TikTok Is Now a Search Engine. Here Is What That Means for Your Affiliate Program
TikTok is rapidly becoming a genuine search engine, with more than two‑in‑five Americans and 64% of Gen Z using it to find product information. Adobe Express research shows 62% of users favor video tutorials, while 39% seek product reviews, indicating a preference for short, expert‑driven content. This shift forces affiliate managers to rethink creator briefs, commission models, and attribution, especially as B2B buyers also turn to TikTok for software demos. Brands that adapt their affiliate strategies to TikTok’s search behavior can capture high‑intent traffic before the final conversion.
Survey: How Rising Review Expectations Are Reshaping Brand Reputation Strategies
The BrightLocal 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey reveals that 74% of shoppers now trust reviews from the past three months, while demand for 4.5‑star ratings has jumped from 17% to 31%. Consumers also expect at least 20 reviews before considering...
Richmond Sausages Cooks up Masterbrand Campaign
Pilgrim’s Europe has commissioned agency Joint to launch a masterbrand campaign for Richmond sausages, rolling out across out‑of‑home (OOH) and social platforms. The initiative, titled "The Big Richmond Sit Down," showcases real families and friends enjoying the product in everyday...
Mumbai Indians Names Plum as Digital & Skincare Partner for IPL 2026
Plum, the Indian skincare and hair‑care brand, has signed a deal to become the digital and official skincare partner of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2026. This marks Plum’s first partnership with a cricket franchise and will see the brand integrated into...
Titan Raga’s New Campaign Encourages Women to Reclaim Time for Themselves
Titan Raga, the women‑focused line of Titan, unveiled a new advertising campaign that encourages women to seize leisure time without guilt. The film follows a professional, a mother, and a director as they carve out unhurried moments, underscored by a...
CFP Board Launches New 'Dive' Ad in $27M Awareness Campaign
The CFP Board unveiled a new "Dive" television spot as part of its "It’s Gotta Be a CFP" campaign, allocating a $27.1 million media budget for 2026. The spring phase, worth $14.6 million, runs March 9‑May 17 and leans heavily on broadcast, cable, streaming...
Postscript and Tie Launch Integration to Help E-Commerce Brands Recover More Revenue From Abandonment SMS Automations
Postscript and Tie have launched an integration that links anonymous website visitors to existing opted‑in SMS subscribers, enabling brands to trigger 41% more abandonment SMS automations. The identity‑graph technology works across devices and browsers without relying on cookies, turning offline...
THG Ingenuity Launches Gift With Purchase Channel
THG Ingenuity has launched an external Gift‑With‑Purchase (GWP) channel, extending its proven retail‑media solution to third‑party brands. The service integrates curated gifting offers into key moments of the shopper journey across beauty, nutrition and lifestyle sites. Early campaigns on LOOKFANTASTIC...
Gartner Warns CMOs Against Using Agency AI Platforms
Gartner warns that up to half of agency‑built AI platforms could become obsolete within three years as open‑source solutions gain dominance. The firm predicts open‑source AI will support more than 75% of business deployments by 2028, offering greater customization and...
At Target, the Only Wrong Move Is Opting Out
Target’s senior product leader Kunal Banerjee says AI is an execution accelerator, not a strategic disruptor, and its impact depends on existing planning discipline. He notes that content‑creation teams have realized strong efficiency and cost gains, while design teams see...
Picnic Launches ‘Quality Video’ to Bring Transparency to Open-Web Video Buying
Picnic has launched Quality Video, an extension of its PIQ platform that evaluates open‑web video inventory based on real‑time behavior rather than static DSP labels. The solution measures signals such as pause on scroll, simultaneous playback, auto‑play and audio settings,...
Nano Interactive Launches NanoQ Agentic Media Planner Built to Transform Programmatic Planning
Nano Interactive unveiled NanoQ, an agentic AI media planner that automates audience creation and activation. Built on the company’s intent data and the continuously refreshed Intent Library, NanoQ translates natural‑language briefs into custom and off‑the‑shelf segments. In internal tests the...
