The two scariest words in marketing may be “brand safety.” That’s because people think of it as a fire alarm going off. But that’s just a crisis response. As Jay Mandel points out, real brand safety comes from earning loyalty before the storm. His proactive brand safety checklist will help with that.

Also, Ryan Phelan looks at the AI-infused email inbox of the not-too-distant future and how it will turn marketing on its head. If you thought winning customer trust was hard, wait until you have to win it with an AI agent. 

Constantine von Hoffman
Managing Editor

Marketing technology

Your next marketing challenge may be winning over the AI in charge of the customer’s inbox

An inbox that acts like a personal assistant? AI could turn email into a smart, signal-based system that fits your daily life. Here's how.

Marketing management

Brand safety is BS (until it’s not)

People trust people, not press releases. Build a brand that speaks with purpose — and earns loyalty before the storm.

Digital advertising

As Google brings back cookies, marketers stick with privacy-first strategies

The consensus among marketers is that cookies are the past, and respecting consumer privacy is the future.

PPC

26 A/B testing ideas

These 26 A/B test ideas help search marketers improve what happens after the click—from landing pages to CTAs and conversion flows.

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

AI-powered martech releases and news: April 24

OpenAI execs are telling investors that by the end of the decade, it will have Nvidia/Meta-level sales revenues. Skeptics think otherwise.

Marketing technology

Why mindset, not just tech, defines AI success in marketing

AI changes everything — especially making decisions, learning and leading. Here's how to shift from optimization to reinvention.

B2C marketing

Your 2025 Marketing Playbook? Everyone else already has it

If your strategies still rely on last year’s playbook, you’re already behind. See what’s driving consumer decisions right now.

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

What genAI means for your marketing skills

GenAI is on the rise, but many teams still lack clear policies. This survey shows how AI use and governance vary across marketing functions.

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The complete MarTech spring season is now available!

Unlock 45+ on-demand discussions on marketing strategy and solutions to overcome your biggest AI, GTM, ABM, and influencer marketing challenges – yours for free.

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What they're saying

• “The inbox will become interactive with an Alexa-like AI agent, one that sorts and acts on your incoming emails according to a system based on your behavior in email, on websites and across the digital sphere.” – Ryan Phelan in Your next marketing challenge may be winning over the AI in charge of the customer’s inbox.

• “If you’re not actively telling your brand’s story online, AI will fill in the blanks — for better or worse. It’ll scrape Reddit threads, old Glassdoor reviews and that tweet you wish you’d deleted in 2016.” – Jay Mandel in Brand safety is BS (until it’s not).

From Search Engine Land