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AI Max for Search campaigns will begin rolling out globally at the end of May. The feature introduces keywordless targeting based on landing page content and ad assets, while still supporting traditional keyword match types. Enhanced controls, geo-targeting options, and detailed reporting will also be part of the rollout. Early results show up to 27% more conversions for campaigns using exact and phrase match.
Modern websites are often bloated, with the average page size more than doubling in the past decade. This increases energy use and slows performance. A performance budget sets limits on factors like page weight and load time to reduce digital carbon footprints and improve user experience. These budgets must be integrated early in the design process and included in client briefs to guide sustainable decision-making.
The “chasm” describes the gap startups face when shifting from early adopters to mainstream users who expect more than just a product. To cross it, most companies focus on one niche and deliver a complete solution, including support, training, and integrations. Others like Notion, Slack, and OpenAI succeed by gaining massive adoption through a product-led approach where individual users quickly find value and share it widely. This large user base builds credibility and often creates the ecosystem needed for broader market adoption.
Cheat sheets for writing headlines, taglines, briefs, B2B ads, and AI prompts.
Key strategies for account-based marketing campaigns that consistently drive pipeline.
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The internet's quality has declined due to Google prioritizing short-term ad revenue over long-term sustainability. Increased ad density, shifting algorithms, and revenue-driven tactics have harmed user experience and publishers. This led to a shrinking market for quality content, media consolidation, and dominance by a few large players. AI-generated answers often lack clear sourcing, while Google's control of data and preferential treatment of its own properties have sparked regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits. The ecosystem supporting diverse content is being increasingly strained.
Distinctive brand assets make digital ads 2.5X more effective in low-attention digital environments. A study of 20K views across 72 video ads found that 85% of digital ad inventory receives less than 2.5 seconds of attention. With strong branding, memory benefits can appear at just 1.5 seconds, compared to the usual 2.5-second threshold. Established brands saw a 17% lift in short-term ad strength with distinctive assets, while growth brands saw a 7% lift.
A recent test looked at whether including pricing on a SaaS landing page would affect lead quality and conversions. Two nearly identical demo request pages were used, one with pricing information and one without. The page with pricing saw 8.7% fewer leads but a 21.4% increase in lead-to-opportunity conversions, while average deal size and total pipeline impact stayed the same. The findings showed that sharing pricing helped attract more qualified buyers and discouraged casual browsers. Those who filled out the form were more likely to be ready to buy.
Docusign shifted from an e-signature tool to a full agreement management platform by launching Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM), which includes Maestro, eSignature, and Navigator. The team built a new user-based pricing model from scratch, using research and feedback to align pricing with how customers use the product. Over 10K customers adopted IAM within the first year, driven by upsells and new interest in contract automation and intelligence. Key lessons include using pricing to reflect platform evolution, involving customers early, and avoiding common growth traps like disjointed add-ons or bloated core products.
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Google is prioritizing Shopping over traditional search ads, investing heavily in AI-powered tools and testing new features such as a multi-row Shopping Ads carousel. As a result, traditional search ads are losing visibility, control, and relevance, particularly for ecommerce brands. Search results pages now display predominantly product-based content, reducing the prominence of text-based ads. While Search still has value for complex queries and brand protection, ecommerce marketers should prioritize Shopping campaigns.
Synthetic populations use AI to simulate human behavior by creating digital replicas of real-world demographics and layering in behavioral models and real-world calibration. McDonald's can now test how economic policies may affect customer behavior without conducting costly surveys. Use cases span corporate strategy, policy testing, healthcare, insurance, media, and even jury selection. One study showed AI-generated personas replicated 76% of results from real human studies.
Indie media subscriptions are not commodities to be compared by cost per journalist. They're investments in meaningful relationships between readers and creators. Readers pay not for volume but for connection, trust, and access to unique perspectives. While platforms like Substack take 10% of revenue and legacy media offers more content per dollar, those metrics miss the point. The value lies in supporting independent voices that reflect personal values, build community, and offer a direct stake in a more diverse media future.
BNPL options for everyday purposes like takeout and groceries are seen by many as a bad economic indicator.
26 ways to approach the creative process of working in social media.
Over half of U.S. consumers (56%) make a purchase recommended by an influencer at least once a year, with 12% doing so frequently. Younger generations, especially Gen Z (80%) and millennials (72%), are more likely to follow influencer suggestions than baby boomers (28%). Despite this, 95% of those who buy based on influencer input conduct additional research, mostly by reading customer reviews and comparing prices. Surprisingly, baby boomers show the highest rate of impulse buys on first exposure and are also the most likely to keep influencer-recommended items, with 59% returning them less often than other purchases.
Netflix will introduce interactive mid-roll and pause ads driven by generative AI starting in 2026, following the expansion of its in-house ad tech platform across the US, Canada, and soon globally. The ad-supported tier now has 94 million users and represents nearly one-third of total subscribers, with users averaging 41 hours of monthly engagement.
