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YouTube Tightens Monetization Rules for AI-Generated and Low-Quality Content

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By Aminu Abdullahi

YouTube is clarifying monetization rules for repetitive AI-generated videos, synthetic personas, and low-effort content in its Partner Program.

YouTube is tightening the rules around what creators can earn money from, making it harder for channels built on repetitive AI-generated videos, emotionally manipulative content, and AI avatars discussing sensitive topics to qualify for monetization.

The changes, which took effect July 16, do not ban AI-generated videos.

Instead, YouTube says they clarify existing YouTube Partner Program (YPP) policies on what it calls “inauthentic content,” giving creators a more detailed explanation of which videos are no longer eligible to earn advertising or subscription revenue.

Three types of content face monetization limits

According to YouTube, the updated guidance groups inauthentic content into three categories.

The first targets generic, repetitive, or template-based videos, including channels that rely heavily on AI, computer-generated imagery, or reusable templates to produce near-identical content with little originality. Tutorials that simply repackage material already widely available on the platform could also fall into this category.

The second covers “off-putting” or emotionally manipulative content designed primarily to attract clicks and views. YouTube cited videos built around animal distress and rescue scenarios as one example. Channels focused on this type of content can lose access to the YouTube Partner Program regardless of whether AI is involved.

The third category focuses on AI-generated personas used to discuss sensitive subjects such as health care, finance, legal issues, and medical advice. YouTube says it does not want to reward creators who rely on synthetic personalities to present information in these high-stakes areas.

YouTube says AI itself is not the problem

In a Creator Insider video, YouTube Vice President of Trust and Safety Matt Halprin emphasized that the company still sees AI as a valuable creative tool when it is used responsibly.

“AI can actually allow people to make a lot of videos,” Halprin said. “Sometimes those videos are great, and it really enhances creativity. And you can create a higher volume of high-quality content that we want to encourage and have in YPP.”

He said problems arise when creators use the technology to mass-produce nearly identical videos.

“But that exact same new tool can allow you to make lots of videos really quickly that are very similar. They’re very generic and don’t really have a narrative arc and don’t really show your creativity. So the same technology really enables great stuff, but it also enables stuff that’s kind of content farming, and that’s the stuff that we don’t want to have in YPP,” Halprin added.

Explaining the policy on emotionally manipulative videos, Halprin said, “We’ve heard from our viewers that that’s not something that they like. They find it off-putting. They don’t want to come back to that channel, or maybe even the platform.”

What the update means for creators

For creators, the biggest risk isn’t necessarily having videos removed, but losing access to monetization.

Channels that depend on large volumes of low-effort, repetitive uploads could find it harder to earn advertising revenue if YouTube determines that their content lacks originality or meaningful creative input.

Creators using AI for editing, production, scripting, or other creative assistance can still qualify for monetization if their videos provide unique value and meet the platform’s quality standards.

The update also reflects YouTube’s broader effort to protect advertiser confidence as AI-generated content becomes easier and cheaper to produce.

A balancing act for the AI era

The revised guidance highlights a challenge facing nearly every major online platform: encouraging creators to adopt AI without allowing automation to overwhelm users with repetitive or low-value content.

For YouTube, the policy signals that monetization — not just moderation — is becoming a key tool for shaping content quality. Rather than banning AI-generated videos outright, the company is using financial incentives to encourage creators to focus on originality, storytelling, and human contribution.

That approach could influence how other platforms respond as generative AI continues to reshape digital content creation.

Feature image credit: NordWood Themes/Unsplash

By Aminu Abdullahi

Sourced from TechRepublic

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You Can Now Change the Music on Any Instagram Post Without Losing Likes or Comments

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Sourced from HYPEBEAST

Users navigate to any existing post, select edit, and choose a new track from Instagram’s music library.

Summary

Instagram introduced a Replace Audio tool that allows users to swap music on published feed posts and carousels while keeping all likes, comments and reach intact

The feature eliminates the need for creators to delete and re-upload posts to update soundtracks, a process that previously resulted in the loss of all engagement data

Users can access the tool via the edit option in a post menu to keep older content aligned with current trends or evolving tastes

Instagram officially launched “Replace Audio,” a utility designed to provide users with greater flexibility over their published content. Before this update, changing the background music on a post required a full re-upload. That limitation forced creators and brands to choose between a fresh soundtrack and their existing social proof. The new tool changes the equation entirely. Creators can now update the music on their posts at any time while keeping all likes, comments, shares and reach intact.