This Overlooked Instagram Feature Might Be the Most Powerful Tool in Your Marketing Stack
Instagram’s Close Friends, originally a privacy tool, is being reframed as a high‑intent marketing channel. By curating a small, exclusive list of creators, editors, and brand advocates, marketers can turn the green‑ring stories into a micro‑CRM. The invitation itself signals...
Wayfair Launches Loyalty Program in Canada
Wayfair has rolled out its Wayfair Rewards loyalty program in Canada, marking the first international expansion after a successful U.S. debut. Canadian members pay $39 per year to receive 5% back in reward dollars, free shipping on all orders, exclusive...
The Marketing Week Podcast: ServiceNow CMO on Challenging the Status Quo in B2B Marketing
ServiceNow’s chief marketing officer Colin Fleming, a former Red Bull racing driver and long‑time Salesforce executive, joins the Marketing Week Podcast to discuss shaking up B2B marketing. He argues that Salesforce’s heavy focus on sales alignment weakened its brand, prompting...
IWD 2026: Marketing in Times of Uncertainty – Why some Agencies Stand Out
Lebanese marketing agencies have turned chronic instability into a competitive advantage by mastering agility, speed, and digital‑first execution. They can redesign campaigns within hours, pivot tone instantly, and deliver high‑quality content across multiple languages. This adaptive approach positions them as...
Pan Pacific Hotels Group Rolls Out Unified Weddings Campaign Across Five Hotels in Singapore
Pan Pacific Hotels Group has launched a unified weddings campaign, "A Day. A Promise. A Lifetime," across five Singapore properties, running through 30 April 2026. Couples securing qualifying bookings receive D$1,000 in DISCOVERY Dollars, redeemable for future stays, honeymoons, dining and experiences...
Successful Brands Are Built on One Fundamental Principle: Purpose
Purpose is emerging as the strategic spine of enduring brands, guiding everything from product design to capital allocation. Companies like Ben & Jerry's and Ørsted illustrate how a clear directional purpose combined with a specific, measurable goal fuels growth and resilience....
THE SHOUT GROUP and RHB Celebrate Inclusion Education in 2026 Raya Film
RHB Bank has launched its 2026 Raya film, “Ruang Harapan,” created with long‑time partner THE SHOUT GROUP. The short film dramatizes the true story of Siti Rahayu Baharin and the Buku Jalanan Chow Kit (BJCK) initiative, which grew from a...
McCann Singapore Teams up with Adobe to Scale AI-Driven Creative Production for Brands
McCann Singapore has entered a strategic partnership with Adobe to embed generative AI tools such as Adobe Express, Firefly, and object‑compositing services into brand‑centric creative workflows. The alliance will run live pilots with select regional clients, provide priority technical support,...
Tourism Brands Need To Leverage Influencers To Stay Connected To Travellers
Taboola’s 2026 Travel Marketing Trends report outlines five pivotal shifts shaping tourism advertising. Travelers now prioritize experiential, personalized trips, prompting brands to move beyond generic packages toward curated, interest‑based itineraries. Mobile‑first experiences and seamless digital journeys are becoming the default...
Kinnect Launches #ChangeTheDefaultSettings Film for Aditya Birla Capital
Kinnect India released a digital film titled #ChangeTheDefaultSettings for Aditya Birla Capital on International Women’s Day. The spot spotlights entrenched systemic defaults that often overlook women’s financial journeys, using a visual of outdated code being interrupted and rewritten. It aligns with the...
X Tests New Ad Format that Includes Product Mention Links
X is piloting a new ad format that automatically attaches product‑mention links to user posts, as seen with a Starlink CTA under a tweet. The format blends ads with organic content without compensating users, aiming to avoid skewed incentives. X...
“Participation More Important than Stars” In Law Firm LinkedIn Posting
Law firms that encourage broad LinkedIn participation outperform those relying on a few star accounts, according to TBD Marketing’s first social media barometer. The study measured firm, influencer, social army, and leadership scores, finding that firms like Hogan Lovells and Ashurst...
Wedderspoon Mānuka Honey Harnesses the Power of NZ Sunshine in Brand Refresh via True
Wedderspoon, a legacy New Zealand Mānuka honey brand, partnered with agency True to overhaul its brand architecture, visual identity, and packaging. The refresh introduced the "Mānuka Powered by Sunshine" platform, reframing honey from a medicinal commodity to a bright, daily ritual....
