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.
MCS Gearup Leverages Quality, Value and Service to Accelerate Expansion
MCS Gearup is scaling its tactical‑gear business by pairing below‑MSRP pricing with a robust service promise. The company’s curated product line, weekly promotions and 30‑day guarantee are fueling growth beyond Bonita Springs and positioning it as a trusted partner for both consumers and wholesale buyers.
Douglas Salinas Webster Positions Consultancy to Turn Vision Into Measurable Growth
Douglas Salinas Webster is promoting his San Francisco‑based firm, Webster Marketing Solutions, as a partner that converts strategic vision into quantifiable market results. Drawing on fifteen years at top consultancies and work with Fortune 500 firms, he offers a disciplined,...
AI Will First Dominate Insights, Content; Humans Keep Strategy
Which aspects of brand social media do you think get taken over by Agentic AI first versus the parts that cling to 💯 human? 🔘 Insights + measurement 🔘 Social strategy 🔘 Content creation 🔘 Channel management 🔘 Influencer management 🔘 Community engagement
Overstock.com Boosts Data Science Velocity 500% to Power Hyper‑Personalized Shopping
In a recent interview, Craig Kelly, group product manager at Overstock.com, detailed how the retailer amplified data‑science velocity by more than 500%, halved the cost of moving models to production and now launches new models five times faster. The changes...
GetHookd Unveils Tiered Plans to Democratize AI‑Generated Facebook Ads
GetHookd announced tiered subscription plans that give small and medium‑sized businesses access to its AI‑powered Facebook ad generation platform. The pricing shift aims to lower entry barriers while the company touts performance gains of 50% higher ad profitability and 24%...
Understanding Negative CAC
The post introduces "negative CAC," where a business earns profit during the acquisition phase instead of paying for it. By replacing cold‑traffic ads ($85 per lead, 7% close rate) with $2,000 ticketed workshops, the company generated $1,100 net per attendee...
7 Best Cold Email Outreach Agencies to Book More B2B Meetings in 2026
The article lists the seven cold‑email outreach agencies that are delivering qualified B2B meetings in 2026, targeting companies with $500 K‑$10 M revenue and a defined ICP. It outlines each agency’s niche— from OutreachBloom’s combined cold‑email and AISEO service to Nerdy Joe’s fully...
How SaaS Onboarding Emails Can Achieve Higher Open Rates Through Brand Authentication
SaaS companies can boost onboarding email open rates by ensuring brand authentication. Proper SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup and BIMI logo verification improve inbox placement and sender recognition. Consistent sender identity and visual branding further reinforce trust, leading to 40‑55% open...
Brand Voice Enforcement Still Predominantly Built In‑House
Quick reader's guide to one of the charts in our upcoming State of Martech 2026 report. This is Build vs. Buy for the Content & Experience category with 15 use cases. The full report covers ~70 AI use cases mapped...
How This Solo Founder Bootstrapped 5 AI Products to 1M+ / Month | Tibo Louis-Lucas
Tibo Louis‑Lucas, a solo founder, has bootstrapped five AI products that now generate more than $1 million in monthly recurring revenue, with his flagship Revid contributing over $600 K per month. In a recent interview he outlines a five‑rule playbook: charge customers...
Restructure Offers, Boost Profit 2.6× without Extra Spend
. A few days ago, I reviewed a business that looked “successful” (Info Product Brand) $750K/month… but profit inconsistent, margins volatile “We’re scaling revenue… but not keeping enough” The leak sat in backend monetization + pricing layers We restructured offers + maximized LTV In 90 days:...
Audemars Piguet Launches Immersive AP Lab in Geneva Until June 28
Audemars Piguet has opened the AP Lab at Pont de la Machine in central Geneva, offering visitors an interactive journey through watchmaking until June 28. The space, unveiled at Watches and Wonders, reflects the brand’s push toward immersive retail concepts...
$100,000 Unlocks Sam Altman Podcast, Signaling New Paywall Strategies
Jim Belosic, CEO of laser‑maker SendCutSend, paid $100,000 to journalist Ashlee Vance to release a locked interview with OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. The payment turned the episode public, added SendCutSend as a sponsor, and sparked debate over paywalled...
YouTube Embeds Creator Partnerships Into Google Ads, Merging Influencer and Performance Media
YouTube announced that its Creator Partnerships suite is now built directly into Google Ads and Display & Video 360, allowing advertisers to discover, commission, and measure creator‑driven content alongside traditional performance campaigns. The move, unveiled at YouTube NewFronts, aims to...
Small Businesses Revive Direct Mail to Counter Rising Digital Ad Costs
Facing a 13% year‑over‑year rise in cost‑per‑click for 87% of industries, small businesses are turning to direct mail, which 84% of marketers rate as the highest‑ROI channel. The shift creates new white‑space opportunities as USPS marketing mail volumes fell 28%...
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads to Logged‑Out Users as Ad Tech Races to Deploy AI Agents
OpenAI began serving ads on ChatGPT to users who are not logged in, enlarging its addressable inventory and driving CPMs down to $25. At the same time, The Trade Desk introduced Koa Agents, its first in‑platform AI workflow assistant, intensifying...