The functionality integrates directly into the platform’s standard editing interface. Users simply navigate to an existing post and select the edit option from the menu in the top-right corner. From there, individuals can swap the original audio track for a new selection from the vast Instagram music library. Hitting the done button pushes the updated version live immediately. Meta noted that this tool intends to give users more creative control. It enables accounts to refresh evergreen content without sacrificing hard-earned performance metrics.

Audio drives modern social media culture. A trending track can propel an old photo dump back into the algorithm, while outdated song choices can make vintage updates feel out of touch. The ability to retroactively alter the mood of a digital archive offers a massive advantage for those meticulously curating their aesthetic. Users might want to align older content with current viral sounds or simply banish an embarrassing music selection from a few years ago. The update directly supports creators who want their profiles to evolve alongside shifting musical tastes.

This rollout follows a highly scrutinized period of experimentation for the app. The social giant recently introduced and subsequently removed several controversial capabilities that users actively rejected. Meta recently killed a heavily criticized artificial intelligence tool that allowed individuals to modify photos from public accounts, admitting the feature missed the mark. The platform also faced backlash over a confusing format that led to accidental photo sharing. By focusing on a straightforward quality-of-life improvement for its feed posts and carousels, the application delivers a highly requested update that actually benefits its audience.

Feature image credit: Samuel Boivin/Nurphoto Via Getty Images

Sourced from HYPEBEAST

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Why Innovative Signage Remains One Of Business’ Most Powerful Sales Tools

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By Salman Altaf

In an era dominated by digital advertising, social media and sophisticated online targeting, many businesses have overlooked one of the most effective and enduring tools for growth: signage.

While brands continue investing heavily in digital customer acquisition, physical visibility still plays a critical role in shaping perception, building trust and influencing purchasing decisions. Long before customers visit a website, read reviews or speak with a salesperson, they often form their first impression through a business’ signage.

That first impression carries more weight than many businesses realize.

Signage is no longer simply about displaying a company name. It has evolved into a strategic branding asset that communicates professionalism, quality, personality and market positioning within seconds. Businesses that recognize this are using innovative signage not just for identification, but to strengthen customer engagement and drive long-term growth.

Visibility still wins.

Despite the rapid growth of digital commerce, physical visibility remains one of the most valuable advantages a business can have.

Consumers encounter an overwhelming volume of marketing messages every day, as research over the last several years has observed. Brands are facing increasing challenges in capturing attention as consumers are exposed to high levels of daily advertising. Attention has become fragmented, and competition for visibility continues to intensify across nearly every industry. Yet even in this crowded environment, I’ve noticed that businesses with distinctive and professionally executed signage tend to stand apart.

A compelling storefront, illuminated channel lettering, architectural signage or thoughtfully designed brand display naturally attracts attention. More importantly, it creates familiarity.​

According to a 2024 study, familiarity plays a key role in shaping brand perception. Repeated exposure to a business’ name, logo or visual identity strengthens brand recognition and encourages more positive consumer attitudes, building comfort and credibility even before a customer makes a purchase.

Leading brands invest in physical branding because visibility builds recall—and recall influences purchasing decisions.

Strong signage is backed by psychology.

The effectiveness of signage lies not only in its visibility, but also in the perceptions it creates.

Customers naturally associate presentation with quality. Businesses that invest in premium visual branding are often perceived as more established, reliable and professional, while outdated or poorly maintained signage can undermine confidence before any interaction begins.​

In many industries—including retail, hospitality, real estate, healthcare and professional services—those first impressions can significantly influence customer decisions through physical design cues. Research on visual signs at place entrances found that design elements such as lighting, colour, scale and signage influence whether people are persuaded to enter a business.

Businesses often spend significant resources optimizing online user experiences while neglecting the physical experience customers encounter in the real world. Yet for many consumers, physical branding remains far more memorable than digital impressions.

For business leaders, this means regularly evaluating whether their signage reflects the quality and professionalism they want customers to associate with their brand. As businesses evolve, products, services and digital branding often change—but physical signage doesn’t always keep pace. Ensuring those touchpoints remain aligned helps reinforce a consistent brand experience and stronger first impression.