Pre-Campaign Planning in Barb Ads Hub
Barb has added pre‑campaign planning to Barb Ads Hub, turning it into a single platform for UK advertising buyers and sellers to forecast and evaluate campaigns across linear and VOD services. The new planner, previously called Advanced Campaign Hub, merges...
Heineken Drives Fan Connections at Aussie Grand Prix with Immersive Activation via Momentum
Heineken teamed with creative agency Momentum to stage an immersive fan activation at the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix, debuting its global “Cheers To All Fans” platform in Australia. The experience featured a seven‑metre‑high bar, live DJ, a national...
Australia Post Connects All 2,655 Postcodes in Nationwide Brand Campaign From Droga5 ANZ
Australia Post has launched its biggest national brand campaign, covering all 2,655 postcodes across the country. Developed with Droga5 ANZ, Accenture Song and a village of partner agencies, the rollout includes hero films, out‑of‑home, digital and social assets that spotlight local people,...
Levi's Sets Sights on Women, High-End Market
Levi Strauss & Co. is accelerating its shift toward women’s apparel and premium denim, aiming to raise the women’s share from 38% to 50% of sales. Direct‑to‑consumer channels now generate 49% of total revenue, reflecting a rapid move away from...
Out-of-Home Measurement System Move Is Finally Live
The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has launched the upgraded Move measurement platform, replacing Move 1.5 as the official out‑of‑home (OOH) standard from March 16. Move aggregates data from over 180,000 sites, modeling a synthetic audience of 2.2 million Australians based on 5,000...
Why India's T20 World Cup Victory Shouldn't Taste as Sweet for some Brands
India’s T20 World Cup win was eclipsed by bowler Arshdeep Singh’s unsportsmanlike ball‑throw at New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, prompting a backlash against the athletes’ conduct. Brands that have signed Singh – Oppo India, Jivo Wellness, BoldFit and Oliver Batteries – now face a credibility...
How Outfit Formulas CEO Alison Lumbatis Turned 500 Followers Into Paying Members
Alison Lumbatis, CEO of Outfit Formulas, turned a fashion blog with roughly 500 followers into a subscription business charging $19 per month. She bypassed traditional affiliate and sponsorship models, instead surveying her audience to discover a demand for curated shopping...
Busy Month for N Brown: Adds Six Brands to Its Platforms with North Face the Key Highlight
N Brown Group announced a busy month of brand expansions, most notably adding The North Face to its Jacamo, JD Williams and SimplyBe platforms. The partnership launches an 85‑piece collection supported by a nationwide out‑of‑home campaign from 8‑31 March, with special projection ads in...
Honoring the Art of the Possible This International Women’s Day
Google released "The Art of Possible," a documentary chronicling Dr. Marian Rogers Croak’s journey from pioneering Voice over IP patents to leading Google’s Human‑Centered AI and Machine Learning efforts. The film leverages Google’s AI tools Veo3 and Nano Banana through...
The AI Attribution Blind Spot
Artificial intelligence assistants are emerging as a primary channel for product discovery, compressing the traditional list of search results into a single answer. This upstream shift moves the consumer decision point into a system retailers cannot control or directly measure....
What’s Your Community Strategy?
Bars are shifting from pure alcohol sales to becoming community hubs, a change driven by younger patrons who value belonging over drinking. The article cites the "third place" concept, urging establishments to act as informal gathering spots beyond home and...
Google’s Liz Reid Says LLMs Unlock Audio And Video Indexing via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google VP of Search Liz Reid said multimodal LLMs now let Google deeply understand audio and video, moving beyond transcription to grasp style and content. The technology also enables cross‑language translation, helping non‑English users access information. Additionally, Google is testing...
If They Knew…
Marketing strategies diverge on whether to inform or exploit consumers. Seth Godin argues that organizations either educate prospects, fostering informed decisions, or rely on confusion to close sales. The piece challenges marketers to consider if fully informed prospects would still...
