Marketing News and Headlines

David Beckham Bends Lenovo’s AI Capabilities to the Max
NewsMay 15, 2026

David Beckham Bends Lenovo’s AI Capabilities to the Max

Lenovo has enlisted football legend David Beckham for its "Maximum David" AI campaign, debuting a month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The global rollout highlights Lenovo’s AI‑powered devices, solutions and services across Beckham’s ventures in sport, business, travel and...

By Marketing-Interactive
The Mountain Wants You Scrolling: Paramount+ Eyes Podcasts
NewsMay 14, 2026

The Mountain Wants You Scrolling: Paramount+ Eyes Podcasts

Paramount+ announced plans to integrate video podcasts from CBS News and CBS Sports into its streaming service, creating a short‑form, algorithm‑driven feed. The initiative, championed by Skydance owner David Ellison, seeks to capture the “lean‑back” audience that currently consumes snackable...

By Mediaweek (Australia)
Alpha Keri Relaunches with New Social-First Campaign and TikTok Debut via The Social CliQ
NewsMay 14, 2026

Alpha Keri Relaunches with New Social-First Campaign and TikTok Debut via The Social CliQ

Alpha Keri, the Australian skin‑care brand owned by Mentholatum, has relaunched with a social‑first campaign led by The Social CliQ, debuting on TikTok. The repositioning targets women aged 25 and over, pairing a modern visual identity and updated formulations with...

By Campaign Brief
A Guide to Making Short Videos to Boost an RIA's Brand
NewsMay 14, 2026

A Guide to Making Short Videos to Boost an RIA's Brand

Financial advisors are turning to short-form videos on LinkedIn and Instagram to attract prospects, reinforce their brand, and supplement referrals. Practitioners like Sathya Chey Patterson and Kelly Klingaman report increased client engagement and reduced ice‑breaker time after posting regular clips....

By Financial Planning (Arizent)
Study of 800K AI Responses: How Review Profiles Shape Brand Presence in AI Search
NewsMay 14, 2026

Study of 800K AI Responses: How Review Profiles Shape Brand Presence in AI Search

A new study of 804,491 AI‑generated responses across four major AI platforms shows that having a Trustpilot profile dramatically boosts a brand’s citation rate. Brands with just 1‑13 reviews jump from a 1% median citation rate to 53.5%, while fully...

By Seer Interactive
Cup Runneth Over: Inside the Alcohol Brands Pouring Marketing Into Soccer This Year
NewsMay 14, 2026

Cup Runneth Over: Inside the Alcohol Brands Pouring Marketing Into Soccer This Year

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across North America, giving alcohol brands a massive platform. Companies such as Michelob Ultra, Modelo, Stella Artois and Don Julio are committing record‑high media spends and multi‑channel activations, with some planning 18...

By Marketing Brew
Google Analytics Adds AI Assistant As Default Channel Group via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
NewsMay 14, 2026

Google Analytics Adds AI Assistant As Default Channel Group via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google Analytics 4 now automatically assigns traffic from recognized AI chatbots to a new “AI Assistant” default channel group, labeling the medium as “ai-assistant” and the campaign as “(ai-assistant)”. This eliminates the need for custom channel groups built with regex...

By Search Engine Journal
ON24 Unveils New LinkedIn Integration to Help B2B Marketers Reach the Right Buyers and Accelerate Pipeline
NewsMay 14, 2026

ON24 Unveils New LinkedIn Integration to Help B2B Marketers Reach the Right Buyers and Accelerate Pipeline

ON24, now a Cvent company, announced a new integration with LinkedIn that merges its first‑party webinar engagement data with LinkedIn’s professional audience targeting. The feature lets marketers build audience segments from registration, participation and content‑interaction metrics and activate those segments...

By MarTech Series
YouTube Pitches Advertisers, Offers New AI Bundles
NewsMay 14, 2026

YouTube Pitches Advertisers, Offers New AI Bundles

YouTube unveiled AI‑powered advertising bundles and creator‑partnership programs at its upfront sales event, aiming to pull ad dollars from social platforms, television and other media. The new bundles let brands use artificial intelligence for audience targeting and automatically transform influencer...

By MediaPost
3 Ways to Turn LinkedIn Into a B2B AI Discovery Engine
NewsMay 14, 2026

3 Ways to Turn LinkedIn Into a B2B AI Discovery Engine

LinkedIn has evolved from a simple B2B discovery channel into a key source for AI‑driven search citations. Large language models now pull brand signals from LinkedIn profiles, company pages, and employee posts, influencing AEO (AI‑enhanced organic) visibility. The article outlines...