Creativity brings competitive advantage.

Modern branding is increasingly driven by differentiation. Consumers are no longer simply purchasing products or services—they’re engaging with experiences and brand identities. Businesses that create memorable experiences naturally stand apart from competitors focused primarily on price.

Creative signage plays a key role in that differentiation by helping businesses establish a distinctive presence in crowded markets. More importantly, it creates lasting brand recognition.

Many successful brands intentionally design signage that encourage customer interaction and social sharing, turning signage itself into part of the brand experience rather than just a means of identification.

Trust is built through consistency.

One of the greatest advantages of effective signage is its ability to reinforce brand consistency.

Strong brands create a cohesive experience across every customer touchpoint—from websites and packaging to physical spaces. Signage bridges a brand’s digital identity with its real-world presence, helping customers perceive the business as more trustworthy and established.

This becomes especially important for growing businesses. A thoughtfully designed sign and well-presented storefront signal professionalism, quality and long-term commitment. Together, these details build customer confidence and can become a meaningful competitive advantage.

For example, we’ve worked with professional service businesses—such as clinics and law offices—in replacing temporary or inconsistent signage with professionally branded displays. The change didn’t alter the services they offered, but it gave prospective clients greater confidence that they were dealing with an established business rather than a newly opened office.

Signage is a long-term investment.

One of the most common mistakes businesses make is viewing signage as an operational expense rather than a long-term investment in brand equity and customer acquisition.

Unlike paid advertising that stops when budgets run out, quality signage delivers continuous visibility. It strengthens brand recognition, reinforces credibility and supports long-term market positioning.

As businesses evolve, their signage should evolve with them. Business leaders should regularly ask: Is it clearly visible? Does it align with the brand across digital and physical touchpoints? Is it easy to read? Most importantly, does it reflect the professionalism and quality the business wants customers to associate with its brand?

While marketing trends continue to evolve, the importance of physical brand presence remains constant. Businesses still need visibility, customers still respond to presentation, and trust still influences purchasing decisions. Signage sits at the intersection of all three.

Final Thoughts

As markets become increasingly competitive and digitally saturated, I believe the brands that stand out will likely be those that combine strong online engagement with a compelling physical presence.

Innovative signage remains one of the most effective ways to achieve that balance. It captures attention, reinforces trust, strengthens brand identity and creates lasting first impressions.

In many ways, signage is a company’s first handshake with the customer—and in business, first impressions still matter.

Feature image credit: Getty

By Salman Altaf

COUNCIL POST | Membership (fee-based)

Salman Altaf is the founder of Signage.com and has spent years helping businesses enhance brand visibility through innovative signage. Read Salman Altaf’s full executive profile here. Find Salman Altaf on LinkedIn. Visit Salman’s website.

Sourced from Forbes

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6 Easy Ways to Stop Companies From Tracking You

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By Kim Key

The less data companies collect about you, the less they can share, sell, or lose in a breach. Start protecting your privacy with these simple steps.

Your data is worth a lot to advertisers, criminals, and companies of all kinds. That’s why you should care about where your information goes and what companies do with it. The best way to stop corporations from copying your phone’s contact list or checking out the contents of your camera roll is to limit access to your devices. This usually means downloading fewer invasive apps and blocking other data requests when companies and their apps ask for them. Here are some suggestions to help you lock down your devices, prevent data collection, and protect your privacy.

1. Check What Companies Collect About You

You can find out what kinds of data an app siphons from your phone or a website takes from your browser by browsing the company’s privacy policy. Earlier this year, I wrote about TikTok’s drastic changes to its US privacy policy and offered tips for quickly browsing policies. Here’s a short summary: Scroll down to the Data Collection section of the privacy policy and note what kinds of data the app or service collects and how the company stores and uses that information. You can also check any app’s privacy reports on the Android and iOS app stores. Keep an eye on your inbox, too. Companies email customers about policy changes and security incidents all the time, and they rely on you ignoring them.

