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.
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 conversation. AI‑driven vendor discovery now pulls signals from LinkedIn content, amplifying the impact of credible voices. Marketers are advised to institutionalize an always‑on publishing system that blends internal authority with selective external creators.
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...
Team Liquid, Shikenso Extend Partnership for Five Years
Team Liquid has renewed its five‑year partnership with AI‑driven sponsorship analytics firm Shikensow, keeping the platform in place to track and measure sponsor exposure across streams, broadcasts, and social media. The agreement, whose financial terms were not disclosed, underscores Team...
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...
Particular Audience Launches PA DiscoveryOS App on Shopify – Signalling a New Era of Accessible Enterprise AI for Merchants
Particular Audience has launched the PA DiscoveryOS app on the Shopify App Store, delivering enterprise‑grade AI search, personalization, and retail‑media tools through a zero‑code, app‑based integration. The solution lets Shopify Plus merchants activate sophisticated AI infrastructure overnight, eliminating the need...
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...
Going Global? Contextual AI Needs To Be Your Strategy
US and UK brands expanding globally often rely on accidental attention, but contextual AI is essential. Eskimi’s research shows AI‑driven contextual targeting lifts attention per mille by 74% and reaches a 95% brand‑safety score, far above standard display and keyword...
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...
Snickers Extends ‘Hungry’ Platform Around Peanut Butter Products
Mars’s Snickers brand rolled out a new "Stuck" campaign spotlighting its Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Ice Cream lines, emphasizing the products' creamy‑crunchy texture. Developed by BBDO New York, the ads run across TV and major social platforms. Simultaneously, Snickers...
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...
Every Brand Needs An Enemy
The article argues that brands should pick a single, strategically chosen competitor as an “enemy” to sharpen focus and drive actionable plans. By zeroing in on a rival that is larger yet attainable, companies can translate competitive insights into concrete...
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...
The Power of Creator and Brand Collaboration Put to the Test
At SMW 2026, Inmar Media’s Heather Riccobono demonstrated that creator‑led branded content can double sales lift, challenging the brand‑vs‑creator dichotomy. In a live 25‑minute UGC experiment, creator Hannah Lorsch shot and edited a dog‑tug‑toy photo with input from the audience...
‘Fastvertising’ Puts Real-Time Cultural Moments in Every Marketer’s Hands
Fastvertising leverages AI to let brands produce ads in minutes, matching the pace of viral cultural moments. The concept was highlighted by Fraser Woollard of MNTN, who cited a Nutella‑in‑zero‑gravity spot during the Artemis II mission as a real‑time win. AI...
Bringing Brands and Creators Together in the Participation Economy
The creator economy is evolving from passive followers to a participation economy where brands co‑create with creators and communities. At Social Media Week, Publicis Creative’s Charlotte Tansill and Sam’s Club’s MacKenzie McCarver highlighted the need for brands to listen, align...
Behind the Celebrity Spirits: People, Stories & Strategy
At ProWein 2026, a panel of celebrity‑spirit founders discussed the shifting trade perception of celebrity‑backed alcohol brands. Participants from Brother’s Bond Bourbon, Wolfie’s Gin and James Gin noted that buyers now view such products more skeptically, seeing them as gimmicks...
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...
Reach US Reinvents Itself for Video, Social After Stunning Traffic Drop
Reach PLC’s U.S. operation saw a sudden 30% traffic loss after Google Search and Discover algorithm changes, prompting a rapid shift away from reliance on its own site. The company redirected resources to social and syndication platforms—Facebook, MSN, Yahoo News,...
The Problem with Influencers No One Seems to Talk About
The post argues that the influencer economy is a cultural virus that spreads misinformation, unrealistic wealth promises, and radical ideas, eroding critical thinking across platforms like LinkedIn, Substack, and TikTok. It highlights how many influencers lack real credentials, using sensational...
Content Marketing Jobs Are Splitting in Two: Semrush
Semrush’s analysis of 8,000 U.S. content marketing job listings reveals a clear bifurcation of the role spectrum. Execution‑focused creator positions now account for about one‑third of openings, while senior leadership titles such as Head of Content have surged by more...
Creative Testing Beats Secret Algorithms for Scaling Success
I've hired 20+ media buyers. Here's the pattern: The ones who talked about 'secret algorithms' and 'growth hacks' were useless. The ones who talked about 'creative testing' and 'offer construction' scaled accounts. Your guru's secret sauce is a myth. Fundamentals...
