Advocacy vs Advertorial: Brands on Bringing ‘Storytelling’ to Influencer Gifting
Influencer gifting remains common, yet its impact is waning as audiences detect inauthenticity. A Socially Powerful survey shows 93% of marketers send free products, but only 19% receive genuine advocacy and 35% blame creator fatigue for declining effectiveness. Brands such as Hair Syrup, Little Moons and Elemis are shifting toward storytelling‑driven experiences, community engagement, and educational events to revive relevance. These approaches are delivering higher organic posting rates and stronger brand‑health metrics, signaling a strategic pivot in creator marketing.
Canyon Bicycles Signs as Official Sponsor for the 2026 Hard MTB League
Canyon Bicycles has been announced as the Official Bike Partner for the 2026 season of the Hard MTB League. The collaboration aligns Canyon’s all‑terrain bike engineering with the league’s unique format that requires riders to master downhill, enduro, cross‑country and...
Cashfree Payments Celebrates Unique Business Journeys in New Campaign via Talented
Cashfree Payments, India’s leading payments gateway, has unveiled the “One of Your Kind” brand campaign, produced by Talented and At All Odds. The film showcases the distinct growth stories of partners such as BigBasket, Third Wave Coffee and Redbus, positioning...
Why Hourglass Swapped Mecca for Sephora and Embraced DTC
Hourglass Cosmetics has terminated its 16‑year exclusive partnership with Australian retailer Mecca, ending a relationship that began in 2010. Starting February 17, 2026, the brand launched its own Australian direct‑to‑consumer website and, nine days later, entered Sephora Australia’s stores without...
Royal Stag and FCB Neo Decode Rohit Sharma’s Success in ‘Code of Large’ Campaign
Royal Stag, in partnership with FCB Neo, launched the data‑driven "Royal Stag Code of Large" campaign featuring cricketer Rohit Sharma and mental‑conditioning coach Paddy Upton. The initiative uses an AI‑powered RS Code Finder that translates four success traits—Selfless, Driven, Fearless, Inspiring—into personalized video...
Walmart’s Vizio Acquisition Finally Opens Up Retail Advertising’s Growth
Walmart’s purchase of Vizio gives the retailer control of a smart‑TV operating system that blends content discovery, advertising, payments and commerce on the living‑room screen. The move transforms retail media from search‑based placements to first‑screen TV inventory, especially as 2026‑model...
The Leaf Creates Creator-Led Film for OPPO Find X9
The Leaf, a Bengaluru‑based agency, launched a short‑form film for OPPO showcasing the Find X9 through the day of a Gen Z creator. The narrative follows the creator’s multiple roles—from yoga to directing and late‑night art—using rapid cinematic cuts that mirror modern...
EXCLUSIVE: Max Parker Fronts Mytheresa’s Spring 2026 Menswear Ad Campaign
Mytheresa has launched its "Best of Spring" menswear ad campaign for Spring 2026, featuring British actor Max Parker as the face of the collection. The visuals, shot by Zoe Joubert in Spain’s Tabernas Desert, showcase luxury labels such as Prada, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta...
Behind NYT’s First Foray Into In-Game Advertising
New York Times has introduced Crossplay, its first two‑player word game that embeds ads directly within gameplay. The ad‑supported format targets non‑subscribing users, with six‑second mandatory video ads after each turn. JPMorgan Chase partnered for the launch, aiming at financially active, digitally savvy...
Behind NYT’s First Foray Into In-Game Advertising
The New York Times launched Crossplay, its first two‑player word game, as a standalone app that embeds ads directly within gameplay. The ad‑supported model applies to non‑subscribers, while a Games subscription removes the ads. JPMorgan Chase partnered on the launch, using...
Philippines Seeks to Retain South Korea as Leading Overseas Visitor Market
The Philippines is intensifying its tourism outreach to South Korea, its largest inbound market, by expanding joint campaigns with airlines, travel agencies, and digital advertising. The Department of Tourism is promoting flagship destinations such as Manila, Cebu, Bohol, Boracay and...
Why ‘Heartthrob Marketing’ Is Rising in Beauty
Beauty brands are swapping classic influencers for male "heartthrob" ambassadors, a trend highlighted by MAC Cosmetics’ recent Sephora launch featuring reality‑TV star Rob Rausch. Rausch’s Instagram post generated nearly 8 million impressions in three days and was amplified on a Times Square...
