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.
NFL Teams Up with Skydance to Launch First Scripted Series and Feature Films
The National Football League has partnered with Skydance Sports to create its first scripted streaming series, "The Land," and a slate of feature films, including a John Madden biopic and a Christmas‑day Giant‑hero movie. The move seeks to turn the league’s massive viewership into a broader entertainment franchise.
AI Carousels Will Flood Feeds With Identical Content
Honestly... I am not actually all that worried about the quality of these AI-generated carousels, I am worried about the quantity. Some AI carousels are going to be genuinely good. The issue is that hundreds of them are going to...
Somali Influencer Drives $310 M Cross‑Border E‑Commerce Surge From China’s Hubei Hub
Somali influencer Mohamed Issa Omar, CEO of Ezhou Shahai Business Bridge Trading, has turned Ezhou’s pilot zone into a $310 million cross‑border e‑commerce engine, selling AI‑powered glasses to a global audience. His live‑stream model, backed by China’s cargo infrastructure, showcases how...
Generative AI Tools for Marketing in 2026: From Standalone Apps to Agentic Workflows
The 2026 Martech landscape now hosts over 15,000 AI‑enhanced tools, moving from simple assistants to autonomous agents that can make decisions and act. A new Model Context Protocol (MCP), adopted by OpenAI, Google DeepMind and dozens of vendors, provides a...
Consultwebs Forecasts 2026 Digital Marketing Shift: GEO, E‑E‑A‑T and AI‑Driven Search Volatility
Consultwebs released its 2026 Digital Marketing Forecast, warning that Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI‑driven search will make “zero‑click” prompts the norm. The report urges law firms and broader marketers to double down on E‑E‑A‑T, first‑party data and human‑centric content...
Reached 1,000 YouTube Subscribers, Expanding Multi‑Channel AI Sales Content
We did it - crossed 1,000 subscribers on YouTube. Began video content on YT for the first time to start 2025. With a goal of extending beyond X and LinkedIn to be more multi-channel. Dropping more gold on how to use...
How I Do Content Engineering with Claude Code
In April 2026 Ryan from Ahrefs detailed a new content‑engineering workflow that uses Anthropic's Claude Code together with 23 custom skill files to turn a keyword idea into a publish‑ready draft in six to twelve minutes. The system has already produced...
Marketing Must Mirror Real, Non‑Linear Human Journeys
Founder to founder: Your marketing needs to be built for real human behavior. Specifically, the behavior of the humans you serve. Your audience doesn’t move through your funnel in a straight line. They bounce around. They might find you on Instagram, then read a blog...
SARAL
SARAL positions itself as an InfluencerOS for DTC eCommerce, unifying discovery, outreach, affiliate tracking and content management into a single platform. Brands using SARAL reported an average $2.1 million incremental revenue and a 7.68× ROAS last year. Quarterly pricing ranges from...
Barry Diller’s IAC to Change Name to ‘People Incorporated,’ Plans to Lay Off 77 Staffers in Consolidation of Corporate Functions
Barry Diller’s IAC announced it will rename itself People Incorporated by its Q2 earnings in August, reflecting a strategic focus on its People publishing portfolio and its growing stake in MGM Resorts. The rebrand follows a consolidation plan that will...
Ownable Ideas Come From Answering Five Strategic Questions
“How do I find my ownable idea?” The question I’ve been asked 146 times Here’s the answer: The top paid experts don’t just share ideas—they own one. An ownable idea is the strategic territory you claim and become known for. To find yours, answer...
Google Warns SEO Prompt Injection as Emerging Manipulation Threat
Google just published a study about indirect prompt injection. Important for SEOs and site owners to understand -> Google Says Prompt Injection Moving From Theory Into Real Abuse From @btabke: "This is the AI-era cousin of hidden text, doorway tactics, comment...
Metaprofile Rolls Out metaADS For Scene-Level Contextual Ad Targeting In CTV
Metaprofile has launched metaADS, an AI-driven contextual ad placement engine that scans dialogue and narrative structure to identify high‑value ad moments at the scene level in film and TV content. The platform delivers scene‑level metadata—including emotional tone, narrative significance and...
