Framing the Agentic Advertising Management Protocols (AAMP) Initiative
The IAB Tech Lab unveiled the Agentic Ad Management Protocols (AAMP), an umbrella initiative that consolidates its Agentic Real‑Time Framework, Agentic Audiences, and buyer‑seller SDKs. AAMP is organized around three pillars: a high‑performance execution plane (ARTF), open‑source agentic protocols, and a neutral Agent Registry for trust. The initiative is guided by dedicated task forces and a public roadmap, with recent funding from LiveRamp and CloudX. AAMP aims to embed AI‑driven agents into advertising workflows while preserving speed, interoperability, and transparency.
Why Segmentation Just Became the Top Database Priority for 2026
The 2026 Database Strategies & Contact Acquisition Benchmark Survey shows segmentation has vaulted to the top database priority, with 73% of marketers citing targeted segments as their primary focus. Unlike the 2024 era of retroactive measurement, firms now design databases...
Google Nano Banana 2 Promises Smarter, Faster Image Generation
Google DeepMind unveiled Nano Banana 2, the Gemini 3.1 Flash Image model that blends the intelligence of Nano Banana Pro with the lightning speed of Gemini Flash. The new model adds real‑time web grounding, sharper visual fidelity, and production‑ready outputs ranging from 512 px to 4K....
Applebee’s Strategy: Fewer Promotions, More Manager Visibility
Applebee’s parent Dine Brands trimmed its promotional calendar to four or five events a year, shifting focus to the core menu and the 2 for $25 value platform. The change helped reverse a slump, delivering positive same‑store sales in Q2 2025 and attracting...
Podcast Advertising Projected to $1B/Year by 2029 (EMARKETER)
A new eMarketer survey of 100 U.S. marketers shows digital audio advertising is gaining traction, with 67% of respondents already allocating budget to the channel. While only 25% plan to increase spend within the next year, 83% view incremental reach...
How to Use Claude Skills to Pressure Test Your Writing with Synthetic Feedback
The article explains how to leverage Anthropic's Claude AI skills to generate synthetic feedback that pressure‑tests written content. By prompting Claude with specific critique templates, writers receive instant, objective comments on tone, structure, and audience alignment. The guide walks through...
Google's Nano Banana 2 Takes Aim at the Production Cost Problem That's Kept AI Image Gen Out of Enterprise Workflows
Google DeepMind unveiled Nano Banana 2, a Gemini 3.1 Flash Image model that delivers Pro‑level text rendering, subject consistency, and image search at roughly half the cost of the Nano Banana Pro tier. The new offering reduces per‑image pricing to...
Azamara Cruises Introduces Travel Advisor Council
Azamara Cruises has launched a Travel Advisor Council composed of ten high‑performing advisors across North America. The council members, each with at least five years of cruise experience and AWA graduation, will commit to a 12‑month term to test ideas,...
Borden Cheese Launches National Search for "America's Favorite Grilled Cheese"
Borden Cheese has launched a nationwide contest to crown “America’s Favorite Grilled Cheese,” inviting consumers to vote for one of four recipe contenders through March 24, 2026. Each vote doubles as an entry to win a year’s supply of Borden cheese and...
This March 23, We’ll Be Introducing the Gemini Advantage in Google Marketing Platform.
Google Marketing Platform announced the "Gemini advantage" at NewFront on March 23, showcasing AI‑powered Gemini models across its entire suite. The rollout promises deeper visibility into the consumer journey, real‑time data activation, and reduced fragmentation for advertisers. Leading brands will demonstrate...
Walmart's Advertising Revenue Is Outpacing Amazon's
Walmart’s advertising business surged 46% to $6.4 billion in FY26, outpacing Amazon’s 22% rise to $68.6 billion. The dollar gap narrowed from roughly 15:1 to 11:1, though it remains sizable. Growth figures include the VIZIO acquisition, while Walmart Connect – the core...