On TikTok Shop, a Brand for the Looksmaxxers Emerges
Based Bodyworks, a digitally native men’s grooming brand founded by influencer‑barber Lance Baker, has become a TikTok Shop sensation, posting roughly $5 million in U.S. sales in February and ranking fourth among beauty brands on the platform. The brand’s product line,...
OpenAI Is B Building the Ad Tech Stack It’s Currently Borrowing
OpenAI is rapidly assembling an internal advertising infrastructure, hiring engineers, product designers, and trust‑and‑safety staff to replace its current reliance on third‑party vendors. In the short term it is partnering with Criteo and The Trade Desk to bring advertisers into...
Every Man Jack Plots a 2026 Refresh as Men’s Personal Care Category Becomes More Saturated
Every Man Jack is positioning 2026 as a breakout year by launching a brand refresh that targets two distinct consumer personas—“Jack,” the seasoned grooming enthusiast, and “Jake,” the sustainability‑focused newcomer. The overhaul includes PET packaging for better recyclability, a sub‑$10...
Trio Of APAC IKEA Marketing Leaders To Speak At Cairns Crocodiles
Three senior IKEA marketers – Kirsten Hasler (Australia & New Zealand), Patrizia Rigassi (Japan) and Yuli Park (Korea) – will speak at the Cairns Crocodiles conference on May 14, presented by Pinterest. They will discuss how IKEA balances a unified global brand with...
Foxcatcher Unveils Agentic Workflows To ‘Drive Campaign Performance’
Foxcatcher has launched WorldView Atlas AI, an intelligence layer that embeds agentic workflows into its WorldView platform. The system semi‑automates campaign setup, execution, and reporting, freeing trading specialists to concentrate on strategic optimisation. By keeping humans in the decision loop,...
G Flip Reignites ‘All Fired Up’ for Paramount+ X AFC Women’s Asian Cup Campaign via Hello
Paramount+ and creative agency Hello have teamed with ARIA‑winning artist G Flip to relaunch Pat Benatar’s classic “All Fired Up” as the official anthem for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026. The reworked track will feature across Paramount+ live coverage, radio play, streaming platforms...
West Coast Eagles Unveils ‘All The Way West’ via Newly Appointed Agencies Carat WA + Hypnosis
West Coast Eagles has appointed Carat and Hypnosis as its agencies of record, launching the new brand platform "All The Way West" across broadcast, out‑of‑home, press and digital channels. The campaign spotlights fans and community members, positioning the "West" identity...
Arsenal F.C. Turns Corner Jokes Into Comedy in a Star-Studded App Ad
Arsenal F.C. turned the long‑standing corner‑kick joke into a star‑studded promotional film for its Arsenal App. The short comedy‑sketch features actors Asa Butterfield and Aaron Pierre alongside players like Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and women’s stars such as Kim Little. Legends David Seaman and...
‘Strategy without Pain Is Just Cosplay’: What BrewDog’s Decline Teaches Us About Marketing
BrewDog was sold to Tilray Brands, prompting the abrupt termination of 500 staff and closure of 38 pubs. The deal erased the value of the “Equity for Punks” scheme, leaving roughly £75 million invested by fans worthless. The article argues that...
Medium Rare Expands Into Live Events with Flybuys
Medium Rare has launched its first experiential offering, "The Remarkable Show," a live event for Flybuys that gathered 150 of the program’s most active members alongside creators and brand partners. The activation produced more than 200 pieces of content across...
ABC Launches ‘Most Trusted News’ Campaign via Leo – Just Don’t Mention the War
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has launched the "Keep Asking" campaign with Leo Australia, branding itself as the nation’s most trusted news source. The rollout follows a swift correction of an analysis piece that mistakenly claimed the United States bombed...
Snapchat Adds New Tools to Help Brands Tap Into India’s Cricket Season
Snapchat unveiled a Cricket in a Snap ad suite to let brands ride India’s cricket frenzy, featuring a Live Sports API, AR fan zones, surface‑tracking lenses and sponsored stickers. The platform now exceeds 250 million Indian users, with cricket emerging as...