2. Say No to Tracking Whenever You Can

Consider using your pull as a customer to push back on company data collection and usage policies that don’t align with your wants and needs. One way to do this is to always decline tracking cookies on websites. Think of a tracking cookie like an Airtag for your browser. The cookies follow you around the web for a certain period of time, sometimes indefinitely, and allow companies to keep an eye on your online activities even after you’ve exited the website. Most sites allow you to opt-out of tracking, but you may need to click through a few pop-up menus to do so. If you don’t want to go to the trouble, let an ad-blocking browser extension do it for you. Of the services I’ve tested, Adblock (premium version), Ghostery, and uBlock Origin offer settings that let you automatically decline consent pop-ups on websites.

You’ll want to opt out of AI training wherever you can, too. Many companies are incorporating generative AI tools into their services, and in some cases, such as LinkedIn, they are training their AI models on customer data. If you don’t want LinkedIn to scrape your future posts for AI training, visit the Settings menu and choose Data Privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement.

3. Don’t Hand Over Your Real Information

Lie online whenever you can. Don’t give out your real information when filling out web forms. I’m not recommending you do this when communicating with government agencies or your bank, but yes, go ahead and lie to the cooking website that wants your birthday, full name, phone number, and physical address in exchange for a chili recipe.

(Credit: Cricut/PCMag)

 

If you can’t figure out why an app or website needs the information they’re harvesting from you, giving them your real data is not a good idea. In many cases, most of the information requested on a company’s web form is not required, so you can get away with leaving out important details about yourself. You can also choose not to accept cookies on many websites and deny application data requests without harming your user experience.

4. Delete Your Personal Information From the Web

In addition to lying online whenever you can, I also recommend removing information about yourself from the public web. To demonstrate why, let’s do a quick exercise: Open your favourite search engine in a new browser window. Type in your full name, along with one other fact about you, like your job title or the city where you live. The search results will probably be shockingly accurate, even though you (presumably) aren’t a famous person. When you’re done, come back to the comment section under this article, and tell me how many data broker websites have some information about you.

To remove yourself from these websites (and subsequently cut back on spam calls and scammy text messages), use a personal data removal service. These services will appeal to the data brokers on your behalf and get your name, address, phone number, and related relatives and online accounts removed from search results and data broker sites. You can save money by asking the data brokers to remove your information directly, but it’s a time-consuming process, and when your data is lost in yet another corporate data breach, you’ll need to go through the process all over again. A perk of using a personal data removal service is that most services constantly monitor data broker sites for your information and request its deletion on your behalf, without any input from you.

5. Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication

(Credit: 2FAS/LastPass/Kim Key)

You can start protecting your data more effectively by enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all the apps and websites you visit regularly. There are plenty of authenticator apps you can use with your mobile devices, or you could carry a hardware security key on your keychain. Entering passcodes is an extra step in the login process, but think of it as another barrier around your valuable data, designed to keep malicious individuals out of your accounts.

6. Store Your Passwords Securely

Similarly, you should consider using the password manager on your device (either Apple Passwords or Google Password Manager) or a password management app to keep track of passkeys and passwords for your online accounts. A good password manager can streamline your login process by filling in your passwords. Some, such as Enpass, even let you choose where to store your data. Taking control of how and where your data is stored by keeping it in your own secure cloud storage or locally on your computer keeps you from becoming a victim of a company’s vulnerabilities.

Don’t Make It Easy to Track You

Security snafus and data breaches at companies get fewer headlines these days, but that doesn’t mean the fallout from your leaked data is nothing to worry about. Scammers spin up social engineering schemes using your private information, hackers can get into your unsecured accounts, and companies can train AI using the images, videos, and other data about you floating around online.

Fed up with data collection? Check out our guide to completely disappearing online. And if you’re not quite ready to relinquish your internet presence, head over to our list of the best apps for online privacy.

Feature image credit: PCMag; Getty Images

By Kim Key

Senior Writer, Security. Read full bio

Sourced from PC Mag

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In Advertising, Brand Judgment Is The Media Skill AI Can’t Replicate

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By Sergio Alvarez

When Mark Zuckerberg spoke about Meta moving toward more end-to-end AI-driven advertising, much of the reaction focused on what end-to-end AI-driven media buying would replace, particularly the role of human media buyers and agencies in campaign execution. That framing misses what is actually changing. As more of the execution layer becomes automated, the role of the media professional is shifting toward strategy, context and judgment, particularly in how brands are represented as systems take on more of the day-to-day decisions.