By Search Engine Land
Digital Audio Proves Its Full Funnel Credentials in Audion & Happydemics Study
NewsMay 14, 2026

Digital Audio Proves Its Full Funnel Credentials in Audion & Happydemics Study

Audion has unveiled its Audio Performance Index, the first benchmark that quantifies digital audio advertising across the full marketing funnel. Analyzing 423 brand‑lift campaigns in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the study finds audio lifts brand image...

By ExchangeWire
Direct Traffic & Popularity – Correlation, Not Causation via @Sejournal, @TaylorDanRW
NewsMay 14, 2026

Direct Traffic & Popularity – Correlation, Not Causation via @Sejournal, @TaylorDanRW

The article argues that direct traffic is a symptom of brand health rather than a direct Google ranking factor. While studies have linked direct visits to higher SERP positions, the piece stresses that the correlation stems from underlying signals such...

By Search Engine Journal
Subway, Saatchi & Saatchi ME Leave People on ‘Typing…’ for 5 Days Before Grand Reveal
NewsMay 14, 2026

Subway, Saatchi & Saatchi ME Leave People on ‘Typing…’ for 5 Days Before Grand Reveal

Subway teamed with Saatchi & Saatchi ME to re‑launch its Meatball Marinara after a six‑year absence using a "Subway is Typing" teaser that sent a simple "Hi" followed by a five‑day typing indicator to consumers. The silent, suspense‑driven approach sparked...

By Campaign Middle East
Omnicom Media’s Annalect Leverages Snowflake to Advance Martech, AI and Measurement
NewsMay 14, 2026

Omnicom Media’s Annalect Leverages Snowflake to Advance Martech, AI and Measurement

Omnicom Media’s data and analytics arm Annalect announced a partnership with Snowflake to roll out a suite of martech, AI and measurement solutions across the Middle East and North Africa. The integration leverages Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud, including Cortex AI,...

By Campaign Middle East
The Era of Informal Influence Is Over: India's Creator Economy Is Entering Its Institutional Age
NewsMay 14, 2026

The Era of Informal Influence Is Over: India's Creator Economy Is Entering Its Institutional Age

Kofluence’s 2026 Influencer Marketing Report shows India’s creator economy moving into an institutional phase. The sector is projected to reach INR 5,000 Cr (about $600 million) by 2027, with a 22% CAGR and 15% of creators now operating as registered businesses. AI tools...

By ET BrandEquity (Economic Times) — Marketing
How To Measure AI Search: Current KPIs You Need To Know [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
NewsMay 14, 2026

How To Measure AI Search: Current KPIs You Need To Know [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell

AI‑generated answers are intercepting user journeys before a click, leaving traditional SEO metrics blind to brand influence. Search Engine Journal’s webinar outlines a three‑layer measurement stack that captures AI visibility signals, applies incrementality testing and media‑mix modeling, and ties the...

By Search Engine Journal
TikTok´s Donte Murry Reveals Why Affiliate Links Are the New Search Triggers
NewsMay 14, 2026

TikTok´s Donte Murry Reveals Why Affiliate Links Are the New Search Triggers

TikTok’s North America director of beauty, wellness and personal care, Donte Murry, highlighted that affiliate links are now acting as discovery triggers rather than simple buy buttons. About 77% of viewers search for more information after seeing an affiliate post,...

By AffiliateINSIDER
The AI Chat Ad Frontier: What LLMs Change About Brand Safety And Control
NewsMay 14, 2026

The AI Chat Ad Frontier: What LLMs Change About Brand Safety And Control

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT ads, marking the first true advertising channel inside large language models. Unlike traditional digital media, the ad environment is generated in real time, with the surrounding conversational context evolving dynamically as users interact. This shift introduces...

By Multichannel Merchant
‘We Should Own It’: Hershey’s Programmatic Chief on AI Agents and Media Mix Modeling
NewsMay 14, 2026

‘We Should Own It’: Hershey’s Programmatic Chief on AI Agents and Media Mix Modeling

Hershey’s VP of Consumer Connections Vinny Rinaldi says the confectioner spent a year building a suite of AI‑driven media‑mix‑modeling agents that shrink reporting cycles from months to weeks. The new system lets Hershey prioritize relevance over reach, steering spend toward...

By Digiday
Netflix Ramps up Global Ad Push with AI Tools and 250M Monthly Viewers
NewsMay 14, 2026

Netflix Ramps up Global Ad Push with AI Tools and 250M Monthly Viewers

Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now reaches over 250 million monthly active viewers worldwide, signaling a major scaling of its advertising business. The company unveiled AI‑powered tools that can manage ad purchases and dynamically adapt creative assets, as well as...