Back‑Button Vignette Ads Risk Google Spam Penalty
So, I've had some people ping me about an interesting 'back button hijacking' situation wondering how Google will treat it. Vignette Ads, which most people hate with a passion, include additional triggers that a site owner can activate. One trigger...
Sharp Positioning Excludes to Create Urgency, Not Broad Appeal
Positioning is not a tagline. It's a decision. Sharp positioning feels risky because it excludes people. That's the point. Broad positioning creates mild interest. Sharp positioning creates urgency. Choose who you're for. Accept that some people aren't.
Freepik Rebrands as Magnific, Unifying Its AI Creative Stack as Enterprise and “No-Collar” Growth Accelerates
Freepik has rebranded as Magnific, positioning itself as a unified AI‑powered creative platform. The company now reports $200 million in annual recurring revenue and over 1 million paid subscribers, with more than 250 enterprise clients such as BBC and DeliveryHero using its...
What A Lead Generation Conference Taught Me About Fixing Ad Ops
eHealth, an online insurance marketplace, transformed its lead‑generation model by moving from a single‑transaction focus to a lifetime‑value approach, assigning each customer a primary advisor and tracking renewals, add‑ons, and retention. This strategic shift lifted the company from near‑$100 million annual...
New to PPC? 7 Tips to Build Skills and Confidence Fast
The article offers seven practical tips for newcomers to pay‑per‑click (PPC) management, emphasizing curiosity, community learning, and balanced use of AI. It warns against over‑reliance on platform certifications and the allure of every new feature, urging marketers to focus on...
Paris Hilton and McCormick Are Dropping a Product Range Targeting Millennials
Paris Hilton’s media firm 11:11 Media is deepening its partnership with spice giant McCormick by co‑creating a limited‑edition seasoning line slated for a February 2027 release. The collection, revealed at a Miami event on April 28, spans mixes for meals,...
Why SEO Should Be Part of Every Physical Retailer’s Omnichannel Strategy
Physical retailers can no longer rely on street‑level foot traffic alone; modern shoppers begin their buying journey online, using search to locate and evaluate stores. In 2026, the line between e‑commerce and brick‑and‑mortar has vanished, making SEO the gateway that...
Washington Post Joins News Aggregation App Cafeyn in Bid for Global Growth
The Washington Post is expanding its international reach by joining the news‑aggregation platform Cafén. Cafén, which runs the Cafén and Readly apps, already serves over 2.5 million users across Europe, North America and other regions. The partnership adds The Post to...
Google Sends Warning Notices On Back Button Hijacking Spam Penalty
Google has begun sending warning emails through Search Console to sites suspected of back‑button hijacking, a practice that interferes with users’ browser navigation. The new spam policy gives site owners until June 15, 2026 to remove such behavior, after which manual or...
Absolut: Getting People Talking About Vodka Again
Absolut Vodka’s global VP of marketing, Craig van Niekerk, says the brand is tackling vodka’s stagnant image with a three‑year partnership with Tabasco sauce, positioning the spicy variant as a flagship innovation. The company will leverage the Tabasco line into ready‑to‑drink...
Debunking the Myth That Retailers Have a Demand Problem in Retail Media
Retail media growth isn’t hampered by a lack of advertisers; it’s limited by weak sales execution. Most ad spend comes from existing endemic brands, so retailers must convert those supplier relationships into media revenue. Integrating trade and media teams creates...
Google Shopping Ads Tests Pricing In Superscript
Google is piloting a new typographic treatment for the cents portion of product prices in its Shopping Ads, displaying the cents in superscript (e.g., $99.99 becomes $99⁹⁹). The test was first identified by analyst Sachin Patel, who shared screenshots on...
![15 Best B2B Intent Data Providers [2026]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.cognism.com/hubfs/2026%20Blog%20Images%20(SEO)/Intent%20data%20providers/intent-data-providers-featured-banner.png)
15 Best B2B Intent Data Providers [2026]
The article ranks the 15 leading B2B intent data providers for 2026, grouping them by coverage type—broad third‑party networks, first‑party website tracking, review‑based high‑intent sources, marketplace aggregators, and hybrid intent‑plus‑contact platforms. It highlights key players such as Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase,...
