TLDR MARKETING 2026-01-20

AND GET THE FULL PICTURE ON EVERY CAMPAIGN.

DEBUNKING THE MYTH THAT SEARCH IS DYING

Analysis of 40,000 major sites shows organic search traffic declined only slightly by 2.5% YoY, with top sites and certain categories even growing. Claims that AI or LLMs are replacing search or drastically reducing clicks are based on flawed surveys, small samples, or anecdotal evidence. Large-scale panel data confirms that Google and other search engines still drive the vast majority of traffic, and AI Overviews affect clicks less often than assumed.

TOP BRANDING & DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2026

Brands now focus on human connection. Personal branding has moved from performative visibility to unique voices and audience collaboration on owned platforms. Visual identities are becoming adaptive and sensory. They are embracing tactile textures, playful typography, and experiences that engage both feeling and sight.

HOW TO OVERCOME THE “LINK IN COMMENTS” PROBLEM ON LINKEDIN AND OTHER SOCIAL PLATFORMS

LinkedIn actively demotes posts and comments that contain links, making it harder to drive traffic externally. Use implied links by creating engaging content that sparks curiosity so interested users seek out your site on their own. Another approach is placing links in comments without explicitly calling them out and pairing them with compelling, engagement-worthy text to push the comment to the top. A third tactic is having others post or amplify the comment to increase visibility.

UNIT ECONOMICS: THE OVERLOOKED REASON EVEN ‘PERFECTLY OPTIMIZED' GOOGLE ADS CAMPAIGNS FAIL

Google Ads campaigns can fail even when optimized because poor unit economics make profitable scaling impossible. Strong PPC tactics cannot overcome weak margins or low LTV. Unit economics set limits on CPCs, CPA targets, auction competitiveness, and growth. One ecommerce brand saw ROAS fall from 1,000% to 700% as CPCs rose, and the fix required raising AOV and improving LTV rather than changing campaigns. In another case, a supplements brand scaled spend to £26K per month and acquired 430 subscriptions at a £123 CPA because each customer had a £309 LTV, which made aggressive bidding profitable.

Plaid case study.

AGGERO

Users can upload any video from social, ads, or influencer campaigns and receive instant insights on which visual and audio elements drive conversions. The platform predicts performance, optimizes creative, and scales analysis across thousands of videos. Brands use Aggero to reduce ad waste and improve engagement.

MVPS IN 2026: WHAT ACTUALLY NEEDS TO EXIST BEFORE YOU PITCH, SHIP, OR SCALE (WEBINAR)

This free webinar, on January 22 at 10 AM PT, will teach attendees how to design MVPs that validate core business assumptions. It will cover how to prove a real person has a pressing problem and will change behavior, and how companies can create value faster than their competitors.

THE GREAT DECOUPLING

SEO traffic no longer predicts pipeline because AI answers remove clicks while buyer intent remains. Short-head keyword volume grew only 1.2% in the last 12 months and is forecast to fall 0.74% in the next 12 months as demand shifts to long tail queries and AI interfaces. Pipeline can grow far faster than traffic, such as 32% traffic growth paired with 75% signup growth or pipeline growing 2.3x faster while traffic stays flat. SEO now drives brand influence by helping AI systems understand trust and cite a brand, which lifts demos even when site visits fall.

HOW TO MEASURE BRAND'S IMPACT ON B2B PIPELINE

Most B2B leaders believe brand drives demand, yet few can prove its impact because traditional attribution models undervalue how brands actually work. Brands rarely create immediate clicks or conversions. It builds mental availability that later shows up through search, trust, and preference. Measuring incrementality by asking what would have happened without the investment puts brand and demand on equal footing and reveals its true impact on pipeline and efficiency.

CHATGPT GETS GOOGLED MORE THAN YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND TIKTOK

In under two and a half years, ChatGPT matched or exceeded the search interest of platforms that took years to build their brand demand.

YOUTUBE TURNS 20 AND UNVEILS A NEW IDENTITY BUILT FOR AN 'ALIVE' ENTERTAINMENT ERA

The refreshed identity connects all products through a responsive design system that reacts to real content and culture.

WHY TASTE OFFERS THE REAL CREATIVE ADVANTAGE RIGHT NOW

As tools grow more accessible, taste becomes the true differentiator over talent or technology.