INSIGHTS FROM EXPERTS ON LINKEDIN
Andrei Zinkevich says traditional lead scoring doesn’t really reflect how ready someone is to buy. He argues that instead of points-based systems, marketers should look at broader signals like brand engagement, relationships, and real business triggers such as hiring or funding. The idea is that the pipeline comes from combined signals across the account, not a score.
Dave Gerhardt says more CMOs are putting real focus back on brand, not just performance and AI. He talks about how things like creative, events, swag, and real human connection are becoming more important in a world where AI narrows down buying options. In the end, brand is what still makes people choose one company over another.
Angus Growney explains Meta’s new pass-back attribution feature, where external attribution models can now feed data directly into Meta’s optimisation system. Instead of only reporting results, your measurement setup can actually influence bidding decisions. This could help reduce the gap between platform numbers and real revenue.
Alex Alexandrov challenges Byron Sharp’s idea that brand is only about mental availability and not meaning. He points to examples like Harley-Davidson tattoos to show that brand often goes far beyond simple recall. He argues that brand meaning still plays a big role in how people actually choose.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE INDUSTRY
A new interview with Thomson Reuters’ SVP of Growth Marketing argues that marketers focus too much on metrics that are easy to measure and not enough on what actually drives growth. The key question: would the outcome have been different without this campaign? The article also highlights the growing importance of brand awareness across entire buying committees, stronger alignment with finance, and using social proof to build trust in both human and AI-driven buying journeys.
Google has announced a wave of AI-powered advertising updates that move ads beyond simple clicks and toward interactive conversations. New features will help qualify leads, predict intent, automate optimisation, and even forecast future outcomes, all before a prospect becomes a customer. While this could improve lead quality and efficiency, it also means marketers will need to balance the benefits of automation with reduced visibility into how Google’s AI makes decisions.
Google is merging Display Ads management into Demand Gen campaigns, giving advertisers access to broader reach and more AI-powered optimisation tools. The change allows Display inventory to be managed alongside placements on YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps within a single campaign structure. For marketers, it’s another sign that Google is consolidating more advertising activity into fewer AI-driven campaign types.
Google has launched Real-Time Policy Reviews, allowing advertisers to get policy feedback while creating ads instead of waiting for a separate review process. Simple issues like typos or broken links can be fixed immediately, while more complex policy violations are flagged after saving. The update should help advertisers launch campaigns faster, especially when timing is critical.
Starting June 2026, Google Ads will begin deleting detailed reporting data that is older than 37 months, while monthly and annual data will remain available for up to 11 years. Some reach and frequency metrics will have an even shorter three-year retention period. Advertisers who rely on long-term historical data may need to start exporting and storing it elsewhere before it disappears.
Google Ads now includes a built-in lead management dashboard, giving advertisers a single place to track, qualify, and manage leads generated through Google-hosted forms. The system also sends lead-quality signals back to Google’s AI, helping bidding algorithms focus on leads that are more likely to become customers. It’s another step towards making Google Ads a more complete lead generation platform.
Google is merging the Google tag and Google Tag Manager, bringing more tagging and tracking features into a single setup. The update includes better debugging tools, version control, faster data transmission, and a new no-code conversion tracking option currently in beta. The goal is to make tracking easier to manage while reducing the technical work needed to set up and maintain it
That’s the scoop for this week! If you found this valuable and any useful insights caught your eye, feel free to share them with your network.
Until next week!