As execution improves across the board, it becomes less of a differentiator. Campaigns get more efficient, but they also start to look more alike. As AI systems optimize toward the same engagement and conversion signals, many brands risk converging toward similar creative patterns, messaging structures and audience strategies. That shift changes where value is created. The advantage is moving away from execution and toward discernment: how decisions are made, what gets scaled and what gets stopped.

Deciding how a brand should show up is not a performance problem. It requires understanding nuance, timing and trade-offs that do not appear in a dashboard. It requires knowing when visibility strengthens a brand and when it creates risk. These are not decisions that can be outsourced to a system, even one that is highly optimized.

This becomes clear in how performance signals are interpreted. A luxury brand may see strong short-term gains by leaning into more aggressive promotional messaging because optimization systems reward clicks and conversions. The data will support that decision. But repeated exposure to discount-driven creative can erode the sense of exclusivity that defines the brand. The system is working as designed. The question is whether the outcome aligns with what the brand is trying to build.

The same dynamic applies to trends. Recognizing when not to follow momentum is one of the most important decisions a media team can make. Not every spike in engagement deserves more scale. A campaign may benefit from aligning with a trending moment, but it may also come across as opportunistic or misaligned, depending on the context. Knowing the difference requires acumen.

Media teams are also increasingly responsible for separating performance from meaning. Two campaigns can deliver similar results while sending very different signals about a brand. One may reinforce positioning and consistency. The other may dilute it. Performance metrics alone will not make that distinction. Someone has to interpret what the data represents, not just what it reports.

This is where the role of the media expert is changing. The work is becoming less operational and more interpretive. It involves deciding which signals matter, which ones to ignore and how those decisions connect to long-term brand positioning. It requires taste, restraint and the ability to evaluate trade-offs that are not immediately visible.

Five years ago, strong media buyers were defined by their ability to operate platforms efficiently. Today, that is the baseline. The real value comes from how decisions are made once the system presents its recommendations.

In many organizations, media teams are becoming stewards of how a brand shows up across channels, not just how campaigns perform. That shift is a positive one.

Automation is removing repetitive work and creating space for higher-level thinking, creativity and decision making. This means teams can spend less time managing mechanics and more time shaping messaging, understanding audiences and maintaining a clear point of view.

AI is not going away, nor should it. It is becoming foundational to modern marketing operations. The organizations that adapt successfully will not be the ones handing over every strategic decision to machines. Not every optimization path is worth taking. Someone still has to decide what fits the brand and what doesn’t. Because while AI can improve how media runs, it does not take responsibility for how a brand shows up in the world. That still belongs to people.

Feature image credit: Getty

By Sergio Alvarez

Find Sergio Alvarez on LinkedIn. Visit Sergio’s website.

COUNCIL POST | Membership (fee-based)

Sergio Alvarez is a performance marketing expert, digital attribution leader and CEO and founder of Ai Media Group. Read Sergio Alvarez’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

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AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Digital Advertising. Most Marketers Haven’t Caught Up

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BY JOEL COMM

Paid social is a leading digital marketing option for brand awareness and product discovery. Here’s how AI is taking it to the next level.

Digital marketing used to be innovative, but now it’s the norm. Statista estimates that 82.4 percent of total ad spending will be digital by 2030. Success is no longer about simply showing up online; it’s about the specific strategy you’re using.

Tossing artificial intelligence into the mix makes the answer even more relevant. I looked at two major segments of digital advertising: paid social and paid search. I wanted to see how AI was reshaping the digital advertising conversation around these two critical points.

The results were notable. Let’s dig in.

The shift toward paid social in an AI-driven landscape

Google used to dominate search. Sure, some people shopped on Facebook, but in reality, most people turned to Google or even Amazon when they needed to buy something.

That balance appears to be shifting. One recent report found more than 50 percent of social media users are on the lookout for new things to buy. Specifically:

  • 26.7 percent of social media users are looking for either new activities or items to purchase.
  • 26.1 percent of those on social media are actively looking for products to buy.

Add those two numbers together, and more than one in two people are using social media to discover things they may want to buy. Other marketers, like Sixty Gelu, already put the number at 60 percent, which is especially notable now that Google search traffic is facing growing pressure. Yes, AI tools are coming in their wake, but these haven’t been as widely adopted for e-commerce yet.

AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Claude are changing how consumers research products and gather information. But in the end, social platforms remain one of, if not the, primary drivers of product discovery and brand engagement.

That is the first trend marketers should pay attention to: the landscape has changed. Paid search may not be your only priority anymore. You need to make sure you have a foot in the paid social world, too. Start by auditing your budget and moving a small percentage of your search spend into targeted social testing to meet these buyers where they are.

Navigating customer journeys on social media

Paid social ads are the first step, but they aren’t the whole story. An initial branded encounter on a social media platform is just the beginning of the customer journey. In fact, the best uses of AI go far beyond the top of the funnel.

This shift is forcing an evolution in performance metrics.

To counter this, many performance marketing teams are using AI-assisted workflows to maximize lead quality in real time. For example, agencies like Unicorn Marketers use AI to evaluate incoming leads and filter out low-intent prospects before they drain sales teams’ time and resources.

By using advanced algorithms to continuously audit live campaigns, you can help ensure your creative assets and targeting parameters consistently perform well for high-intent buyers. It can review real-time, granular data at a scale that would be difficult for a human to match. AI is also helping marketers understand why certain ads outperform others. Platforms like Motion analyse creative performance across thousands of ads, helping marketing teams identify the images, messaging and formats that consistently drive stronger engagement and conversions.

Building an AI-backed social strategy in 2026 requires moving past the trap of chasing the latest shiny tool. To avoid the common mistake of over-automation, you should focus on strategy, clean data and intentional integrations by implementing a few tactical steps:

  1. Defining the use of an AI tool in your paid social strategy before investing in it.
  2. Avoiding the “magic bullet” approach to AI by looking for quality data to drive decisions.
  3. Piloting one new AI tool at a time, letting it settle and then adjusting based on the results you get.
  4. Maintain the “human” element behind your AI tools that help preserve nuance and brand voice. (i.e., don’t over-automate!)

Effectively (and profitably) reshaping paid social with AI

Social media is a well-established option that millions use when they want to find something to buy. This has helped position paid social as a major force in digital ad spend and the future of digital marketing.

As AI handles the operational and executional work around paid social, it’s critical to step back from the dashboard and evaluate your broader positioning. Make sure you’re integrating AI with intention while keeping the role of human creativity, strategic thinking and brand positioning in focus. This ensures your automated tools are serving a distinct business objective rather than just generating noise.

Feature image credit: Adobe Stock

BY JOEL COMM

AUTHOR AND SPEAKER @JOELCOMM

Sourced from Inc.

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Meta has been secretly relying on Google’s AI for customer service, ad tools, and content moderation – then got cut off

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By Rob Thubron

Google had to cut Meta off from Gemini because Meta was using too much of it

WTF?! Few companies seem less likely to run out of AI capacity than Google and Meta, but even the industry’s biggest names can hit a token wall. The search giant has reportedly limited the Facebook owner’s use of Gemini after demand for AI capacity grew beyond what it could supply.

According to the Financial Times, Google warned Meta around March that it could not provide all the capacity the company wanted, disrupting and delaying internal AI projects.

The restrictions are still said to be in place. Meta has reportedly told employees to be more careful with AI tokens, the units used to measure model input, output, and usage. That’s quite the change of tone for a company that has spent the past year pushing – and in some cases forcing – staff to use AI as much as possible.

Meta has spent billions building its own Llama family of open models, while Mark Zuckerberg has been pitching AI as the company’s next defining platform, one Meta will hope does not go the same way as its metaverse bet.

But people familiar with the arrangement told the FT that Meta had been using Google’s Gemini models for customer service, advertiser chatbots, coding, harmful content takedowns, and scam detection. Gemini was reportedly chosen because it performed better than Meta’s own models. Anthropic’s Claude is also said to be in the mix.

The shortage didn’t hit only Meta; other Google customers were also affected, though less severely. Meta appears to have been the outlier because of the amount of Gemini capacity it wanted to buy.

The reliance is not entirely surprising. Meta doesn’t operate a cloud business of its own, unlike Google, Microsoft, or Amazon, leaving it to balance its internal AI systems with outside capacity from the same companies it competes against.

