifications. The brand lets customers unzip mattress covers in showrooms to inspect the core, provides...
Use TAM to Forecast SEO/AEO
Traditional keyword‑based SEO forecasts rely on stacked guesses of search volume, CTR and conversion rates, making them unreliable—especially as AI answer engines increasingly satisfy queries without clicks. The article advocates a top‑down Total Addressable Market (TAM) approach, beginning with the...
In Its Summer Campaign, Budweiser Waves the Flag — A Lot
Anheuser‑Busch unveiled a 30‑second "Great Delivery" TV spot as the centerpiece of its 150th‑anniversary campaign, showcasing Clydesdales hauling kegs across iconic American landscapes. The ad leans heavily on patriotic symbols, tying Budweiser’s sesquicentennial to the nation’s 250th birthday and promoting...
Rao’s Enlists Goodby Silverstein & Partners to Make Its Brand Iconic
Rao’s Homemade has appointed Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) as its agency of record to craft a new, iconic brand identity. The agency will develop campaigns that highlight Rao’s Italian restaurant roots, premium ingredients, and timeless quality, with work slated to launch in...
How to Turn Claude Code Into Your SEO Analyst (with Semrush Data)
The guide shows how to link Claude Code with Semrush’s Model Context Protocol to create a unified SEO dashboard that pulls first‑party Google data and competitive intelligence into a single, conversational interface. It walks users through installing Claude Code, structuring...
Report: UK Ad Spend Records £46.7bn Media Investment in 2025
The Advertising Association and WARC report that UK advertising investment reached £46.7 billion (≈ $60 billion) in 2025, a 6.4% year‑on‑year rise. Media spend during the festive Q4 alone hit £12.9 billion (≈ $16.5 billion), driven by double‑digit growth in retail media, addressable TV and social...
WPP Revives Amazon India’s ‘Aur Dikhao’ Campaign
Amazon India has revived its ‘Aur Dikhao’ campaign in partnership with WPP to spotlight everyday shopping categories such as fashion, beauty, home and wireless accessories. The integrated effort runs in six regional languages and leverages IPL 2026 TV and connected‑TV slots,...
What “Building in Public” Really Means
The UK saw a 17% jump in tech company registrations in 2025, pushing startup noise to new heights. "Building in Public" (BIP) is defined as openly documenting a venture’s journey to create an authentic, scalable brand. The article illustrates BIP...
Lenovo Taps Becky G and AI to Turn Soccer Kits Into Art
Lenovo is launching “Your Club Your Canvas,” a global campaign that blends soccer, art and AI. The tech giant has named musician Becky G as global ambassador and will enlist artists to create limited‑edition kits for five clubs in Brazil, China,...
Digest: Omnicom Tests AI Agent Media Buying; Australia Forces Big Tech to Pay for News
Omnicom announced it is running live media purchases through autonomous AI agents, marking a shift toward fully programmatic ad buying. The agency posted Q1 2026 revenue of $6.2 bn, operating income of $646 m and a 14.8% margin. In Australia, draft legislation...
OPINION: The Attention Trap – Why Brands Keep Losing at Big Sporting Moments
The 2026 sporting calendar—London Marathon, Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup—offers brands an unprecedented advertising window, with UK ad spend projected to top $63.5 bn and the World Cup alone adding roughly $9.8 bn to the global market. Yet AI‑driven content creation...
Omnicom’s Creo Unveils Agentic AI Tool for Brand-Influencer Content Compliance
Omnicom Media Group's specialist unit Creo has launched an agentic AI tool that automatically edits influencer‑generated content to meet brand compliance before publishing. Built with Google Cloud, the solution leverages Gemini and Veo generative models to identify and resolve issues...
Google, Meta and Amazon Took Two Thirds of £46bn UK 2025 Adspend
UK advertising spend rose 6.4% in 2025 to a record £46.7bn (≈$59bn). A trio of US tech giants—Google, Meta and Amazon—captured roughly two‑thirds of that pie, accounting for about £31bn (≈$39bn). Google led with an estimated £21.5bn ($27bn) from search,...
INTERVIEW: Designing Retail Media for Scale and Relevance: Helene Trad on Kingfisher’s Approach
Helene Trad, head of retail media at Kingfisher, explained at Retail MediaX Europe how the group is building a modular, customer‑centric retail media platform that serves both trade‑focused Screwfix and inspiration‑driven B&Q. The strategy blends a unified measurement backbone with...