Groas Introduces a Fully Autonomous Approach to Google Ads Management by Groas
Groas unveiled a fully autonomous AI‑driven platform that handles every step of Google Ads management, from campaign creation to dynamic landing‑page testing, without human intervention. The system relies on a distributed network of specialized agents that process over 100,000 data...
Heinz Kicks Off NFL Deal by Inducting 57th Draft Pick Into New Club
Heinz has become the NFL’s inaugural global condiment partner, launching a city‑wide out‑of‑home campaign in Pittsburgh for the 2026 Draft. The effort features more than 150 billboards, a “Taste of Pittsburgh” pop‑up, and a partnership with Hall of Famer Devin Hester,...
Clipper Teas Selects Who Wot Why to Develop Global Brand Platform
Clipper Teas, the UK‑based organic tea brand, has appointed the creative agency Who Wot Why to build its new global brand platform. The decision came after a competitive pitch process that saw several agencies vie for the work. The new...
Smoothie King to Add Flatbreads, High-Protein Food Items
Smoothie King announced a brand‑evolution plan that adds flatbreads and high‑protein food items to its menu, with rollout slated for the summer. The company will install ovens across its system at no cost to existing franchisees to support the new...
First Customers Arise From Targeted Conversations, Not Mass Outreach
First customers almost never come from broad distribution. They come from very specific conversations with very specific people who have the exact problem you solve right now.
Scale to 20 AI‑driven Articles for Traffic
Watching your organic traffic drop 40% after the latest Google update because you're still doing SEO like it's 2019 while everyone else adapted their AI workflows months ago What you need to do? Compete on volume Forget about 4 articles a month Go...
American Golf Launches New Campaign as UK Golf Interest Surges
American Golf has rolled out the "We’re Obsessed Too" brand campaign to ride a wave of rising golf interest across the UK. Glimpse data shows beginner‑course searches jumped 551% year‑on‑year and "beginner golf" queries rose 36% in the last month,...
Capcom’s Pragmata Sells 1 Million Copies in Two Days, Defying New‑IP Odds
Capcom announced that its brand‑new IP Pragmata moved more than 1 million units worldwide within the first 48 hours of launch. The rapid uptake follows a demo‑first campaign, early Switch 2 support and a four‑year, three‑delay development cycle, underscoring how strategic marketing can...
Nike Pulls "Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated" Ad After Runner Backlash
Nike withdrew a Boston Marathon window sign that read "Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated" after a wave of criticism from the running community. The incident highlights a misstep in a segment that has driven a 20% revenue rise but comes as...
5 Ways Apple’s Marketing Evolved in the Tim Cook Era
When Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple’s CEO in 2011, many doubted his ability to sustain the brand’s iconic advertising legacy. While Jobs relied heavily on Lee Clow and TBWA Media Arts Lab for bold, product‑centric ads, Cook’s tenure has steered...
Email ROI Claims Meet a More Complicated Reality
Email marketing is still praised for high returns, but Mailgun’s survey of 1,200 senders shows only 13% of campaigns achieve the famed $40‑for‑$1 ROI. While 60‑62% of respondents who measure claim ten‑fold returns, less than half can actually calculate ROI,...
Birla Opus Paints Brings ‘Main Bhi’ to IPL 2026, Combining Star Power and Product Performance
Birla Opus Paints has launched a high‑impact "Main Bhi" campaign for IPL 2026, featuring ten prominent cricketers across four language‑specific films. The ads weave product narratives—such as a 16‑year exterior paint warranty, scratch‑resistant wood paint, and 99+ stain protection—into relatable...
Pumpkin Appoints Chief to Drive Transformation Strategy
Pumpkin, a B2B media relations agency, has hired former Interbrand executive Joe Stubbs as its first chief strategy and transformation officer. Reporting to founder‑CEO Sarah Owen, Stubbs will steer Pumpkin’s evolution into an integrated content, communications and reputation consultancy. The...
AI Is The New Ad Space
Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights, argues that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews, and retail assistants constitute a new media environment rather than just efficiency enhancers. She calls this “AI media,” where users can...
AI Is The New Ad Space
Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights, will keynote AdExchanger’s Programmatic AI conference in Las Vegas (May 18‑20). She argues that AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and retail assistants constitute a new media environment—“AI media”—that can guide consumers from query to...