They Quit an Influencer Marketing Startup and Built Their Own. Now They’re Projecting to Make $3M
Storytime, founded by former Lefty employees Aris Yeager and Philip Davis, is building a city‑by‑city influencer marketplace for local brick‑and‑mortar businesses. The platform leverages Yeager’s 3 million‑follower social presence to automate creator outreach, contracts, and performance tracking. It targets the inefficiencies...
Modern Retail Podcast: The New Rules of Product Pricing
In a Modern Retail Podcast episode, Newell Brands’ learning and development chief Kris Malkoski explains how Graco is reshaping its pricing playbook amid AI‑driven insights, tariff volatility, and price‑sensitive shoppers. The discussion reveals Graco’s use of artificial intelligence to fine‑tune...
Larger Retailers Are Launching Their Own Beauty Brands, While the Luxury Fashion Market Gap Widens
Listrak’s 2026 Beauty and Fashion Benchmarks report, analyzing 130 billion emails and SMS messages from 1,000 e‑commerce clients, forecasts major shifts in retail. Larger retailers such as Gap and Old Navy are launching proprietary beauty brands to capture growth, while AI‑enabled...
Nike Teamed Up With IRAK To Drop An Air Force 1 “City Hero”
Nike has teamed with renowned graffiti artist Kunle Martins, known as IRAK, to release an all‑black Air Force 1 "City Hero" featuring a scratch‑away heel emblazoned with his hand‑style lettering. The sneaker is being sold exclusively through a SNKRS Stash...
What Social Listening Research Really Reveals About Your Customers (That Dashboards Miss)
Social listening research adds a question‑led, qualitative layer to standard dashboards, revealing why metrics move. It distinguishes monitoring, analytics, and research, focusing on emotion, language, and context hidden in raw conversations. The guide outlines a lightweight process—50 to 200 comments,...
How the Best Brands Are Winning by Moving Faster
Brands that can activate creators within hours are out‑pacing competitors, not out‑spending them. The article outlines a speed‑to‑culture framework built on pre‑vetted creator rosters, master contracts, and a single decision owner, enabling rapid response to viral trends. Influencer‑marketing teams can...
How Brands Are Leveraging Live Commerce to Move Excess Inventory
Brands are turning to live commerce to liquidate excess inventory, gaining real‑time pricing, product visibility, and storytelling that traditional bulk liquidation lacks. Platforms such as Whatnot, eBay Live, and Poshmark Live let sellers showcase condition and price instantly, targeting niche...
Inside ADON, the Elusive London Brand with Timothée Chalamet on Speed Dial
London‑based label ADON, a largely secretive label, burst into the spotlight when Timothée Chalamet wore multiple pieces during London Fashion Week. The actor’s back‑to‑back appearances turned the brand into a viral talking point across fashion blogs and social platforms. ADON’s...
Social Media Intelligence Gathering Tools: Clearly See What Your Audience Won’t Say Out Loud
Social media intelligence gathering transforms public conversations into actionable business decisions, moving beyond basic analytics and listening. By extracting objections, trust signals, and emerging desires from comments, forums, and creator content, teams can refine messaging, creator partnerships, and product priorities...
Incentives Drive 2026 Riviera Cruises Across Europe
Riviera Travel launched a March‑April 2026 incentive program for North American agents booking European river cruises through 2027. The scheme offers a $75 gift card per reservation and a $3,000 grand prize for the top booker, measured by passenger count...
Pod Digital Media Expands Growth Audience Marketplace for Brands in 30+ Markets
Pod Digital Media (PDM) has entered a multi‑year partnership with One Venture Group to launch a growth audience marketplace spanning more than 30 U.S. markets and 72 live events. The platform matches brands with high‑value cultural audiences—such as jazz fans,...
Podscribe Launches AI Chatbot and Introduces YouTube SmartModeling to Improve Podcast & Video Ad Measurement
Podscribe unveiled two major product upgrades: an AI‑powered chatbot that lets advertisers query the platform’s podcast data in natural language, and YouTube SmartModeling, a new attribution framework for simulcast ads. SmartModeling replaces the old practice of mirroring podcast conversion rates...
