Hello Marketers!! We’re diving into how algorithms, psychology, and creative decisions are reshaping performance across platforms, from Meta’s biggest update since Andromeda to how the Gruen effect makes shoppers buy more. Scroll on to explore the full breakdowns, strategies, and quick hits below 👇

Quick heads up: this will be the last issue of the week as we pause for Xmas and holidays. Enjoy some well-earned time off, unplug if you can, and we’ll be back with fresh insights next week. 🎄✨

Analysis of over 300,000 high-performing videos suggests thumbnails with faces and without faces perform similarly on average, with results varying more by niche, channel size, and execution than by any universal rule. Faces tend to help larger channels and certain categories like finance, while hurting others, and YouTube itself optimizes thumbnails based on watch time, not clicks. This means higher CTR can backfire if retention drops. The real lever isn’t whether a face appears, but whether the thumbnail, title, and opening seconds work together as a coherent promise that the video actually delivers. Why it matters (POV): Chasing thumbnail’s hacks is risky. YouTube rewards relevance and retention over clickbait, so optimization should focus on audience fit.

Social media has evolved from a communication channel into a leadership infrastructure, reshaping how authority is formed inside organizations. As executives share updates publicly in real time, employees increasingly prioritize posts, reactions, and comments rather than internal frameworks, allowing algorithms optimized for attention to rank and redistribute leadership power. Visibility rises, but clarity often doesn’t, creating a gap where momentum replaces intent and engagement substitutes for governance. Why it matters (POV): This isn’t a PR issue but a structural one when leadership isn’t deliberately designed and governed internally, authority drifts to the feed, and organizations end up scaling confusion instead of alignment.

Meta’s new GEM (Generative Ads Model) update isn’t changing ad strategy as much as it’s changing who your ads reach, using longer intent signals and shared data across IG and FB to get smarter at identifying real buyers over time. GEM looks beyond short-term clicks, connecting months of behavior to distinguish curiosity from purchase intent, which means advertisers don’t need new hacks or structures, just stronger, more native-looking creatives that match what people already consume organically. The algorithm is now better at doing its job in the background, but it also exposes weak ads faster by delivering them more efficiently (or not at all). Why it matters (POV): This raises the bar. GEM rewards creative quality and audience understanding, so the winners won’t be those chasing algorithm updates, but those consistently producing ads that feel like content people actually want to watch.

Here are the 5 high-leverage tools that add insight when defaults aren’t enough: (1) Creative Testing Tool to fairly test new ads inside the main ad set without isolating results, (2) Value Rules to adjust bids where Meta lacks context (like low-quality age ranges or Audience Network), (3) Breakdowns to surface hidden distribution and performance issues early, (4) Audience Segments to understand how budget naturally splits between prospecting and remarketing, and (5) Compare Attribution Settings to see how results change across attribution windows and avoid optimizing on misleading signals. Together, these tools keep accounts simple while restoring insight in an AI-driven system. Why it matters (POV): As Meta takes over more decisions, it’s important to know where to intervene with the right levers before automation hides real performance problems.

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Content marketing often underperforms not because teams lack effort, but because they repeat the same structural mistakes: (1) producing too much “okay” content instead of a few standout pieces, (2) creating content before defining a clear strategy, (3) neglecting and failing to refresh existing high-potential content, (4) gating too much value and destroying trust before it’s earned, (5) misapplying SEO by either over-optimizing for keywords or ignoring search entirely, and (6) overlooking distribution by assuming great content will travel on its own. These errors flatten differentiation, waste resources, and limit reach even when the underlying ideas are strong. Why it matters (POV): Content is only an asset if it compounds over time. Avoiding these six mistakes can turn your content into a scalable growth engine.

Trump’s 2025 tariff shock forced marketers to make hard trade-offs between margins, pricing, and media spend, with many brands cutting ads, shifting supply chains, or narrowing channel focus as costs and uncertainty spiked. While some paused or reduced paid media, others leaned into brand storytelling, local positioning, and core channels like Meta and Google to protect demand when product availability or pricing became volatile, turning crisis management into a messaging and prioritization problem rather than a pure growth one. Why it matters (POV): This shows that in macro disruption, marketing doesn’t disappear. It changes shape, and the winners are those who protect demand through brand clarity and channel focus instead of reacting with budget cuts.

TikTok Shop is accelerating its ecommerce push with gift cards ($10–$500), seller subsidies, and gamified incentives, aiming to drive both last-minute gifting and faster merchant adoption while it still can. The launch is similar to Amazon-style gift cards (with the added upside of breakage). It plans interactive video “unboxings” in 2026, and offers sellers up to $6,000 in coupons, no joining fees, and earnings incentives tied to GMV, effectively subsidizing early growth to lock in supply and demand. Why it matters (POV): TikTok shows the sign of urgency that Shop needs scale fast amid regulatory uncertainty, and brands willing to test early can buy growth with platform-funded incentives, but should treat it as an opportunistic channel, not yet a stable long-term pillar.

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.

TLDR: IKEA uses the Gruen Effect to gently disorient shoppers, extend browsing time, and trigger impulse buys; the same psychology can be applied to digital D2C experiences to increase AOV and discovery.

The Gruen Effect happens when an environment transforms shoppers from goal-driven to exploratory mode through sensory stimulation, confusing layouts, and constant discovery. IKEA masters this with maze-like store paths, forced sequencing, checkout placement at the end, and room setups that spark imagination. The longer shoppers wander, the more familiar the products feel, and the more they buy. Online, this logic lives on through infinite scroll, bundles, and algorithmic recommendations.

Here are 2 examples you can apply it to online D2C brands…

How to reduce cart abandonment: Answer 2 subconscious questions buyers have — what happens after I buy? (add 3–5 day shipping / next-day shipping) and what if I don’t like it? (add 30-day free returns or money-back guarantee) to remove last-second hesitation.

Snapchat is leaning into playful AI engagement, launching its new “Animate It” Lens, which lets creators generate short animated videos from text prompts.

X is adding deeper profile transparency, now showing account age, location, verification timing, username changes, and app source as part of a broader push to add context and restrict bot activity without fully removing user control.

Google is expanding Performance Max transparency, rolling out channel-level performance reporting at the MCC level so you can finally see how spend and results are distributed.

Instacart is pulling the plug on AI-driven pricing tests after regulatory backlash, highlighting how algorithmic price experimentation can quickly lose consumer trust when transparency breaks down.

Agentic AI could drive up to 25% of U.S. ecommerce sales by 2030, indicating a shift from AI-assisted shopping to autonomous purchasing, forcing retailers to decide whether they own the customer relationship or hand it to third-party AI agents.

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— Sam C.