TLDR MARKETING 2026-05-11

IS META REALLY DYING?

Claims that Meta is in decline overstate a short-term drop in daily active users and ignore the scale of its business. Facebook usage has shifted as social media moves from connection to entertainment. Users are spending more time on TikTok and Instagram and using Facebook mainly for updates from friends and family. This reduces per-session engagement and supports the view that Facebook is less central than before. Even so, Meta still reaches billions of users and continues to grow revenue, using that position to invest in AI, AR, and wearables.

THE GREAT $110 TRILLION WEALTH TRANSFER WON'T HAPPEN ANY TIME SOON

The “great wealth transfer” is expected to be slow rather than sudden as older Americans live longer and keep accumulating wealth. Americans 55 and older control about $110 trillion, with boomers adding over $1 trillion in wealth in a recent quarter. Bequeathable wealth has risen to 424% of GDP, with 97% of gains driven by households over 55. Much of this wealth is first passed to spouses, while spending on longevity and care reduces what is left for heirs. As a result, Gen X and younger generations will see a gradual transfer instead of a windfall.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CUSTOMER COUNT IS FLAT BUT YOUR BASE IS FALLING APART

Flat customer growth can mask a weakening base and declining profitability. In one case, retained customers fell 18% while net-new customers rose 31%, yet margin-per-customer dropped 14%. To surface this early, segment customers into retained, reactivated, and net-new groups, then track margin-per-customer over time. Monitor CLV decile migration to see whether high-value customers remain loyal and mid-tier customers move up. Margin-per-customer is the key leading indicator, often signaling base erosion 6-9 months before revenue declines.

AUTHORSHIP NOW DRIVES SEARCH VISIBILITY IN GOOGLE

options. Get 3 months of Cuey PRO free with code TLDRMARKETING

HOW PERPLEXITY WINS THE 10X KNOWLEDGE WORKER

Perplexity Computer is not a chatbot or search tool, but a system for building and running workflows end to end. Users describe what they want, and it assembles the stack and executes it with no code. It turns multi-step tasks into automated systems that run in the background, like pulling Reddit trends, ranking posts, generating hooks, and syncing outputs into Notion on a schedule. Its advantage is orchestration, combining multiple models and tools into one workflow that handles real work.

COURSE CORRECTION: GOOGLE TO LINK MORE SOURCES IN AI OVERVIEWS

Google is adding several new link formats to AI Overviews and AI Mode in an effort to drive more traffic back to the websites its AI summarizes. Changes include a "Further Exploration" section at the bottom of AI answers linking to relevant articles, an "Expert Advice" block surfacing snippets from news outlets and forums, and preview pop-ups when users hover over source links. Google is also testing a subscription integration that would surface a user's subscribed sites more prominently in AI results, with early tests showing higher click-through rates.

EXPERIMENT ESTIMATION STUDY: HOW WELL CAN 1,391 GUESSES PREDICT A/B TEST EFFECTS?

A/B test impact is often overestimated, making gut-based prioritization unreliable. Across 1,391 predictions, the median error was 2.7 percentage points, and 56% of guesses were too high. Experience had a limited effect, with teams of 10+ years performing similarly to newer practitioners. Familiarity with similar tests improved accuracy, raising directional correctness to 65.1% and reducing median error from 3.2 to 2.5 points. Small groups performed better than individuals, with crowds of five cutting error to 2.3 points, though a consistent positive bias remained.

THE WORK OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE AGE OF AI REPRODUCTION

Walter Benjamin's idea of mechanical reproduction is extended to knowledge, where AI collapses the scarcity of knowledge work in the same way mass media did for art. Consulting decks, medical analysis, and legal drafts can now be produced instantly, reducing the value of the artifact while leaving judgment and accountability as the main sources of value. This creates a barbell effect where low-cost AI output floods the market and value concentrates in institutions and credentials that can be held responsible for decisions. As skills become easier to replicate, signaling and provenance rise in importance, similar to the sheepskin effect, where degrees matter more than marginal skill gains.

GOOGLE TO NO LONGER SUPPORT FAQ RICH RESULTS

Users will no longer see FAQ rich results in Google Search results.

IKEA TURNS ITS FRAKTA BAG INTO A CAMERA FRAMING THE WORLD

A playful IKEA campaign that turns its iconic blue bag into a Point-Of-You frame.

80% OF COMPANIES CUT JOBS FOR AI. IT DIDN'T IMPROVE THEIR RETURNS. NOT EVEN A LITTLE

There's no correlation between AI-driven layoffs and improved ROI.