By Marketing-Interactive
Netflix Goes Toe-to-Toe with TV Giants in Aggressive Ad Pitch
NewsMay 14, 2026

Netflix Goes Toe-to-Toe with TV Giants in Aggressive Ad Pitch

Netflix announced its ad‑supported subscription tier now reaches more than 250 million monthly active viewers, a 31% jump from the 190 million reported in November 2025. President of Advertising Amy Reinhard said the company is shifting from proving durability to establishing itself...

By Mediaweek (Australia)
Greenfire Strategy Acquires 21b Consulting, Deepening Growth Capabilities for Mid-Market Clients
NewsMay 13, 2026

Greenfire Strategy Acquires 21b Consulting, Deepening Growth Capabilities for Mid-Market Clients

Greenfire Strategy, a Cleveland‑based B2B growth consultancy, has acquired 21b Consulting to bolster its HubSpot implementation and revenue‑operations expertise. The deal merges Greenfire’s brand, content, and demand‑generation services with 21b’s deep technical know‑how, creating a full‑stack offering for mid‑market companies....

By Demand Gen Report
TikTok Announces New AI Advertising Solutions
NewsMay 13, 2026

TikTok Announces New AI Advertising Solutions

TikTok unveiled a comprehensive AI‑driven advertising suite at its 6th‑annual TikTok World summit. New premium formats such as TopReach combine TopView and TopFeed for single‑day, high‑visibility buys, while Branded Buzz and Search Hubs enable creator‑powered buzz and top‑of‑search placement. The...

By ChannelX (formerly Tamebay)
G2 Unveils Tools to Build Trust in AI Answer Era
NewsMay 13, 2026

G2 Unveils Tools to Build Trust in AI Answer Era

G2 unveiled a suite of new capabilities designed to inject trust into AI‑driven software buying. The flagship Model Context Protocol (MCP), powered by Anthropic’s Claude, connects AI assistants directly to G2’s verified reviewer data. Additional features—structured FAQs, guided discussion prompts,...

By Demand Gen Report
Taboola Data Reveals 76% Advertisers See Improved Performance From Agentic AI
NewsMay 13, 2026

Taboola Data Reveals 76% Advertisers See Improved Performance From Agentic AI

Taboola’s new research shows 76% of advertisers experience performance gains from agentic AI, mainly on search and social platforms. The study finds 80% would boost open‑web ad spend if comparable AI tools existed, with 86% ready to allocate up to...

By ExchangeWire
Publishing for AI Search Is Like SEO in 1999. Here’s What That Means for Your Business.
NewsMay 13, 2026

Publishing for AI Search Is Like SEO in 1999. Here’s What That Means for Your Business.

AI‑driven chat interfaces like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude now pull answers from indexed web content, rewarding the most specific, useful sources. The author likens this shift to the 1999 Google SEO boom, where early adopters secured lasting rankings. By publishing...

By Asian Efficiency
Priceline Brings Back Its Negotiator to Combat Soaring Travel Costs
NewsMay 13, 2026

Priceline Brings Back Its Negotiator to Combat Soaring Travel Costs

Priceline is bringing back its iconic Negotiator character, now played by actor Randall Park, after a TikTok‑driven casting search that succeeded William Shatner. The revival anchors the “Unbummer Your Summer” promotion, which promises discounts of up to 60% on vacation packages...

By Marketing Dive
H/L Agency Launches Phased Influencer Campaign for McDonald’s McCafé All-New Drinks
NewsMay 13, 2026

H/L Agency Launches Phased Influencer Campaign for McDonald’s McCafé All-New Drinks

H/L Agency has launched a phased influencer campaign for McDonald’s McCafé All‑New Drinks, beginning in May with PR boxes sent to creators. A second wave in June will mobilize local influencers to produce user‑generated content, while a summer phase adds...

By Net Influencer
TikTok Launches MCP Server to Let AI Agents Run Campaigns
NewsMay 13, 2026

TikTok Launches MCP Server to Let AI Agents Run Campaigns

TikTok announced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a developer toolkit that lets AI agents directly create, launch, and optimize ad campaigns on its platform. The move mirrors similar MCP releases from Google, Meta, and Amazon, signaling a shift toward...

