The Marketing Impact – March 2026

From the rise of autonomous AI agents to the rapid expansion of in-store retail media networks, we’ve distilled the key updates you need to navigate this complex terrain. Let’s dive into the developments that will define your strategy this month.

Ready for the highlights (and lowlights)?

The TL:DR you need:

• Agentic AI is here, with platforms like Amazon Ads enabling AI agents to manage campaigns directly.
• Despite pressure to adopt AI, only 6% of marketers have fully embedded it into their workflows, creating a productivity squeeze.
• Google’s Circle to Search can now identify multiple objects from the entire image.
• LinkedIn is cracking down on inauthentic activity.
• Pinterest sees a larger search volume than ChatGPT.

Search Updates for February

AI Updates for February

• Amazon Ads launched a new tool, allowing third-party AI agents like ChatGPT to check reports (directly from the platform) and adjust settings using natural language. 
  • Given the level of hallucinations AI LLMs have in their prompt answers, I would be very cautious to trust it entirely with my ad reporting.
  • We also saw the launch of SAGE, an agentic AI platform designed to help make ads more effective.
  • Thirdly, we saw STRATIS, an agentic AI solution for marketing intelligence.
• ChatGPT is declining fast! A deal was made with the Department of War (FKA Department of Defense) and users were not happy, resulting in a 295% increase in uninstalls.
  • Ethical AI use is such a big topic, people are considering all parts of the platforms they are choosing to use.
• Forrester’s 2026 predictions have left marketers feeling a lot of pressure and probably very vulnerable. They forecast that automation will drive a 15% reduction in agency jobs this year.
• The US Supreme Court has declined to review the ruling it previously made, stating that AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted.
• ChatGPT is testing ads in the US, however, “ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you, and we keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers.”
• ​AI Overviews coverage increased by 58% across all searches in the last 12 months. 
  • Healthcare AIO coverage increased in 88% of queries
  • B2B tech AIO coverage increased in 82% of queries
  • Education industries AIO coverage increased in 83% of queries
• ​Sites using self-ranked listicles have seen significant visibility drops. Some brands are reporting 30-50% visibility loss. These kinds of articles are very common in SaaS spaces and it seems Google is punishing this tactic. 

Google Updates for February

Google has been the top player in search for such a long time, it makes sense that they are crawling and scraping to become a larger player in the world of AI. To help them achieve this, there have been many AI updates from Google. 

• ​Google’s Circle to Search can now identify multiple objects from the entire image. 
  • This is increasingly being adopted by users as an easy way to search, so it makes sense that Google is investing in improving the tool.
• ​A Google patent describes replacing search results with AI-generated landing pages.
  • We’ve just invested in a new website, so we are very hopeful that this doesn’t happen! However, we will have to see what transpires from this patent.
• Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode now includes a pop-up hover feature, which shows more descriptive and prominent links to help increase CTR in this section! 
• Google’s AI Mode expands to 53 new languages. 
• The February 2026 Discover core update has been released. 
  • As usual, Google are recommending against clickbait, sensationalism, and artificially inflating engagement.

Bing Updates for February

• ​Multi-turn search has been rolled out worldwide. This allows users to perform follow-up searches in a Copilot chat without leaving the search engine results page.
• ​Microsoft has launched a new initiative which pays publishers for any content included in AI products. This is an opt-in system that allows content licensing for LLMs and crawlers. 

Social Media & Platform Updates

Meta Updates for February

• Adam Mosseri has spoken, and scheduling your content, and using “link in bio” does NOT limit reach on Instagram
• WhatsApp is rolling out voice and video calls via the web app.
  • This is great if you are using WhatsApp for customer service! 
• Instagram has released a whole bunch of features: 
  • Potentially the ability to reorder carousels after posting.
  • Let users remove themselves from someone’s Close Friends list. 
  • Clickable links, but only in Edit’s and if you’re linking to a previous Reel or another user’s profile. 
  • Customisable feeds for Reels. This includes a chronological feed of content from your follow accounts.
  • The ability to edit the thumbnails of their posted content on their grid.
  • Native scheduling content!!