Yellow Panther Solves ‘Tech Bloat’ for Sports and Entertainment Brands with New All-in-One Digital Ecosystem
Yellow Panther, a digital product agency for sports and entertainment, launched a cloud‑native, API‑first ecosystem that unifies content management, digital asset handling, fan engagement, and single sign‑on. The suite—named HUNT, VAULT, ROAR and TRAIL—offers AI‑driven translation, face‑detection tagging, multi‑channel messaging...
The Brave New World of AI Marketing – Rebecca Sykes, Brandtech
Brandtech partner Rebecca Sykes discussed on the UKTN podcast how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing. The firm’s AI platform acts as a “nervous system,” linking cultural signals, media performance and sales data to generate content at scale. While AI‑generated creative...
AdMarketplace Is Piloting Performance Ads In AI Chat
adMarketplace has launched the beta version of AI Discover, a performance‑ad product that inserts sponsored placements directly into AI chat conversations. During a six‑month alpha with Opera’s AI assistant, the system delivered over 2 million ads across roughly 700,000 queries, revealing...
AdMarketplace Is Piloting Performance Ads In AI Chat
adMarketplace has launched the beta version of AI Discover, a performance‑ad product that inserts sponsored placements directly into AI chat conversations. The pilot builds on a six‑month alpha with Opera’s AI assistant Aria, during which more than 2 million ads were...
T-Life (T-Mobile Tuesday): Free Snack At 7-Eleven, Free Mother’s Day Card & More
T‑Mobile’s weekly T‑Life (T‑Mobile Tuesday) promotion launched on April 28, offering a free snack at 7‑Eleven/Speedway and a complimentary Mother’s Day Ink Card for eligible customers. The offers are claimable from 5 a.m. ET on April 28 until the end of April 29, with...
Add Organization and WebSite Schema for AI‑search SEO
Google recently reminded SEOs of the importance of structured data when it comes to AI Search – here's my take: We all know that structured data is important for SEO more generally, but there are some common aspects that are missed,...
Four Key Lessons From Publishing 500 Weekly Blogs
As of today I've published 500 blog posts online, one per week since January 2017. Here are the 4 biggest lessons I've learned along the way: https://t.co/sKkXPVVlsh
Microsoft's Windows K2 Could Be Windows 11's Tipping Point, and Finally Deliver the Experience Users Expected: "When the Windows Brand...
Microsoft is rolling out a year‑long Windows K2 program to overhaul Windows 11’s performance, reliability, and user experience. The effort includes a redesigned, movable taskbar, a refreshed Start menu, and a recalibrated AI strategy that replaces Copilot in Notepad with new writing...
Google Warns Sites About New Back‑button Hijacking Penalty
Google sends warning notices on the new back button hijacking search spam penalty to those sites that have them https://t.co/11SLR9bebx via @glenngabe https://t.co/I7A91hKzD3
Target a Painful Audience, Not a Single Product
Everyone is obsessed with finding a 'winning product'. Wrong focus. Find a winning *audience*. An audience with a painful problem. Then you can sell them 10 different products over a decade.
Why Xbox’s Radical Project Helix Shift Changes Console Gaming Forever
Xbox’s new head, Asha Sharma, has rebranded the division back to Xbox Gaming and launched Project Helix, a hybrid console‑PC platform designed to unify the gaming experience. The strategy couples timed exclusivity with an expanded Game Pass and cloud‑gaming push,...
Traffic without Conversions Is Just Content for Its Own Sake
A client insisted on going after a keyword I wasn't interested in. They liked the volume. We hit 1M clicks/mo. Got 14 sign-ups. LOL. Every page you publish should have one job: move someone closer to buying. If it doesn't, it's just content for content's...