The Cost of Being Different
Bozoma Saint John argues that embracing personal difference and authentic self‑promotion, though costly in scrutiny and effort, yields long‑term career dividends. She recounts how bold visibility at Pepsi, Apple Music, and beyond secured high‑profile roles and media opportunities. The piece...
10 Hard‑Earned Lessons to Acceler
I've generated over $15,000,000 from digital products. But if I was to start over? I would do SO MANY things differently. Here are 10 of the biggest lessons I've learned in the last 5 years (so you can make more money faster from...
Automate Statistically Valid A/B Tests with Open‑Source Skill
I built a skill that designs statistically valid A/B tests and builds growth experimentation programs — hypothesis frameworks, sample size calculations, metrics selection, ICE prioritization, and experiment velocity tracking. You describe what you want to test, and it structures everything: a...
At 55, Email Is Vital for Marketers
Email celebrated its 55th anniversary, yet it remains a cornerstone for ecommerce marketers as one of the few truly owned media channels. In an AI‑driven landscape where social and search algorithms dominate, email offers a direct, controllable line to customers....
Google AI Tests Auto Catalog & Site Builder for SMBs
Wix and Squarespace should take note -> Google tests Catalog (for ecommerce) and Website generation for Pomelli Experiment Catalog: "Two further capabilities now appear to be taking shape. The first, referred to as Catalog, would let merchants point Pomelli at a...
Ten Conversations Reveal More Than a Year’s Research
The most powerful market research tool costs nothing. It's a conversation. Ask about the problem — not the solution. Ask what they've tried. Ask what it costs when the problem doesn't get solved. Then listen. Take notes on their exact language —...
The Fully Non-Human Web: No One Builds The Page, No One Visits It via @Sejournal, @Slobodanmanic
In January 2026 Google secured patent US12536233B1, enabling it to score landing pages on conversion, bounce and design quality and automatically replace under‑performing pages with AI‑generated, hyper‑personalized versions. Simultaneously, AI agents are now handling the majority of web interactions, with...
MKBHD and Mrwhosetheboss Say Tech Companies Are “Basically Lying” To Consumers in New Video
Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) and Arun Maini (Mrwhosetheboss) released a joint video titled “How Tech Companies Lie to You,” exposing common marketing tricks that inflate product specs. They highlight the “up to” disclaimer, the “imaginary spec” that pairs premium performance with base‑model pricing,...
LinkedIn Articles Power 60% of AI Search Visibility
Some research shows LinkedIn is the most cited domain for professional queries in AI search. 📊 According to LinkedIn, long-form articles drive that—accounting for 60% of its AI visibility, with posts making up the remaining 40%. It also published a guide on...
EBay Is Piloting a Host-Matching Program Letting Sellers Hand Off Livestreaming to Third-Party Hosts to Scale Its Live Commerce Push
eBay announced a streaming‑as‑a‑service pilot that will match sellers who prefer not to appear on camera with third‑party livestream hosts. The program is slated to launch within six to eight weeks, letting sellers focus on inventory while hosts handle the...
TruGen AI Deploys Clara, Autonomous AI SDR Promising 10x Conversion Boost
TruGen AI unveiled Clara, a fully autonomous AI Sales Development Representative that works round the clock to qualify leads, demo products and book meetings. Early adopters report conversion rates up to ten times higher than traditional web forms, a claim...
AI‑Generated Avatars Open the Door for New Influencers
A surge of AI‑generated avatars is turning everyday users into social‑media influencers. With tools that cost a fraction of traditional production, creators are building virtual personas that attract brands, while raising questions about authenticity and market dynamics.
Hyundai Department Store's Curation Strategy Drives 843% Online Growth and 120% Offline Sales
Hyundai Department Store's "curation" approach has sparked a surge in both its online platform The Hyundai Hi and its offline gift‑focused store The Hyundai Gift, adding 140,000 new members and hitting 120% of sales targets within weeks. The results signal...
Rick Vanzura Joins GrowthFactor to Lead Revenue as AI Retail Expansion Gains $5M Funding
Rick Vanzura, the ex‑CEO of Wahlburgers, has been hired as the revenue leader of Cambridge‑based GrowthFactor, an AI platform that advises retailers on store locations. The hire coincides with a fresh $5 million venture round from Teamworthy Ventures and Red Forest...
MediaMint Adds Global CMO Veteran Amanda St. L. Jobbins as Board Advisor
MediaMint announced the appointment of former Vodafone Business Group Chief Commercial Director and global CMO Amanda St. L. Jobbins as a board advisor. The move brings decades of enterprise marketing leadership to the company as it expands its Services‑as‑Software platform...
Meta Tests Paid WhatsApp Plus Subscription, Eyeing New Revenue From Messaging
Meta has begun a limited rollout of WhatsApp Plus, a paid tier priced at €2.49 (about $2.70) per month that adds customization and organization tools. The move marks the first step toward monetising a service that has long been free,...