LinkedIn Updates for February

• LinkedIn is cracking down on inauthentic activity, rolling out updates that will see automated comments (you know, the “Great post!” bots) removed from the “most recent” feed. Soon, they might not even reach beyond the commenter’s own network.
  • Engagement baiting is out. If you want reach, you need to leave comments that actually add value. Think insights, not insults to everyone’s intelligence.
• A list of the top skills on the rise in marketing has been shared. 
  • The top five are: performance analysis, AI literacy, social media branding, client prospecting, and visual storytelling.
• LinkedIn is offering advice on how to optimise your content so it gets picked up by AI chatbots. Their tips: use clear and accessible language, adopt a natural but authoritative voice, and write in digestible snippets where each section makes sense on its own.
  • You’re not just writing for humans anymore; you’re writing for the robots that feed the humans.
• Nearly six in ten buyers discover brands through creator content, almost half visit a vendor site after engaging with it, and employee networks are around 12x larger than company pages.
  • You need to empower your employees to be advocates on LinkedIn (their networks are massive!) and you need to pay attention to creators. People trust people, not logos.

TikTok Updates for February

• In a plot twist that surprised absolutely no one, TikTok went down in the US again. The culprit? An issue with Oracle’s data centre. 
  • Do not build your entire business on rented land without an escape plan. When the music stops (or the data centre goes poof), where does your audience go? This is your not-so-gentle reminder to keep collecting those emails, building that newsletter list, and driving traffic to a platform you actually own.
• TikTok is rolling out a Local feed to US users. Think of it as a hyper-specific “For You” page showing you content from nearby brands, creators, and shops.
• Brands are seeing more growth on TikTok while organic reach on Instagram is, to put it politely, taking a nap.

Snapchat Updates for February

• Finally, creators can charge for the privilege of their attention. The platform has launched creator subscriptions in the US.
  • Think of it as a Patreon-light, right in the app. You need to start thinking about what exclusive, behind-the-scenes, or “priority access” content is so juicy that your biggest fans will actually pay to unlock it.
• Snapchat is quietly flexing that it drives 5x more brand recommendations and 2x more buying power than YouTube.
• They have also launched a “Home Safe” feature that automatically notifies your chosen people when you’ve arrived at your destination safely.
  • This isn’t a direct ad placement opportunity, but it tells you everything about how Snapchat sees itself: as a utility for your real life. For your marketing, this reinforces that the platform thrives on authenticity and real-world connection.

More Social Media Updates for February

• Pinterest is out here making a bold claim, stating it sees a larger search volume than ChatGPT. Yes, the vision board app is coming for the AI chatbot’s neck.
  • If you have visual content that answers a “how-to” or “what-to-buy” question, Pinterest is a goldmine of high-intent traffic. Treat it like a visual Google, not just a social network.
• Reddit, the front page of the internet, has graciously shared the four key trends driving brand engagement on its platform: nostalgia-driven storytelling, UGC social proof, niche-inspired campaigns, and campaigns that unfold, not just launch.
  • Reddit is basically begging you not to be a boring, corporate robot. Stop showing up with a polished ad and a press release. Show up with a story.
• Bluesky has FINALLY launched drafts. Yes, the feature that has existed on every other platform since 2010 has arrived.
• Twitch is testing a new feature that will show ads when livestreams are paused.
• Spotify continues its quest to be every app at once, rolling out group chats that let users share podcasts, playlists, and audiobooks with up to ten people.
• YouTube has officially overtaken Reddit as the top citation source in AI-generated responses. The robots are watching more videos than they are reading forums.

Measurement & Strategy Updates

The pressure to prove business impact is intensifying, and budgets are following consumer attention.

• The ANA’s “State of Marketing Measurement Report” dropped a truth bomb that will surprise approximately zero people in the trenches: 
  • 53% of marketers struggle to unify measurement across channels. To make it worse, Forrester is predicting a 7% decline in marketers’ confidence in their ability to measure business impact in 2026.
• Consumer behaviour is out here playing musical chairs with your budget. 
  • Forrester predicted that marketers will slash display ad budgets by a whopping 30% as audiences flee to AI-driven discovery and entertainment-first platforms like connected TV (CTV) and social video. 
  • Digital fatigue is real, with 52% of US online adults now actively pursuing in-person experiences.
• A survey for “The 2026 Customer Loyalty Report” found that while most brands claim a nice, tidy 50/50 budget split between acquisition and retention, 67% of consumers feel that brands favour acquiring new customers over keeping existing ones.

Marketing Training & Industry Updates

Marketing Week and other industry bodies have released reports that shine a light on some stark truths in the industry.

• While 80% of marketers feel pressure to adopt AI, only 6% have fully embedded it into their workflows. This gap is creating what they call a “productivity squeeze,” where AI increases output but also raises expectations, making jobs harder as time savings are immediately reallocated to more complex work.