Click-through rates are dropping by up to 35% due to Google's AI Overviews, even as content impressions grow. This disconnect is forcing a redefinition of content success, where marketers are concentrating effort on qualified conversions and topic-level performance over traffic volume. Winning strategies include auditing BOFU coverage for intent-rich queries, embedding context-specific product mentions in early-funnel content, and using conversion data to build scalable content clusters that drive meaningful business outcomes.
The most effective marketing campaigns create emotional connections, build trust, and align with cultural moments. Campaigns like Dove's “Real Beauty” and Nike's “Just Do It” show how emotional storytelling and authenticity increase engagement and brand loyalty. User-generated content builds trust, while omnichannel strategies ensure consistent messaging across platforms. Spotify Wrapped demonstrates how personalization and social sharing can drive massive user participation and brand visibility. Personalized offers can raise click-through rates by 5% to 25%.
Events today are about fueling pipelines and building relationships, not just filling rooms. Growth leaders use AI to automate operations and personalize engagement. Otter.ai captures live insights, Snapbar turns attendee photos into viral memes, and voxo.ai creates recaps and social clips. Blue Silk GPT and LiveGauge track sentiment and booth interactions in real time, enabling content tweaks and proving sponsor ROI. With AI handling the backend, teams can focus on creating experiences that convert.
EGC offers companies a way to address employee disengagement and humanize their brand in a world full of corporate messaging. By equipping employees with training on storytelling, pacing, and editing basics, brands can generate high-performing, relatable videos across themes like daily work, industry education, and project highlights. Distribution through official accounts with small ad budgets provides performance data and reinforces employee participation, with incentives like recognition and rewards further encouraging contribution.
Owala rose from obscurity in 2020 to a major player in the hydration market by 2024, appealing mainly to women aged 18 to 34 through playful branding and a standout product design. Its signature FreeSip lid and Instagrammable colors drove organic buzz, with 728,000 Instagram and 480,000 TikTok followers fueling word-of-mouth growth. It succeeded by focusing on user experience and storytelling rather than just product features. To ensure long-term success, Owala may need to expand into lifestyle partnerships, college programs, and corporate gifting.
American Eagle launched a free Substack newsletter to connect with Gen Z through more meaningful, group-chat-style content. Its first post shares key trends, including a nostalgic return to Y2K and '90s styles like jorts, flip-flops, and lace vests, alongside lo-fi seasonal vibes like “dilly-dally spring.” Festival fashion and EDM culture are rising, while blue eyeshadow and intentional rest through “bed rotting” reflect Gen Z's balance between performance and self-care.
Ashley Rudder, Chief Creator Officer at DNY, believes creators are no longer tactics. They're media, and media must perform. At DNY, creators work across every department, reshaping how advertising is developed and measured. Rudder moves beyond outdated metrics like follower count and EMV, focusing instead on real engagement and business impact. The goal is to help brands build real, human connections through content that feels authentic rather than corporate.
A series of Timeleft ads that sell its vibe rather than the app itself.
Build influence, don't spray and pray, and stop waiting for clicks.
Perplexity partnered with PayPal to enable agentic commerce through its Perplexity Pro platform. US users can shop, book travel, and buy tickets directly in-chat using PayPal or Venmo starting this summer. The integration streamlines transactions with secure, password-free checkout, shipping, and invoicing handled behind the scenes.
Pinterest has publicly apologized for the account bans and Pin removals that users said were unwarranted. While the company denied AI was at fault, it admitted to over-enforcement of content policies and has begun reinstating affected accounts. Many users are still frustrated with the delayed response and poor communication.
This file maps out the lifecycle journey of Graza olive oil. Graza's playful, educational design extends across all touchpoints, making even a two-SKU offering feel dynamic. To reduce churn, the brand offers flexible subscription options and discounts, and even lets users gift a shipment to friends. It also engages customers with content like recipes and product tips, using education and referral incentives to boost loyalty and encourage continued use.
Redesigns should be driven by significant changes in business strategy, not by trends, leadership changes, or vague dissatisfaction. Without a solid brand foundation, a redesign will fail to deliver results. In many cases, a focused update or content refresh is more effective than a full rebrand. Companies must clearly define the problem they're solving and choose external partners based on gaps in their internal team, not just budget. Web and brand overhauls can cost from $10K to over $500K, depending on stage and scope, and even with outside help, significant internal effort is still required. To avoid generic results, teams need alignment, strong brand strategy, and a willingness to evolve rather than overhaul when possible.
YouTube is rolling out a new shoppable TV ad format that places an interactive product feed on the right side of the screen during ads. Viewers can use their remote to scroll through featured items and choose a product to either scan a QR code for direct purchase or press a button to send the full shopping link to their phone. The format is designed to align with dual-screen behavior and convert passive ad viewing into active shopping.