Google has been spending heavily on data centers and AI hardware, but demand is still arriving faster than capacity can be built. Google Cloud revenue passed $20 billion in Alphabet’s most recent quarter, while backlog nearly doubled to more than $460 billion. The company also said its first-party models were processing more than 16 billion tokens per minute through direct API use, up 60% from the previous quarter.

Meta is trying to solve the same problem, but from the other direction. It’s been expanding data centers and working with Broadcom on custom MTIA accelerators as it looks to rely less on rivals.

By Rob Thubron

Sourced from TECHSPOT

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Marketplace Momentum: Why E-Commerce Platforms Are Now Core Infrastructure

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By Adam Ortman

For years, many brands have treated sites like Amazon or Walmart as incremental revenue streams, useful for clearing inventory or capturing high-intent shoppers already deep in the funnel. That framing is outdated. These platforms are becoming the infrastructure layer of modern e-commerce.​

I’ve spent nearly 20 years helping brands succeed in e-commerce. My agency has partnered with brands across the full spectrum of business life cycles, from scaled players moving millions of products to early-stage direct-to-consumer (DTC) startups still finding their footing. ​

That experience has given me a front-row seat to how dramatically the rules of marketplace growth have shifted, and what separates the brands that capitalize on those shifts from the ones that get left behind.​

The Shift: From Channel To Ecosystem​

E-commerce continues to expand in the U.S., with sales estimated at $326.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026 (amounting to 16.9% of total retail sales). ​

What’s been most striking to me over the past two decades is how e-commerce marketplaces have moved from being supplemental sales channels to primary environments where consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products. Twenty years ago, brands focused almost entirely on driving traffic to their own websites. Today, many consumers start and end their buying journey within a marketplace ecosystem, making platform strategy just as important as traditional brand-building efforts.​

Marketplace platforms absorb a disproportionate share of e-commerce activity, with approximately 83.4% of global gross merchandise value generated through marketplaces. On Amazon, third-party sellers drive more than 60% of total sales, reinforcing a structural shift: Brands are no longer just selling through marketplaces; they’re competing within them. ​

One thing I’ve seen repeatedly is that marketplace growth rarely happens without some level of paid support. ​Sponsored placements and retail media campaigns generate the early conversion signals that marketplaces use to determine visibility. When executed well, paid media doesn’t just drive sales; it also helps create the momentum that fuels long-term organic growth.​

The Consumer Psychology Driving The Change

Modern shoppers don’t move cleanly from awareness to consideration to purchase. They compress the journey, often collapsing discovery and conversion into the same moment. Marketplaces are uniquely positioned to capture that behaviour because they combine three core psychological drivers:

1. Cognitive Efficiency

Consumers tend to default to environments that reduce friction. Marketplaces centralize options, pricing, reviews and fulfilment into a single interface. Instead of evaluating five different brand websites, a shopper can scan, compare and decide in a matter of seconds.

2. Social Proof

Ratings, reviews and purchase volume on marketplaces act as immediate trust signals. A product with 10,000 reviews signifies popularity and lower perceived risk.​ Considering that 96% of consumers check reviews before buying a new product or service, the social proof on marketplaces is significant.

3. Perceived Objectivity

Marketplaces often feel less biased than brand-owned environments. Even though that perception isn’t always accurate, it can influence behaviour because consumers often trust the platform to surface the best option.

Platforms like Amazon also provide secure, branded experiences that are familiar and desirable: Quick shipping, easy returns and fraud monitoring all reduce buyers’ perception of risk.

The Expansion: New Entrants And Global Complexity

If this conversation were only about Amazon, the strategy would be simpler, but the marketplace landscape is fragmenting quickly.​

Platforms like TikTok Shop are blurring the line between content and commerce, enabling impulse-driven purchases directly within entertainment environments. Global players like Temu are expanding aggressively into Western markets, reshaping pricing expectations and supply chain dynamics. At the same time, niche marketplaces like Etsy continue to gain traction.​

Each platform comes with its own algorithms, audience expectations and competitive pressures. I’ve seen brands make the mistake of treating marketplace expansion as a replication exercise, copying the same listings, pricing strategies and messaging from one platform to another.