Youtility Secures $4.2 M Seed Funding to Power Demographic‑Free Behavioral AI Targeting
Youtility Decision Science announced a $4.2 million seed round led by Silver Falcon Capital, Fyllo and National Media. The funding will accelerate its behavioral AI platform that replaces traditional demographic segments with real‑time decision‑state modeling, a shift that could upend how...
Amazon Shifts Ad Fees to Proceeds First, Sparking B2B Seller Backlash
Amazon announced it will start deducting advertising fees from sellers' retail proceeds before credit‑card billing, a change delayed to Aug. 1 2026 and accompanied by a $2,500 promotional credit. The move has ignited a wave of criticism from B2B sellers who say...
3 Part Claude Framework That Completely Transforms Marketing Workflows
Grace Leung outlines a three‑part Claude framework that restructures marketing workflows using Claude Design and Claude Skills. The approach categorizes automation tasks into Brand Skills, Functional Skills, and Specialty Skills, creating a clear hierarchy for consistency and efficiency. By building...
Burger King Takes Aim at France’s Sunday Family Meal Ritual in New Campaign
Burger King France launched a new campaign to promote its chicken box by targeting the country’s iconic Sunday family meal. Created with agency Buzzman, the two‑film spot shows families humorously abandoning the traditional roast‑chicken ritual for the fast‑food offering. Directed...
AI Overview CTR Fell 61%, But Clicks Didn’t Collapse via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Seer Interactive’s analysis of 5.47 million queries across 53 brands shows AI Overview click‑through rates (CTR) fell 61% from Q3 to Q4, driven by a surge in impressions rather than a collapse in clicks. September’s 2.52% CTR dropped to 1.21% in...
AdRoll and PubMatic Deploy AI‑Driven Supply‑Side Diagnostics via Model Context Protocol
AdRoll and PubMatic announced on April 23, 2026 an integration that lets AI agents on the demand side query PubMatic’s supply‑side diagnostics through the Model Context Protocol. The move promises to cut troubleshooting time from days to minutes, marking one...
TikTok CEO Shou Chew’s Congressional Testimony Triggers Viral TikTok Reactions
TikTok chief Shou Chew appeared before Congress for a marathon five‑hour hearing, fielding questions about data access and a potential nationwide ban. The session ignited a wave of TikTok‑generated clips, one of which racked up over 330,000 views in three...
E.l.f. Brands Appoints Oshiya Savur as CMO and Promotes Kory Marchisotto to President
e.l.f. Brands announced that Oshiya Savur will serve as its new chief marketing officer while Kory Marchisotto has been promoted to president. The reshuffle, part of a broader leadership overhaul, aims to reinforce the company's marketing, technology and brand capabilities...
Genius Sports Names Tony Marlow CMO to Drive Global Brand and Data‑Driven Marketing
Genius Sports announced Tony Marlow as its new chief marketing officer on April 9, tasking him with overseeing global communications, brand strategy and marketing operations. Marlow brings experience from LG Ad Solutions, Integral Ad Science, Data Axle and Yahoo, positioning...
Telegram Bots Take On Celebrity Social Media Management
Telegram's bot ecosystem is now handling thousands of fan interactions for high‑profile creators, allowing them to automate onboarding, payments and routine queries. Tools like InviteMember and SUCH are turning bots into core infrastructure, while human managers shift toward strategy and...
Validate Before Building: 5‑Step Process Proven by $10M Sales
After $10M+ in digital product sales, we’ve landed on a 5-step validation process we use every single time we create something new. And it all happens before we build a single product. Here are the steps: 1. Pick One Problem For One Person 2....
Your Website Is the First Trust Test
I ran Kaiser’s public site through https://t.co/f9IW600hsB. Healthcare example. Every exec should care. Your website is not “just a website” anymore. It is the first meeting. The first pitch. The first trust test. The first reason someone stays — or leaves. Pretty is nice. Clear is money.
One‑Click Post‑Purchase Upsell Can Add $500K
True Classic added $500k in revenue with a simple post-purchase upsell. No extra traffic needed. Meanwhile you're sending customers to a generic thank you page instead of offering a one-click upsell. That's the gap.
Map Topics First, Then Scale Content for Growth
Stop publishing 4 blog posts a month and praying they'll rank. Build the topical map first. Then ship 100 pages around 3-4 pillars in a quarter. Most of my clients grow out off a structure that compounds. Volume without it doesn't.
Affinity Bridges Brand and Demand for Sales Success
The Affinity Advantage: Bridging the Gap Between Brand and Demand by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/PsZtzMt7s4 @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Salesforce #Marketing #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #MarketingSuccess https://t.co/anPeCwxljD
Adobe Aims to Control New Content Supply Chain Layer
The Content Supply Chain Has an Operating Layer Now. Adobe Wants to Own It. https://t.co/GIONAfdDsc
Upsells Boost CLV More than Cost Cuts
It is a lot easier to increase customer lifetime value by adding upsells than it is to reduce costs.
Make Your Brand Show Up in AI Answers
Your Brand Is Already in the AI Answers. The Question Is Whether You Put It There https://t.co/b6hWTh7m8M