By Digiday
Call Me Chunky Leans on Humour for New IPL-Led Campaign
NewsMay 13, 2026

Call Me Chunky Leans on Humour for New IPL-Led Campaign

Call Me Chunky has launched a four‑film IPL‑season campaign streamed on JioHotstar, featuring Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor, wrestler The Great Khali, choreographer Terence Lewis and digital creator Saurabh Ghadge. The humour‑driven spots revolve around the brand’s tagline “Bina Dhoonde Harr...

By afaqs! (India)
Google Ads Teases New Dashboards Powered By Gemini
NewsMay 13, 2026

Google Ads Teases New Dashboards Powered By Gemini

Google announced at a teaser for Google Marketing Live that its Ads platform will soon launch Gemini‑powered dashboards. The new tool promises AI‑driven data visualizations, allowing marketers to generate charts, tables and graphs with a simple text prompt. Real‑time updates...

By Search Engine Roundtable
How to Find Out if Your Brand Is Winning in AI Search
NewsMay 13, 2026

How to Find Out if Your Brand Is Winning in AI Search

AI is rapidly redefining how consumers search, with ChatGPT handling roughly 2.5 billion prompts daily and Google’s AI Overviews appearing in about one‑fifth of all searches. Brands that don’t appear in these AI‑generated answers risk losing early‑stage purchase consideration. Search‑intelligence platforms...

By Brandwatch Blog
Lessons Learned From Adobe’s 2026 Q2 AI Traffic Report via @Sejournal, @Slobodanmanic
NewsMay 13, 2026

Lessons Learned From Adobe’s 2026 Q2 AI Traffic Report via @Sejournal, @Slobodanmanic

Adobe Analytics’ Q2 2026 AI Traffic Report reveals AI‑referred visits to U.S. retailers surged 393% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026 and now convert better than any other channel. Engagement metrics jumped—time on site up 48%, pages per visit up 13%—while revenue per visit...

By Search Engine Journal
How to Make Sure AI Is Finding You When Searched: The DGR Interview with Skydeo’s Mike Ford
NewsMay 13, 2026

How to Make Sure AI Is Finding You When Searched: The DGR Interview with Skydeo’s Mike Ford

Mike Ford of Skydeo explains that AI‑powered search is shifting B2B marketing from a ranking‑focused SEO approach to a recommendation model. Language models prioritize clear, objective answers that can be lifted and repeated, rewarding third‑person, data‑rich content. Bottom‑of‑funnel assets such...

By Demand Gen Report
Heineken Shares Its Marketing Strategy for the Summer of Soccer as World Cup Hype Ramps Up
NewsMay 13, 2026

Heineken Shares Its Marketing Strategy for the Summer of Soccer as World Cup Hype Ramps Up

Heineken USA is ramping up its soccer marketing ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, increasing spend by 189% year over year despite not being an official sponsor. The brewer is rolling out limited‑edition 12‑ and 24‑packs in U.S. retailers...

By Modern Retail
How Early Is Too Early?
NewsMay 13, 2026

How Early Is Too Early?

The rise of kid‑influencer makeup tutorials is driving a nascent children’s cosmetics market, with global sales projected to add $969 million by 2030 and Asia‑Pacific contributing over a third of that growth. In India, the segment remains under‑served, especially for ages...

By ET BrandEquity (Economic Times) — Marketing
Changan Automobile Appoints Ogilvy as Global Social and Digital Partner
NewsMay 13, 2026

Changan Automobile Appoints Ogilvy as Global Social and Digital Partner

Chinese automaker Changan Automobile has hired global agency Ogilvy as its strategic partner for worldwide social media and website management. The deal spans Europe, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, and Asia‑Pacific, leveraging Ogilvy’s AI‑driven “One Team, One Platform,...

By Campaign Brief Asia
How To Build Local Pages That Win In AI-Powered Search via @Sejournal, @Lorenbaker
NewsMay 12, 2026

How To Build Local Pages That Win In AI-Powered Search via @Sejournal, @Lorenbaker

SEJ’s on‑demand session, led by Loren Baker and Alchemer’s Nick Larson, explains how AI‑powered search engines locate and rank local pages. It breaks down the role of site content, listings, schema markup, and customer reviews in feeding AI‑generated answers. Attendees...

By Search Engine Journal
InMobi’s MobileAction Deal Boosts Agentic Commerce And Global Advertising
NewsMay 12, 2026

InMobi’s MobileAction Deal Boosts Agentic Commerce And Global Advertising

InMobi announced the acquisition of MobileAction, an AI‑powered app‑marketing platform, to strengthen its agentic commerce offering and expand into the Apple ecosystem. The deal adds MobileAction’s data on millions of creatives, keywords and apps, complementing InMobi’s Glance platform that already...

