TLDR MARKETING 2025-07-30

WE ARE SOCIAL: DIGITAL 2025 JULY GLOBAL STATSHOT REPORT

Search traffic is declining, but search engines are still the top method for discovering new brands, with one in three online adults introduced to brands through search. The share of users citing search as their primary discovery method has grown by 2.5 percentage points over two years, representing over 100 million more shoppers. Google's traffic has dropped by 4% over the past three years, now at 19 billion visits per week, and it is referring hundreds of millions fewer visitors to third-party sites. Despite these shifts and the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, which has 500 million monthly users, marketers should not overhaul their search strategies yet.

TIKTOK DOUBLES DOWN ON SEARCH ADS AS COMMERCE AMBITIONS COOL

TikTok is ramping up investment in search ads. With over 120 open roles tied to search and rising adoption among brands, TikTok aims to compete with Google for performance marketing dollars. Early data shows promising results, including lower CPCs and higher CTRs.

HOW ADVERTISERS ARE APPROACHING ADS ON WHATSAPP

Advertisers are navigating WhatsApp's limited targeting by prioritizing creative messaging and contextual factors like time of day or device type. While user privacy concerns remain high, brands in retail, tech, and telecom are testing the waters. Early ad formats include low-cost Status ads and AI-powered agents for personalized engagement.

LOW-PRICED PRODUCTS SEEM LESS SUSTAINABLE

Consumers perceive higher priced sustainable products as more eco-friendly, regardless of actual quality. In experiments, lower priced sustainable backpacks were seen as 8.35% less eco-friendly than higher priced ones, and a more expensive detergent was seen as 6.1% more sustainable. This bias stems from the belief that sustainability increases production costs, so low prices trigger skepticism. The effect weakens if companies clearly explain how they keep prices low through methods like automation or bulk buying.

HOW TO FUTURE-PROOF YOUR EMAIL MARKETING WITH BIMI, AMP, AND AI

Email open rates rose 6% and click-to-conversion rates jumped 27.6% in 2024, showing email remains a high-performing channel despite privacy and security challenges. BIMI implementation can increase consumer confidence by 90% while interactive AMP features and AI optimization improve in-email actions and revenue per recipient. These innovations leverage first-party data to maintain deliverability and engagement as tracking cookies disappear.

Read the Delve case study.

MYLENS

MyLens converts raw materials into visuals. It can generate timelines, flowcharts, tables, or quadrant diagrams. Additionally, users can upload data to create line, bar, or doughnut charts.

GOOGLE CHROME ADDS AI-POWERED STORE SUMMARIES TO HELP US SHOPPERS

Google is adding AI-generated store summaries to Chrome for US desktop users. These provide quick insights on product quality, pricing, and service by aggregating reviews from sites like Trustpilot and Yotpo. The feature enhances shopping safety and efficiency while helping Google compete with Amazon and newer AI-powered browsers.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ETHICS IN THE AGE OF AI

AI is now deeply embedded in social media marketing, helping brands generate content, analyze trends, and automate interactions, but raising ethical concerns around transparency, privacy, and trust. Consumers are increasingly aware, with 41% most likely to call out unethical behavior over anything else, and regulators are responding with stricter disclosure requirements for both ads and AI-generated content. Brands must build trust by being open about data use and AI involvement, protecting privacy, and ensuring inclusive, respectful content. Transparency boosts credibility, as shown by a 2024 study where disclosing AI use in ads increased trust by 96%. Without clear ethical guardrails, brands risk losing customers, talent, and investor confidence.

JENNIFER CLARK (ZOOM) ON TURNING CONTENT FROM COST CENTER TO REVENUE POWERHOUSE

Zoom's five-person content team produced 300 assets last year while shifting content from a cost center to a revenue driver. They used a pod model that united product marketing, demand generation, and content teams to plan quarterly campaigns and measure success through demo bookings and sales calls. AI tools streamlined intake, transcription, and reporting, enabling the team to scale output and prove content's direct impact on pipeline.

'AI MODELS IN VOGUE?' GUESS AD SPARKS UPROAR

An AI-generated model in a Guess ad published in Vogue has led to widespread criticism from readers and influencers calling for boycotts of the magazine.

DIDN'T GO VIRAL? POST IT 7X

Screenshots showing how @lenamoriarty reposted the same video 7 times in a month (with small tweaks) before it went viral.

BRAND LOVE SCALES—SO STOP SETTLING FOR BEING LIKED

Many brands remain stuck in transactional engagement, chasing clicks and discounts without building trust with consumers.