Hello Marketers!! Today, we’re diving into the shift toward use-case-driven data strategy, new research showing YouTube Shorts pulling ahead in the short-form race, and a booming AI-in-social market reshaping how brands reach audiences. Plus, there’s more inside, from Nestlé’s AI moderators to X’s new algorithm ranking, and more. Let’s get you caught up…

YouTube Shorts has become the top short-form video platform (56%), beating TikTok and Facebook (50% each), with 73% of people watching short-form content multiple times per day and 81% consuming it primarily on mobile. Engagement is massive: 61% say short-form is more engaging than articles, podcasts, or long videos, and 68% regularly engage with ads in these environments. Why it matters (POV): Short-form video is becoming the default content format across the entire internet. That shift completely rewrites distribution, monetization, and publisher strategy. 

X is now using Grok AI to rank the “Following” feed, meaning neither “Following” nor “For You” will show chronologically by default, even if users previously set it that way. Elon Musk says you can still access an unfiltered timeline, but the app now automatically defaults everyone into an algorithmic feed to boost engagement. Why it matters (POV): If the feed stops feeling live, X may lose what made it indispensable in the first place because X’s core value has always been real-time updates.

Google insists it’s only a reporting glitch, not an indexing or ranking issue. Crawling continues as normal, but the delay means teams can’t verify whether new pages are being indexed, diagnose exclusions, or confirm fixes, forcing them to rely on URL Inspection, third-party crawlers, log files, and analytics workarounds. These delays aren’t new. It reflects ongoing scaling issues as Google processes exponentially more web content. Why it matters (POV): The real lesson: diversify your monitoring stack and stop treating GSC as a real-time dashboard only. Google’s infrastructure can’t keep up with the modern web all the time.

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

The AI in the Social Media market is projected to explode, driven by the need for real-time analytics, hyper-personalized content, automated moderation, smarter ad optimization, and creator-level performance tools. Machine learning, NLP, and computer vision now power everything from sentiment analysis and predictive targeting to advanced video editing and safety systems. The biggest growth areas include generative content creation, AI-driven social commerce, immersive AR/VR experiences, influencer intelligence, and sentiment-based crisis detection. Why it matters (POV): Social media has become an AI ecosystem where platforms, creators, and brands gain unfair advantages from predictive models, automation, and personalization engines. 

A real data strategy starts with business goals first, then builds everything around use cases, not tools or fields. The 5-step loop is simple: (1) identify broad value-creation ideas across the entire customer journey, (2) select a small mix of high-impact use cases plus a few quick wins, (3) specify and prioritize them with clear requirements and scoring, (4) consolidate them into a unified, cross-functional framework that exposes shared needs in data, governance, tech, and capabilities, and (5) implement and scale, using quick wins for momentum, then feeding new ideas back into the loop. Why it matters (POV): Brands don’t lose because they lack data; they lose because they collect it without purpose. A use-case-driven system turns scattered insights into coordinated action, reduces wasted tooling, and aligns marketing, sales, and service around shared clarity.

Nestlè did 60 consumer interviews for testing new packaging concepts and generating topline findings in 48 hours and full synthesis in one week. AI handled the structured interviews, while localized AI personas ensured cultural nuance. Participants even preferred the nonjudgmental nature of AI-led interviews. But the success depended entirely on human oversight: researchers had to precisely brief the AI, interpret the outputs, extract insights, and turn patterns into strategy. Tips from the project: calibrate AI to local tone, keep interviews short, allow spontaneous expression, and treat AI’s analysis as raw material, never the final answer. Why it matters (POV): This is the cool future of consumer research, not “AI replacing moderators,” but AI scaling the grunt work while humans supply the meaning. Brands that master this hybrid model will run faster cycles and test globally without incurring huge budgets.

Burger King is launching a massive SpongeBob collaboration on Dec. 2, rolling out a themed menu, kids meals with toys, custom packaging, an app takeover, and cross-platform ads tied to the upcoming SpongeBob movie. The new CMO says SpongeBob is a multigenerational fit and a natural extension of Burger King’s “fun and playful” positioning. The campaign also taps into the brand’s strategy of tailoring content to each audience segment: kids via toys and TikTok, Gen Z/Alpha via social content, and millennials through nostalgia. Why it matters (POV): This is a smart example of using entertainment, not as a gimmick, but as a full-funnel brand asset: menu innovation, kids’ sales, social reach, and cultural relevance all in one.

— Sam C.