By Forbes (Retail)
Consistency Builds Stronger Brands Than Creativity
NewsMay 12, 2026

Consistency Builds Stronger Brands Than Creativity

Strong brands are forged through consistent, repeatable experiences rather than constant creative reinvention. The article argues that trust, built over time by delivering the same promise, is the core of brand meaning, citing Disney as a prime example. Internally, consistent...

By Inc.
Google Ads Adds Gemini-Powered Dashboards for Real-Time Insights
NewsMay 12, 2026

Google Ads Adds Gemini-Powered Dashboards for Real-Time Insights

Google is integrating its Gemini large‑language model into Google Ads Dashboards, letting advertisers generate and modify visual reports with natural‑language prompts. The new feature updates charts, tables and graphs in real time as users ask questions about metrics such as...

By Search Engine Land
Brown Cow Undergoes Brand Refresh
NewsMay 12, 2026

Brown Cow Undergoes Brand Refresh

Brown Cow, the iconic cream‑top yogurt brand founded in 1973, has launched a comprehensive brand refresh with creative agency Little Big Brands. The redesign revives the original heritage story centered on Lily the Jersey cow, introducing a hand‑drawn mascot, updated typography,...

By Dairy Foods
YouTube’s Brandcast Puts Creator Partnerships Front and Center
NewsMay 12, 2026

YouTube’s Brandcast Puts Creator Partnerships Front and Center

At Brandcast, Google’s Sean Downey positioned YouTube as the future of media, emphasizing its evolution beyond traditional TV to a multi‑screen ecosystem anchored by Shorts and creator‑driven content. He highlighted the launch of YouTube Creator Partnerships, a matchmaking platform that...

By Adweek AI
Today Intercom Becomes Fin
NewsMay 12, 2026

Today Intercom Becomes Fin

Intercom announced today that it is rebranding its corporate identity to Fin, while retaining the Intercom name for its flagship customer‑service platform. The company launched Intercom 2, a rebuilt help‑desk solution, and moved all 1,400 employees under the Fin umbrella. The...

By Intercom – Blog
Five Below's Gen Z Focus Strengthens Brand Relevance & Sales Growth
NewsMay 12, 2026

Five Below's Gen Z Focus Strengthens Brand Relevance & Sales Growth

Five Below is intensifying its focus on Gen Alpha, Gen Z and millennial parents, reshaping product assortments, marketing and store experience to match youthful trends. The shift to creator‑driven digital ads and faster‑new product cycles has lifted fiscal 2025 sales 23% to over...

By Quartz – Work
TelevisaUnivision’s Upfront Pitch To Advertisers: ‘We Get Hispanics’
NewsMay 12, 2026

TelevisaUnivision’s Upfront Pitch To Advertisers: ‘We Get Hispanics’

TelevisaUnivision’s new head of ad sales, John Kozco, is steering the company’s 2024 upfront with a clear message: it understands Hispanic audiences, a $4 trillion economic force in the U.S. The pitch centers on three pillars—sports, streaming and culture—highlighting exclusive Spanish‑language...

By AdExchanger
The Best Way To Build AI Agents That Customers Trust
NewsMay 12, 2026

The Best Way To Build AI Agents That Customers Trust

Companies are shifting from personality‑flavored chatbots to character‑driven AI agents that act consistently with brand values. Salesforce senior UI/UX director Yvonne Gando explains that true character means durable decision systems, not just tone. Real‑world failures—like a delivery‑service bot that spewed...

By Salesforce Blog (Sales/CRM)
Kraft Heinz’s Biggest Portfolio Campaign to Date Celebrates America250
NewsMay 12, 2026

Kraft Heinz’s Biggest Portfolio Campaign to Date Celebrates America250

Kraft Heinz is launching its biggest portfolio campaign, "The United Tastes of America," to coincide with the United States' 250th anniversary and the Memorial Day cookout season. The multi‑channel effort features limited‑time star‑shaped products and patriotic packaging across its core...

By Marketing Dive
Omnisend Launches MCP to Bring Ecommerce Marketing Into ChatGPT
NewsMay 12, 2026

Omnisend Launches MCP to Bring Ecommerce Marketing Into ChatGPT

Omnisend introduced Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing ecommerce marketers to access its email and SMS platform inside ChatGPT. The feature lets users ask plain‑language questions about revenue, campaign performance, and root‑cause analysis without leaving the AI chat. MCP also generates...

By SalesTech Star