Howatson Releases In-House AI Creative Platform as ‘a Moat Around Our Core Work’
Australian agency Howatson has launched Unicorn, an in‑house AI platform that automates the rollout of master creative into hundreds of digital and out‑of‑home formats. The service costs $5,000 per campaign—roughly a 95% reduction from traditional $100,000 rollouts—and delivers assets within...
Nestlé USA Enters At-Home Condiments Space with New Sauce Brand
Nestlé USA is launching Minor’s Kitchen, a chef‑inspired sauce line, marking the company’s first consumer culinary brand in the United States. The four‑flavor assortment—Lemon Garlic Aioli, Creamy Korean BBQ, Spicy Chili Truffle, and American Smokehouse—targets the fast‑growing at‑home condiment market,...
An Amish Avatar and an A.I. Monk Are Pitching Supplements on Social Media
An AI‑generated Amish avatar named Melanskia, with over 300,000 Instagram followers, is promoting the dietary supplement Modern Antidote without disclosing her synthetic nature. The avatar is operated by entrepreneur Josemaria Silvestrini, who uses AI tools to create realistic video content...
DemandScience’s Content-IQ Increases AI Visibility for B2B Brands
DemandScience has launched Content‑IQ, a proprietary platform that unifies AI Visibility Optimization, content architecture, and web personalization to transform B2B content into a measurable pipeline engine. The system uses patented content opportunity scoring to build pillar‑based topic networks that boost...
3 AI Search Changes Every Marketer Needs A Plan For In Q2 via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
AI‑driven search has moved from a simple visibility problem to a complex measurement and budgeting challenge in Q1 2026. Within weeks, three major AI answer platforms began serving ads directly inside AI‑generated answers, reshaping how content is discovered and monetized....
Labs by Demandbase Publishes New GTM-Centered Report
Demandbase’s new research arm, Labs, released its inaugural B2B AI GTM Report, drawing on more than 24 billion buyer interactions, 429 k ad campaigns and insights from over 1,400 companies. The study shows that deploying four tiers of ad products can lift...
The Best Way To Embrace Convergent TV? Break Down The Silos Between Linear And Streaming
Marketers must dissolve the linear‑vs‑streaming divide and adopt a convergent TV approach, blending programmatic and direct buying. At Convergent TV World, Tatari’s Mike Fogarty highlighted the $70 billion U.S. TV market, noting that only $30 billion is streaming‑focused and still largely direct‑sold....
An Opera Singer Who’s Made A Name As A Car Salesman
A classically trained opera singer has reinvented his career by becoming a car salesman who films himself belting arias on the dealership lot. He writes original lyrics that describe each vehicle and posts the performances on TikTok and Instagram, where...
Measuring Brand Perception Before and After a Campaign
Marketing teams now track clicks, conversions and ROAS in real time, yet those metrics rarely reveal whether a campaign actually shifts brand perception. Measuring perception—trust, favorability, purchase intent—requires a pre‑campaign baseline built from surveys, social listening and behavioral signals. During...
Email Deliverability Technology: How to Ensure Your Campaigns Actually Reach the Inbox
The email deliverability technology market, valued at $4.5 billion in 2025, underpins reliable inbox placement for marketers. Success hinges on sender reputation, which reflects complaint rates, bounce metrics, and recipient engagement. Core authentication protocols—SPF, DKIM, DMARC—and practices such as IP warming...
Programmatic Advertising Technology: How Automated Media Buying Is Reshaping Digital Advertising
Programmatic advertising has become the default buying method, with spend projected to reach $25 billion in 2025, representing roughly 88 % of digital display ads. Real‑time bidding (RTB) executes auctions in under 100 ms, linking demand‑side platforms (DSPs) and supply‑side platforms (SSPs) through...
Conversion Rate Optimisation Technology: How Testing Platforms and AI Are Maximising Digital Revenue
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) has become a $9.4 billion industry, delivering an average 223 percent return on investment for firms that adopt structured testing programmes. Modern CRO platforms now bundle A/B and multivariate testing, session‑recording heatmaps, AI‑driven personalisation, landing‑page builders and form‑analytics...
ADvendio Launches Ad Suite for Retailers Featuring AI Agents
ADvendio unveiled Revenue OS for Agentic Advertising, an AI‑driven suite that equips retailers with four specialized agents—AdOne, AdPortal, AdGateway, and AdFinance. The platform combines Salesforce’s reasoning engine with ADvendio’s operational logic to automate campaign planning, sales, data consolidation, and financial...
