TLDR MARKETING 2025-05-29

benchmark report (ungated)

HOW DOES GEN Z SHOP?

66% of Gen Z are likely to buy directly from TikTok, and 40% are influenced by trending products on social media. They prefer short, funny content, with around 69% of Gen Z women and 66% of men favoring comedy and memes. Influencer marketing is especially effective, with over half willing to purchase products recommended by influencers, compared to just 10% of shoppers aged 55 and up. While most of Gen Z rejects AI influencers, men are more open to them. This group shops visually, relying on UGC and unboxing videos to validate purchases. They also research extensively online before buying in-store and often cross-check information across platforms and peer groups.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING IN 2025 IS A PYRAMID SCHEME

Audiences are increasingly opting out of traditional digital advertising by blocking or ignoring ads entirely, which reflects growing dissatisfaction with how brands communicate online. The overuse of interruptive banners, autoplay videos, and tracking-based personalization has created experiences that feel invasive and untrustworthy. To stand out, marketers must rebuild their approach through content that is more transparent, useful, and relationship-driven by focusing on owned channels and educational storytelling rather than depending on algorithms or short-term reach.

CONSUMER PESSIMISM EASES AMID COOLING IN US-CHINA TARIFF WAR

The Consumer Confidence Index increased by 12.3 points to 98 in May, driven partly by easing U.S.-China trade tensions. The share of consumers expecting a recession declined, and inflation expectations dropped to 6.5% from 7% in April. Confidence grew across all age, income, and political groups, with the strongest gains among Republicans. Despite optimism, economists warned that existing tariffs may soon push prices higher, and factory orders dropped 6.3% in April after a surge in March.

IS THE COMPANY BLOG DEAD?

The era of publishing SEO-optimized blog posts on company websites as a default playbook is over, with long-form content now needing to justify its format, channel, and purpose. Marketers are evolving their GTM content strategies by producing show-like narratives with recurring themes, stronger editorial direction, and clearer voices that reflect company expertise. Control over analytics and conversions still matters, but building influence increasingly depends on participating in feeds like LinkedIn and Substack while anchoring high-value resources on a centralized and well-structured owned domain.

PRODUCT DETAIL PAGES (PDP) IN ECOMMERCE: A 2025 GUIDE

Only 49% of ecommerce sites offer a good user experience on product detail pages (PDPs), despite nearly all online shoppers relying on them to make purchase decisions. Optimized PDPs include clear titles, detailed descriptions, high-quality images or videos, reviews, and strong calls to action. Best practices also include social proof, scarcity tactics, mobile optimization, and AI-driven personalization, which can reduce customer acquisition costs by up to 50% and increase profits by as much as 30%. Mobile-friendly PDPs are essential, as mobile now accounts for 57% of ecommerce sales. Avoiding poor media, lack of product detail, and complicated navigation is critical, as these issues cause shoppers to abandon purchases.

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MARKETING IN THE AI ERA: WHAT THE DATA ACTUALLY SHOWS (WEBINAR)

Hosted by Canva, this webinar will draw from 2025 research to reveal how top brands plan to boost productivity, scale unique content, and preserve brand integrity. It will explore how 94% of companies are allocating AI budgets, how teams aim to streamline workflows, and how organizations intend to balance creativity with efficiency in an AI-driven landscape. Registration is free. The webinar will be held on June 10 with multiple live sessions available.

THE 10 BEST ONLINE COURSE CREATION TOOLS

This guide summarizes tools for course creators, outlining their key features and pricing. HeyGen enables customizable, multilingual AI-generated videos with avatars and branded visuals. Udemy offers course hosting and student access but lacks integrated video editing. Skillshare uses a subscription model focused on community engagement but doesn't include course creation tools. Kajabi provides an all-in-one solution for managing, marketing, and selling courses with sales funnels and email automation. Thinkific offers customizable course design and branding with integrations for scaling, though it requires external tools for video and translation.

KAY-KAY CLAPP ON TYPEFORM'S AUDIENCE-POWERED CONTENT STRATEGY

Kay-Kay Clapp, Head of Content and Social at Typeform, recommends clearly defining one key takeaway for each piece of content to align stakeholders and simplify creative execution. She uses modular content systems and structured workflows supported by clear briefs and AI to streamline production. Audience surveys serve as an effective tool to directly source relevant content ideas and quotes. SME-driven content provides unique perspectives that differentiate from generic AI-generated content. Clapp measures content effectiveness primarily through owned audience engagement and long-term audience growth, rather than traditional metrics like traffic or MQLs.

BUILDING A DESTINATION FOR PET PARENTS: VIEWS FROM CHEWY'S SUMIT SINGH

Chewy's marketing and CX model is rooted in hiring pet-loving staff, avoiding productivity scripts, and delivering ultra-fast phone support to deepen loyalty. Its GTM execution relies on building 95% of offerings in-house, from telehealth to veterinary care, ensuring quality control and a unified brand experience. The company rewrote its mission in 2018, successfully shifting from retail to an all-encompassing platform for pet wellness and convenience.

LINKEDIN IS MAKING IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL IMPACT OF YOUR POSTS

Users can now see how specific posts drive new profile views, new follows, and clicks to the Premium custom button.

LATEST SOCIAL TREND TO TEST

Creators are visually blending digital and physical worlds by framing themselves interacting through phone screens.

THREAT OF META BREAKUP LOOMS AS FTC'S MONOPOLY TRIAL ENDS

The FTC's case claims Meta acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate competition in personal social networking, while Meta argues that competition from TikTok undermines the FTC's narrow market definition.