How Pepsi DRIPs Turned Wicked Into an Experiential Beverage Moment
PepsiCo leveraged its DRIPS platform to launch two limited‑edition beverages for the theatrical run of *Wicked: For Good* at Regal Cinemas. The drinks—Mountain Dew Emerald Mischief and Tropicana Lemonade Good Witch Swirl—were crafted with bold colors, boba and edible glitter...
Outback Steakhouse, Noodles & Company, CAVA
Outback Steakhouse recorded a 0.9% traffic increase in Q4, its first rise in four years, driven by the popular Aussie 3‑Course value meals, though same‑store sales slipped 0.6% because of lower pricing. The chain will allocate $50 million toward further restaurant...
Publisher Advertising Alliance Teams up with Microsoft Ad-Buying Platform
Ozone, a coalition of more than 500 UK and US publishers, has secured its first deal to list inventory on Microsoft’s Media Marketplace, exposing over 200 million monthly users to programmatic buyers. The integration leverages Ozone’s first‑party reader data, promising more...
Target Leans Into Spirit of Adventure with Roller Rabbit Collab
Target is rolling out a limited‑time collaboration with cult‑favorite lifestyle brand Roller Rabbit on March 7, offering more than 250 items that span apparel, travel gear, home goods and new categories such as luggage and outdoor products. The collection is anchored...
How to Monitor Brand Mentions in ChatGPT
ChatGPT now influences buying decisions but offers no native analytics, forcing brands to devise a dedicated monitoring strategy. Mentions appear either from the model’s training corpus or real‑time Retrieval‑Augmented Generation searches. The guide outlines a quick manual audit using targeted...
ChatGPT Ecommerce Traffic Converts 31% Higher than Non-Branded Organic Search
Visibility Labs analyzed 94 ecommerce sites in 2025 and found that traffic referred from ChatGPT converted at a 1.81% rate, 31% higher than non‑branded organic search. While ChatGPT visits surged 1,079% over the year, they accounted for only 1.48% of...
The Loyalty-Building Advantages of Embracing Black Audiences
Brands that authentically engage Black audiences can unlock significant economic upside, as Black consumers are projected to wield $2.1 trillion in buying power by 2026. They are four times more likely than average shoppers to follow the WNBA and spend roughly...
Why Deep Analysis Is Essential for Influencer Marketing Governance
Influencer marketing budgets are set to surge, with 72% of marketers expecting over a 50% increase in 2026. This rapid expansion brings heightened scrutiny from finance, procurement and leadership, especially around audience authenticity, which 56% cite as their top risk....
Meta Andromeda Update Explained: How Meta Ads Work Now
Meta’s Andromeda overhaul replaces the legacy ad‑retrieval layer with a unified deep‑learning system, reshaping which ads enter the auction on Facebook and Instagram. The change was driven by exploding creative volume, the rise of Advantage+ automation, and the limits of...
When Google Is No Longer A Verb: Search Becoming Infrastructure via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
The article argues that traditional keyword‑based search is being eclipsed by AI‑driven personal agents that handle the entire decision‑making workflow. As conversational interfaces reach massive scale, users shift from typing queries to delegating outcomes, turning the search loop into a...
Google Opens 'Text Guidelines' To More Advertisers
Google is expanding its AI‑driven "text guidelines" feature to all AI Max and Performance Max advertisers in a global beta. The tool lets brands specify terms or concepts to include or exclude, ensuring AI‑generated headlines and descriptions stay on‑brand, tone‑appropriate,...
We’re Expanding Beta Access to Text Guidelines for All Advertisers Globally in AI Max.
Google is rolling out beta access to text guidelines for all advertisers worldwide within its AI Max platform, covering both Search and Performance Max campaigns. The feature now supports every language and industry vertical, letting marketers define prohibited terms or...
Google Expands AI Max Text Guidelines Globally
Google has opened beta access to AI Max text guidelines for all advertisers worldwide, covering Search and Performance Max campaigns. The new feature supports every language and industry vertical, letting marketers steer AI‑generated ad copy with plain‑language instructions. Brands can...