Former Google Exec Brings AI Data Concepts To Agency Boathouse
Boathouse has appointed Sonia Chung, a former Google, YouTube and Salesforce executive, as its first chief strategy officer. Chung will steer a “collect, connect, and activate” framework to fuse offline and online data, enabling cross‑channel consumer insights. She advocates using...
Designing Honesty: Bodyform and the Power of Informational Creativity
Bodyform’s "Never Just a Period" campaign, created with AMV BBDO, replaces euphemistic menstrual advertising with candid, research‑backed storytelling. The series of vignettes tackles topics from postpartum bleeding to tampon use, answering questions many people never learned in school. Over half...
McDonald’s India–North & East Names Sara Arjun as Brand Ambassador; Recreates Iconic Ad, Watch
McDonald’s India – North and East has appointed child‑actress Sara Arjun as its new brand ambassador, reviving the face that starred in the chain’s iconic TV commercial years ago. The partnership launches the Buddy Meal, a value‑packed combo priced at...
Pre-Launch or Post-Launch: Influencer Timing Explained for Gaming Brands
Influencer marketing is poised to shape the $386 billion gaming market in 2026, but timing determines its effectiveness. Pre‑launch campaigns generate hype, build wishlists, and educate audiences, leading to higher launch‑day conversions. Launch‑day influencer pushes capture peak attention, driving 20‑50% of...
Marketers! Now Is the Time to Apply for 2026 Brands That Matter
Fast Company’s Brands That Matter program is opening applications for its 2026 edition, with a super‑early rate deadline of April 10 and standard rates rising on March 13. The initiative honors brands that achieve cultural relevance and measurable business results, and for...
Costco Ties Digital Personalization to $470M in Sales Growth
Costco reported that personalized product recommendation carousels generated more than $470 million in e‑commerce sales during Q2 2026. The retailer also saw U.S. comparable store sales rise 5.9% year‑over‑year and net sales climb 9.1% to $68.2 billion, while membership grew 4.8% to 82.1 million...
Zero Click Is Here – Open Attribution Is the Fight Back
Affiliate marketers face a new attribution crisis as AI‑driven search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini deliver product recommendations without passing traditional click data. A recent webinar with Lee‑Ann Johnstone, Alex Springer and Leanna Klyne introduced Open Attribution, an open‑standard framework...
People Buy Based Off Emotion — That’s Why You Need to Sell How Your Product Makes Your Customers Feel
The article argues that more than half of buying decisions are driven by emotion, not logic. Marketers should shift from listing product features to illustrating how the offering transforms a customer’s life. By framing features as benefits—using “so you can…”...
Intero Digital Releases Guide to Help Brands Measure Visibility in AI-Powered Search and Audit GEO Footprint
Intero Digital has launched a strategic guide that helps brands audit and improve their visibility in generative AI search platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot. The guide introduces a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) footprint framework, detailing how often...
Horizon Media Pilots AI Solution to Detect Cultural Shifts Mid-Campaign
Advertising agency Horizon Media has begun piloting an AI solution jointly developed by marketing‑intelligence firm Sightly and AI‑research company Vurvey Labs. The platform merges Vurvey’s real‑time human sentiment model with Sightly’s cultural and contextual media data, allowing agencies to spot...
PR Firm News: Ruder Finn Launches rf.Voices
Ruder Finn unveiled rf.Voices, an AI‑powered platform that unifies influencer marketing, customer advocacy, and paid amplification under a single measurable framework. The offering adds audience intelligence, influence mapping, precision amplification, and risk intelligence, enabling brands to predict and define success before...
Burger King Names 2 New Agencies Following Viral Whopper Bite Moment
Burger King has tapped Mojo Supermarket as its U.S. social agency of record and Praytell as the public‑relations AOR, aiming to accelerate real‑time, culturally resonant content. The new partners quickly proved their impact with a viral video of President Tom...
Anheuser-Busch Boosts Marketing Efforts Through Extended MLB Tie-Up
Anheuser‑Busch has extended its partnership with Major League Baseball through 2032, adding official vodka and tequila canned‑cocktail sponsorship for its Cutwater and NÜTRL RTD brands. The agreement grants non‑exclusive advertising rights on MLB.TV streams, digital platforms, All‑Star Week and the...
