🎥 Portrait mode.

Your holiday ads are getting an AI upgrade courtesy of Google

We hope your pumpkin spice latte is hot because the holiday shopping season is here.

And to keep your assets fresh and ready, Google has rolled out new creative and omnichannel tools across Ads and YouTube.

The updates include a suite of generative tools in Asset Studio, product scene swapping and video creation in Product Studio, and omnichannel optimization.

Plus, AI-powered insights in Google Merchant Center aim to surface actionable tips, and total budgets can be set for periods between 3 and 90 days.

Getting vertical for your socials? The Veo 3 AI video generator now supports the 9:16 aspect ratio, making it easier to create content for TikTok and Reels.

Generation costs have also been cut nearly in half, but this has reignited concerns about social feeds getting flooded with uncanny AI slop.

But let’s rewind to the start: Shoppers are researching for longer, and Google says over 60% of queries are now broad and conversational. Meaning they’re looking for inspiration and not just specific products.

Google’s advice is to use AI like AI Overviews and the new AI Max for Search to connect with customers much earlier in their journey.

There’s a bit more to explore from Google, so check out the updates in full detail here.

Right, time for another latte.

Reddit and Meta are trading out chaos for more credibility

Social media is evolving from the Stone Age into the Bronze Age.

Much more civilized: Major platforms are rolling out new tools aimed at boosting content quality and helping creators find their audience.

First up, Reddit is courting publishers with a new suite of free tools in Reddit Pro. The goal is to help you track article performance and grow your presence.

Key features include:

• Article insights to see where your stories are shared.
• RSS feed syncing for easier article distribution.
• AI-powered suggestions on which communities to post in.

The platform is also improving the in-app reading experience, making it easier for users to comment on articles without losing their place. Like a virtual bookmark.

Meanwhile, Meta is crowdsourcing the truth… That could go either way.

Its Community Notes features are expanding, now allowing users to add context or fact-checks to posts. Anyone can request or rate a note.

Over 70,000 contributors have already written 15,000 notes, showing a clear effort to build a more trustworthy environment for everyone.

Perhaps the Iron Age will come next, and your posts will actually get shown to your followers…

The psychology behind e-commerce emails that always get opened

What makes some e-commerce emails so intriguing and persuasive?

We dissected hundreds of emails, from welcoming new customers to reeling back those who left items in their carts, and guess what…

It all has to do with psychology.

And in our Inbox to Checkout report, we show you exactly how you can pull someone’s behavioral levers to draw them in… and keep them coming back.

Inside this report you’ll find:

• The surprising trick behind welcome emails that make customers feel like VIPs in their favorite café.
• Unique creative approaches for abandoned cart emails that go beyond the easily ignored “Forgot something?”
• The best marketing emails we’ve seen—and what makes them click with customers.

Each section is packed with real-life examples, psychological insights, and even AI prompts to help you apply everything you learn to your brand.

Turn your next series of e-commerce emails into money makers…

Unlock the report with a 7-day trial of Stacked Marketer Pro.

Ethos in advertising: Why it’s so powerful

Ever seen an ad that just feels… trustworthy?

It’s not an accident. That’s the power of ethos, an old-school persuasion tactic going back to Aristotle. And it’s more relevant than ever.

For customers, it all comes down to one question: “Why should I trust you?”

Kaleigh Moore has some useful ways to answer that question:

1) Engage with your community.

Demonstrating your passion and expertise is a great way to build trust. It makes the business feel like a real part of the community.

An ad featuring a plumber discussing not just common clogs but also his work helping shelter pets shows moral priorities beyond just profit.

2) Let customers do the talking.

Testimonials are a powerful form of social proof. It’s one thing for you to say you’re great, but it’s more convincing when your customers say it.

A local bookstore, for example, used ads featuring quotes from loyal shoppers to share what they love about the store, helping new customers picture themselves there.

3) Put a face to the name.

Giving the founder a face can build a strong personal connection. For a travel agent, a simple, friendly photo in business attire can communicate character and competence without a single word.

It shows the real person behind the business, which builds a foundation of trust.

4) Partner with someone familiar.

A celebrity endorsement goes a long way, as we tend to trust quality recommendations from well-known figures. Smaller businesses can achieve a similar goal by working with local influencers to boost credibility.

5) Flaunt your social proof and awards.

Accreditations and awards are a stamp of approval from a trusted source. A company using a “#1 American-rated” award in an ad shows buyers that it’s a beloved product.

This is a smart way to overcome hesitation, especially for products not traditionally bought online.

In a skeptical world, credibility is a huge competitive advantage.

It builds the foundation for sustainable growth through loyalty and referrals. So for your next campaign, try leading with trust instead of a sales pitch.

Marketing tactics, but with the details and context most “gurus” ignore

You probably noticed: Many newsletters and marketing “gurus” share tactics eagerly, but leave out the fine print.

… Like why certain tactics might work for some business models or average order values (AOV), but not others.

Which is why the Tactics newsletter doesn’t stop at sharing actionable tips.

It also shows you real-world examples of where and how they work best, and why.

Join 15,241 other savvy marketers and get proven tactics every Saturday for free.

Influencers play a big role among younger consumers

For a long time, influencers were powerful awareness drivers.

But according to new stats, they’ve become direct sales channels. Especially for younger consumers:

Creator-led commerce is booming.

A massive 66% of millennials and an even more impressive 73% of Gen Z have purchased products directly from content creators online.

This influence extends offline too, with 58% of millennials and 60% of Gen Z making in-store purchases based on creator content.

Is your favorite creator the new storefront: The path to conversion no longer starts on a brand’s website but on a social media feed. Where creators are both taste makers and trusted retailers

What can you do: Don’t just partner with creators for exposure. Empower them with affiliate links, promo codes, and creator storefronts to turn their influence directly into sales.

Treat them like a vital part of your sales team.

If you liked this data, make sure to check out the full story on our website.

TOOLS: Tool sprawl isn’t manageable in our era of rising software costs. Instead, check out Titan, a Salesforce-native platform that replaces the need for multiple tools. So, sign up to Titan for as little as $150/m. Learn more.*

GOOGLE: Your path to AI-powered results is getting shorter. Google is now testing shortcuts in its autocomplete suggestions that jump you directly into AI Mode as you type, aiming to resolve the query before it’s even finished being asked. Yes, a mind reader, kind of…

SEARCH: To the left, to the left. Google’s latest test puts your sitelinks arrows to the left of the link. They’re usually on the right. Yep, that’s about it.

ADVERTISING: Amazon’s quiet land grab in streaming ads continues, now with Netflix inventory on its DRP. Starting in Q4 across 12 markets like the US and UK, you can leverage Amazon’s unique commerce data for smarter buys, potentially making it cheaper. Hm.

GOOGLE ADS: Need to manage your ad spend during a big sale? Google is testing a Promotion Mode to ramp up spending and chase volume over strict efficiency. You might also see Campaign Total Budgets, which lets you set a fixed spend for promotions.

SEARCH: Just when you thought the waters had calmed, Google’s August 2025 spam update is reportedly heating up again. If you’re noticing renewed chaos in your rankings and traffic, this is the likely culprit. Just one day off Google, please.

*This is a sponsored post.

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