How to Create an Effective Instagram Sales Funnel
Instagram is evolving from a visual showcase into a platform‑native sales engine, replacing traditional landing‑page funnels with content‑driven conversations. Brands move prospects from Reels‑based discovery through interactive Stories and comments into direct‑message (DM) dialogues that close sales without leaving the...
IAB Unveils 2026 NewFronts, Marking a Defining Moment for Streaming, CTV, and AI-Powered Video
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the 2026 NewFronts event, scheduled for March 23‑26 in New York, spotlighting AI‑driven video, streaming, and CTV innovations. The four‑day conference will feature live and virtual sessions from tech giants like Google, Meta, and...
What to Know When Marketers Compare Free vs Paid UGC Video Creation Tools
User‑generated content (UGC) video has become a cornerstone of social and performance marketing, offering authentic, creator‑style creatives for paid ads and testing. Marketers must decide whether free editing tools or paid platforms best support the volume, speed, and brand control...
Google Circle to Search Looks At The Whole Image
Google announced a major upgrade to its Circle to Search feature, enabling the tool to analyze an entire image rather than just the circled portion. Powered by Gemini 3’s multi‑object recognition and visual query fan‑out, the system automatically crops and searches...
Google Ads API Version 23.1 Now Available
Google has launched version 23.1 of the Google Ads API, introducing enhancements across account management, campaigns, conversions, incentives, planning, reporting, and a new YouTubeVideoUpload service. The update adds EU political advertising declaration fields, AI‑driven text‑guidelines for Performance Max and Search campaigns,...
Microsoft Updates Bing Webmaster Guidelines (A Bit)
Microsoft has refreshed the Bing Webmaster Guidelines, updating the page design to match the new Bing Webmaster Tools interface. The most notable textual change adds references to Bing’s AI-driven Copilot and grounding API results. While the revisions are largely cosmetic,...
Estée Lauder to Armani: The Risks and Rewards of Reformulating a Hero Beauty Product
Iconic beauty brands such as Estée Lauder and Armani are reformulating flagship foundations like Double Wear and Luminous Silk to address regulatory changes, ingredient costs, and supply‑chain disruptions. While reformulations can alienate loyal consumers, companies argue that staying static poses...
Reporting Andrew Arrest, Robot Reporters at Mediahuis and Dom’s Verdict on Prince Harry Trial
The Future of Media Explained podcast examined how journalists disclosed the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, weighing the public interest against privacy concerns. It revealed Mediahuis’s initiative to deploy AI agents for generating first‑line news stories, signaling a shift toward automated...
Google Post Recurring Scheduling Coming
Google announced that its Business Profile platform will soon support recurring scheduling for Google Posts, enabling businesses to set a post to repeat on a defined cadence. The feature, revealed by product manager Mike Gnagy during a live workshop, builds...
CTV Is Defining the Future of Streaming Ads
Connected TVs now reach over 85% of U.S. households, with roughly 60% of Gen Z streaming on them, and have surpassed cable as the primary source of video consumption in 2025. Advertisers are shifting focus to CTV because it gathers the...
Agencies Using Open, AI-Driven Media Buying Are Outperforming the Market – AI Digital’s Open Garden Framework Animation Shows Exactly Why
AI Digital unveiled an animated explainer of its Open Garden Framework, highlighting how AI‑driven, open‑ecosystem media buying outperforms closed‑platform approaches. The data shows advertisers achieve 2.9‑times higher performance, 26% greater ROI, and make decisions 73% faster when leveraging predictive analytics...
The PR Week: 2.26.2026 - Armando Azarloza, Axis Agency
Armando Azarloza, chief strategist at Axis Agency, appeared on PR Week’s weekly podcast to dissect Bad Bunny’s high‑profile Super Bowl performance and its ripple effects across the U.S. Hispanic market. He highlighted how the artist’s crossover appeal is reshaping brand activation strategies...
Nestlé’s AI Push Brings New Marketing Tools Into Daily Workflows
Nestlé is embedding artificial intelligence across its marketing and sales functions by upgrading to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, a platform now serving over 50,000 users in 112 countries. The rollout introduces SAP’s AI copilot, enabling automated insights and routine‑task...