Why Fayt Estate Promised to Bring Integrity to Influencer Events
Australian fashion label Fayt The Label staged a two‑night, invite‑only event called Fayt Estate in Byron Bay, offering eight creators and community members free accommodation and a curated experience without any sales pressure. Founder Brittney Saunders aimed to replace the...
Ogilvy India Pauses the Chaos in New Spot for Mother Dairy Flavoured Milk
Ogilvy India has unveiled a new television spot for Mother Dairy’s flavored‑milk range, targeting young, on‑the‑move consumers. The ad, starring Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia, frames the drink as a quick, grab‑and‑go pause amid a hectic day, anchored by the line...
What Works in Digital Marketing Today Beyond Theories
Digital marketing has shifted from theory‑heavy, long‑term plans to fast, data‑driven execution. Brands now prioritize real‑time testing, storytelling, AI‑augmented creativity, and rapid iteration to capture audience attention. Consistency, technical SEO, and authentic, visual content are essential foundations that amplify reach...
Vue Calls on Taika Waititi to Lure Audiences Back to Movie Theaters
Vue has launched the "Feel It Forever" campaign, a two‑minute ad directed by Academy Award‑winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, to coax audiences back to its European cinemas. The spot, which follows two strangers trailed by iconic movie characters, debuted on May 1 in...
Inside Claire’s Comeback Plan: Squishies, ASMR and Reclaiming Girlhood
Claire’s is staging a brand revival with its summer "A Girl SMR at Claire’s" campaign, aimed squarely at Gen Alpha girls. The initiative, the first major project of new chief brand officer Michelle Goad—formerly of Athleta—centers on ASMR‑inspired content and tactile...
Meta's Billion‑User Model Flops on Metaverse Investment
Zuckerberg said that Meta always grows a platform first to a billion users, then starts monetizing it. This works for viral social networks that grow quickly. However, it may not work for other products. Besides, it requires heavy upfront investment...
Microsoft Adds Conversion, Spend Data to PMax URL Report
Microsoft Advertising has added conversion and spend metrics to the PMax Website Publisher URL report https://t.co/HJjYZCHwB1 via @MSFTAdsBuddy https://t.co/sf1APIZwY9
Why Startup Founders Shouldn’t Trust an AI Agent to Replace a PR Team
Startup founders are tempted to replace costly PR agencies with AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, hoping to cut expenses and accelerate content creation. Initial experiments showed AI could generate press releases, pitch emails, and media lists within minutes,...
Google Ads Tests Ability to Select Partner Networks
Google Ads testing the option to choose the partner networks to advertise with https://t.co/BuONWXY17S via @Adriaan_PPC https://t.co/mfeXakEe3O
HCLTech Bets on European Golf to Drive Digital Services Growth
HCLTech has landed a multi‑year contract to overhaul the DP World Tour’s digital infrastructure, taking on the role of lead engineer and primary sponsor. The agreement calls for a complete rebuild of the Tour’s mobile and web platforms to deliver...
Tractor Supply Taps Real Customers for Ads to Stand Out From AI-Generated Content
Tractor Supply Company launched its third consecutive spring campaign featuring real customers, employees and local events, emphasizing authentic "Life Out Here" moments. While the retailer leverages AI behind the scenes for customer journey planning, it insists that all consumer‑facing ads...
30 Days of Using Za’atar the Wrong Way: How Spice Startup Hayati Used Repetition to Hit 21,000 Instagram Followers
Hayati, a Palestinian‑American spice brand, leveraged a quirky Instagram series called “Day X of using za’atar the wrong way” to accelerate its social following. Founder Yasmine Borno filmed unconventional recipes—za’atar on nails, popcorn, and parmesan potatoes—turning entertainment into education. The repeatable...
The Foldable Future or Familiar Past of Mobile Phones?
Motorola’s Razr 2026 launch pivots the brand from a hardware‑centric challenger to a lifestyle‑focused offering, emphasizing design, tactile finishes, and nostalgia. The lineup, priced between $799 and $1,899, includes a Razr Fold with a tablet‑size screen, up to 16 GB RAM, and a...
Why The Devil Wears Prada’s Luxury Victims Are Now Queuing up to Collaborate
Disney’s sequel to *The Devil Wears Prada* is being launched as a massive brand‑collaboration vehicle, featuring a curated roster of roughly 20 luxury and mass‑market partners such as Valentino, Mercedes‑Benz, Dior, Old Navy, and Google. The studio’s executive VP promises...