Short Videos Inspire Donors, Drive Results
Short-form video has become a must‑have tool for nonprofit fundraising, delivering roughly 2.5 times more engagement than longer content. Platforms such as Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts let organizations showcase impact in under‑minute clips, overcoming the sector’s modest 0.6 % average...
TikTok Is Now the #1 Platform for Beauty Influencer Marketing
TikTok has overtaken Instagram as the top platform for beauty influencer marketing, generating more than $18 billion in earned media value (EMV). The short‑form video format fuels high‑volume, authentic content that scales quickly, while Instagram’s value now hinges on specific formats...
McKinsey Forecasts Agentic AI Could Run Two‑thirds of Marketing Tasks, Lift Revenue 10‑30%
McKinsey predicts that agentic AI will power as much as two‑thirds of marketing activities and could add 10‑30% to company revenue. The consultancy says the technology will shift marketers from isolated generative‑AI pilots to a unified, real‑time growth engine, demanding...
Self-Made Multimillionaire Emma Grede Says She Was ‘Using AI Like a 42-Year-Old Woman’—Until Mark Cuban Gave Her a Wake-Up Call
Emma Grede, co‑founder of Skims and CEO of Good American, revealed that a conversation with Mark Cuban sparked a personal AI wake‑up call. Although she had previously incentivized staff with cash bonuses to use AI, she admits she was still...
SAS Adds Agentic AI at SAS Innovate
At SAS Innovate in Grapevine, Texas, SAS unveiled a suite of agentic AI tools across its portfolio. The rollout adds specialized AI agents to SAS Customer Intelligence 360, a family of Copilot assistants and an acceleration framework to SAS Viya,...
Plucky Antarctic Explorers Push on with Fridge Raiders
Pilgrim’s Europe‑owned snack brand Fridge Raiders has rolled out a new "Chicken for the Road?" campaign featuring hapless Antarctic explorers battling blizzards and mishaps. The integrated effort spans TV, VOD platforms such as ITVX and Netflix, out‑of‑home billboards, and guerrilla...
Netflix Expands Ad‑supported Tier, CPMs Fall to $20s, Ad Revenue up 16%
Netflix has rolled out a broader ad‑supported subscription tier, cutting CPMs to the low $20s and prompting a 16.2% jump in quarterly revenue to $12.25 bn. The move signals the streamer’s shift from experimental ad sales to a core revenue pillar.
Beauty Ad Rewind: Inside Lynx’s Humorous Marketing and Why It Is Still Effective Today
Lynx, the Unilever‑owned deodorant brand known as Axe outside the UK, has built its reputation on humor‑driven advertising since its 1996 Jennifer Aniston spot. Iconic campaigns like Fallen Angels and Chocolate Man used absurd, memorable visuals to reinforce the brand’s...
Apple Names Its First Foldable iPhone Ultra, Targeting Premium Market
Apple has confirmed that its first foldable device will be marketed as the iPhone Ultra, a premium model slated for release a few weeks after the September iPhone Pro launch. The Ultra moniker signals top‑tier specs, a $2,000+ price, and...
VIOOH Expands Programmatic DOOH Reach Across Brazil’s Major Cities With We OOH Partnership
VIOOH, the global premium DOOH supply‑side platform, has partnered with Brazil’s We OOH to bring programmatic access to its extensive digital billboard network. The deal unlocks 320 screens that generate more than 1.3 billion monthly impressions, roughly 5% of the country’s...
The Doom-Scroll Drama: France.tv Swipes Up on Its First Vertical Series
France.tv has debuted its first vertical series, a 20‑part micro‑drama titled “P*tain de soirée.” Each episode runs about three minutes and was filmed exclusively in a 9/16 portrait format to suit smartphone screens. Produced by La Méridienne and directed by...
One Billion Views and Counting: How Digital Publisher 'Brut' Is Rethinking Cannes for Gen Z
Since 2022, digital‑first outlet Brut has been the official producer and broadcaster of Cannes Film Festival’s online coverage, turning the traditionally elite event into a billion‑view digital experience. By repurposing red‑carpet moments into short‑form videos optimized for TikTok, Instagram Reels...