EcoVista Evolves Brand to Sharpen Focus on Retail Media, DOOH and Stadia
EcoVista has launched a refreshed brand identity and website, sharpening its focus on three core verticals—Retail Media, Digital Out of Home (DOOH), and Venues & Stadia. Over the past year the company expanded its retail‑media projects, moving from pure installation...
AdPlayer.Pro Introduces New Results-Driven Features in Its Ad-Enabled Video Player
AdPlayer.Pro has rolled out new configuration capabilities for its ad‑enabled video player, targeting both instream and standalone video placements. The updates expand ad‑interval settings and aim to boost performance amid a market slowdown reported by over 40% of its users....
Campaign Big Global Awards 2026: Winners Revealed
The Campaign Big Global Awards 2026 have announced their winners, with agencies from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas taking top honors. VCCP and Serviceplan emerged as the most celebrated firms, each securing multiple category wins. The results underscore the...
Oceania Cruises® Introduces the Oceania Club Ambassador Program
Oceania Cruises has launched the Oceania Club Ambassador Program, a referral initiative that grants a US $200 future cruise credit to both the referring Club member and the newly booked guest. The offer applies only to first‑time, full‑fare bookings and credits...
Soft Drink’s Jio Moment? RIL’s Campa Tests Coke-Pepsi Duopoly of 30 Years
Reliance Industries has revived the legacy Campa Cola brand, pricing bottles at INR 10 and quickly gaining a foothold in India's carbonated soft‑drink market. Within a year, Campa grew to roughly 7% market share and generated about INR 1,000 crore in revenue, contributing...
Study: Addressable TV Delivers 3x Web Uplift vs Linear
Sky Media’s Addressable Advantage study of 2,400 campaigns shows addressable TV generates a 121% lift in aided ad recall and delivers three times more incremental web traffic than linear TV. The analysis, based on household‑level data from a five‑million‑home panel,...
How to Automatically Respond to Google Business Profile Reviews
The article explains how to build a Zapier workflow that uses OpenAI’s GPT‑4o to draft replies to new Google Business Profile reviews. By setting Google Business Profile as the trigger, feeding the review data into a ChatGPT prompt, and sending...
Ralph Lauren Creates MLB Capsule Just in Time for World Baseball Classic
Ralph Lauren unveiled a new MLB capsule featuring six teams, timed for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The line offers satin jackets, fleece sweatshirts, caps and novelty pieces, with a pronounced focus on the New York Yankees. The collection launches...
Klook Inks Osaka Tourism Partnership to Support Regional Growth
Klook has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau to combine its digital platform and traveler data with OCTB’s local expertise. The partnership will deliver joint content, online promotions, data sharing and digital tools such...
Shiine Media Drives Rooftop Rideshare OOH Growth Across WA
Shiine Media, a Perth‑based rooftop rideshare OOH operator, is experiencing rising demand for its mobile digital inventory as advertisers target events and nightlife districts. The company runs 20 rideshare vehicles equipped with 40 programmable LED panels that can be geofenced...
Meta Is Auto-Generating AI Ads for Its Advertisers, Causing Headaches for Image-Conscious Fashion Brands
Meta has begun automatically generating AI‑derived advertisements from brands' existing creative assets, inserting them into Facebook and Instagram feeds without explicit advertiser approval. The move aims to boost ad inventory and lower production costs, but early adopters like British tights...
Can Amika Conquer Body Care?
Amika, the Brooklyn‑based prestige hair‑care brand, is launching a three‑piece body‑care line featuring a body wash, whipped butter and a vitamin C‑infused oil priced between $27 and $50. The move follows a 97% consumer demand signal and taps into the fastest‑growing...
Why Ruggable’s Lauren Sherman Is Focused on Resetting the Balance of Brand and Performance Marketing
Lauren Sherman, Ruggable’s chief marketing officer, is leading a deliberate reset that shifts focus from pure performance‑driven digital spend to brand‑centric initiatives. After seven months in the role, she aims to embed consumer‑led creative, real‑world activations, and designer collaborations into...
