CM Marketing Minute: DM Expectations, Tumblr Revival, & Google AI Targeting DM expectations rising A new survey from Emplifi reveals that 32% of consumers expect a direct message response from brands within one hour—and nearly half will walk away after just two poor experiences. Social media is no longer just a branding tool; it’s a frontline customer service channel. For marketers, that means speed and tone in DMs aren’t nice-to-haves—they’re retention levers. Gen Z’s Tumblr

How to Effectively Communicate with Your Advertising Agency Working with an advertising agency should feel like an extension of your internal marketing team—not a tug-of-war. But often, the gap between expectations and execution boils down to one thing: communication. Whether you’re aiming to generate more leads, build brand awareness, or launch a new product, how you communicate with your agency determines how fast and how well you’ll get there. Here’s how to build a healthy,

Reddit has officially made conversation ads available to all advertisers, placing brand messages directly into the heart of user comment threads. These placements are designed to feel native while capturing attention in highly engaged discussions. Marketers looking to reach intent-driven communities now have a new way to tap into authentic dialogue at scale, especially in niches where traditional social targeting falls short. Google Adds a ‘Web’ Filter to Search Google has introduced a “Web” filter

Online audio continues to hold a massive share of attention, with 79% of U.S. respondents tuning in monthly. Spotify and YouTube Music lead the pack. For marketers, audio remains a cost-effective way to reach consumers during passive moments—think workouts, commutes, and household routines—when visual ads can’t reach them. Roku’s Impressive Hold of Stream Time Roku now accounts for 47% of U.S. streaming time, and they’re opening up access with a self-serve Ads Manager and no

Why Your Marketing Strategy Needs Brand, Demand, and Performance Ads Brand preference is more than a feel-good metric. According to the Marketing Accountability Standards Board, brand preference explains nearly 90% of the variation in brands’ market share. In short: when people like your brand more, they buy more from you. Your marketing strategy needs Brand, Demand, and Performance Ads. Strong brands command higher prices, inspire loyalty, and earn trust. For example, Apple users pay top