This curated list of resources provides insights on brand strategy, cultural trends, AI, and marketing leadership. Podcasts include “How I AI” by Claire Vo and “Uncensored CMO” by Jon Evans. Newsletters include “Good Thinking” by Chris Danton and “Kids These Days” by Kim Lear.
Across thousands of SaaS tests, only 10% of revenue-focused A/B experiments deliver better results than the control. Tactics such as illustrated or semi-opaque backgrounds, reassurance subtext below CTAs, and linking customer logos to case studies consistently generate positive results, but brands continue to adopt other losing ideas. In high-profile cases like GoDaddy and Talkdesk, AI-heavy messaging lost in tests but was still adopted widely, showing strategic decisions can often be driven more by perception, internal alignment, or investor storytelling than by user response.
Marketing at Expedia Group has become increasingly data-driven. AI now supports everything from lifetime value modeling to large-scale content creation. Generative AI tools have boosted productivity and helped adapt to shifting consumer behaviors, especially as younger users move away from traditional search. The company is also exploring AI agents to simplify travel planning and strengthen customer relationships through programs like One Key. Cross-functional teams and a culture of experimentation have enabled faster content production and deeper AI fluency without needing machine learning expertise.
70% of consumers say they feel more connected to brands when their CEOs are active on social media.
E-commerce business JD.com is developing AI agents that can execute complex ad campaigns for its merchants via simple commands while reducing the platform's own costs.
TikTok has introduced AI Alive, an image-to-video creation tool available through the Story Camera.
Viewership of major ‘free ad-supported television' (FAST) services like Tubi and Pluto TV rose by 21% and 15%, respectively, over the past year, according to Nielsen. Additional data also shows a surge to 1,755 FAST channels across major markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Germany, a 67% growth compared to mid-2023. Free TV is successfully positioning itself as the scalable, low-barrier alternative to a saturated subscription environment.
Generational differences in content preferences, buying behavior, and customer service expectations are widening and making one-size-fits-all strategies ineffective. For instance, 84% of Baby Boomers prefer informative content, while only 56% of Gen Z feel the same. Gen Z is more drawn to interactivity, with 46% saying it makes brand videos appealing. Service preferences vary as well, with over half of Boomers still favoring phone calls while younger generations prefer social DMs. Without a generationally aware strategy, brands risk missing key opportunities for engagement.
Ahrefs uses the B.R.E.W. framework to evaluate marketing ideas across Business potential, Reach, Effort, and Who (right people for the task). The system replaces instinctive decision-making with a consistent scoring method, helping teams prioritize everything from viral content ideas to high-cost initiatives like conferences. By revisiting and re-scoring ideas as team bandwidth and technology evolve, the framework ensures resources are directed toward initiatives that align with strategic goals and current capabilities.
To define and refine your ICP, use a detailed framework that pinpoints which companies benefit most from your product. Avoid vague descriptions such as “mid-sized companies” or “enterprises”. A strong ICP includes clear firmographics, specific buyer behaviors, and well-defined problem statements. The Five Question Framework helps uncover these insights by prompting you to reflect on patterns across your best customers, common objections in lost deals, upsell opportunities, and what competitor customers have in common. This approach gives you the clarity needed to target the right prospects.
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AI Max adds optional enhancements to Search campaigns, including AI-driven query matching, real-time ad text customization, and landing page-based URL routing. Unlike Performance Max, AI Max improves standard Search campaigns without replacing them. Google also introduced new controls and reporting transparency, making AI Max a more structured and customizable bridge between manual and automated search strategies.
Amazon's 2025 upfront showcased new Prime Video ad formats, including AI-generated scene-aware pause ads and real-time shopping integrations. According to the company, ad-supported monthly reach on Prime Video has surpassed 130 million, while total US ad-supported audiences across all properties now exceed 300 million.
Gling is a video editing tool that helps YouTubers and content creators save time by automatically cutting silences, bad takes, and filler words. It also adds captions, removes noise, adjusts framing, and suggests optimized titles and chapters. Users can fine-tune edits and export videos directly or integrate with tools like Premiere and Final Cut.
Buffer used a 2013 security breach to prove its commitment to transparency by publicly sharing detailed updates within 24 hours, including CEO responses and real-time progress. Instead of losing trust, it gained praise and reinforced customer loyalty. Buffer then made transparency a permanent practice by publishing employee salaries, financials, and internal documents, leading to a 230% spike in job applications and improved retention. Its long-term openness created a trust flywheel that gave it flexibility in decision-making and a competitive edge that others couldn't easily copy.
Customers are significantly less likely to return or recommend a business if they feel observed while tipping. A study of 36,888 transactions showed that a lack of tipping privacy reduced revisit likelihood by 24.7% and referral intent by up to 40% on digital platforms. Being watched while tipping does not increase tip amounts but instead creates negative feelings that drive people away. Businesses should ensure tipping privacy to protect customer satisfaction and loyalty, even in digital settings.