In practice, marketplaces aren’t interchangeable shelves. They’re distinct ecosystems with different consumer behaviours, ranking systems and expectations. What works on Amazon can struggle on TikTok Shop because users’ underlying intent is often fundamentally different. Amazon is primarily search-driven, while TikTok is discovery-driven. Understanding those nuances is often the difference between growth and stagnation.​

The Strategic Shift: From Participation To Ownership

The brands winning on marketplaces are the ones building marketplace-first operating models.​

Such a model requires:

• A Dedicated Marketplace Strategy: Don’t copy and paste your DTC strategy across platforms; design a system specifically for each platform’s dynamics, taking into account pricing architecture, review generation, content optimization and competitive positioning.​

• Integrated Media And Merchandising: Treat paid media, product listings and inventory management work as interconnected levers, not separate functions.

• Data Feedback Loops: Marketplaces provide some of the most immediate, high-signal data available in commerce, so use your marketplace performance data to inform your broader strategy, including product development, messaging and pricing elasticity.

What This Means For Your 2026 Planning

As I work with brands planning for the remainder of 2026, the conversation is rarely about whether marketplaces are important. The discussion is about how central they should become within the broader growth strategy.

The brands seeing the strongest results aren’t treating marketplaces as supporting channels. They’re treating them as core infrastructure, investing in the systems, visibility and momentum required to win over time.​ Brands that do this well will shape the next phase of e-commerce growth. The rest will be competing for what remains.​

Feature image credit: Getty

By Adam Ortman

COUNCIL POST | Membership (fee-based)

Adam Ortman is CEO and founder of Kinetic319, a leading marketing agency rooted in cutting-edge strategy and consumer psychology. Read Adam Ortman’s full executive profile here.

Find Adam Ortman on LinkedIn. Visit Adam’s website.

Sourced from Forbes

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Should You Really Use an Ad Blocker?

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By Christy Chan

With so many pop-ups and ads (ahem, YouTube), you might think it’d be impossible to browse the web without an ad blocker. Yet, while an ad blocker can certainly make web browsing less annoying, they’re not always a perfect fix, either: some sites may not work properly when blocking tools are turned on, and others may bar you from viewing their page altogether. The resulting downside is a trade-off that users constantly need to debate, though both the cons and the pros are worth looking at more closely. Let’s take a deeper dive into the good and the bad.

1. Some Websites Stop Working Properly

One of the most frustrating parts of using an ad blocker is that certain websites don’t load the way they should. Buttons may disappear, videos may refuse to play, or checkout pages may get stuck because a script was blocked. You may end up turning the blocker off just to finish what you were trying to do.

17821655763c2e5604780149b41e55d76aec1268eceabdf079.jpgErik Mclean on Unsplash

2. Paywalls and Blocker Warnings Can Get in the Way

Many publishers now detect ad blockers and display messages asking you to disable them before you can read anything. This can interrupt your browsing and make a simple visit feel more complicated than it needs to be. Even when you understand why the site is asking, it still adds another step before you get to the content.

1782165602a6fb7dcf1452fee27b873584cad994956070fb15.jpgMuhammad Daudy on Unsplash

3. Free Sites May Lose Revenue

A lot of websites rely on advertising income to pay writers, editors, developers, hosting costs, and other expenses. But if enough visitors block ads, those sites may have a harder time staying free or maintaining quality, and the long-term result may mean fewer useful free resources.

17821654658e52593558510d0d63f9d839bc48c6ae34e8ba86.jpgFabian Blank on Unsplash

4. Some Ad Blockers Need Extra Setup

Not every ad blocker works perfectly as soon as you install it. You may need to adjust filters, whitelist certain pages, or troubleshoot settings when something breaks. For people who just want a simple browsing experience, that extra maintenance can become annoying.

1782165446ba64bf64b57d54d27e79f331161196760eeaa802.jpgAmanz on Unsplash

5. Useful Promotions Can Be Hidden Too

Ad blockers don’t always distinguish between irritating ads and helpful offers. You might miss discount codes, limited-time sales, local event notices, or sponsored recommendations that would actually interest you. That doesn’t mean every ad is useful, but blocking everything can sometimes remove information you might have wanted.

17821653994adef09643f45093bf50295dfe7209f52d189565.jpegMax Fischer on Pexels

6. Content Creators Can Be Affected

Many independent creators earn money through display ads, sponsorship placements, or affiliate promotions on their websites. When visitors block those revenue streams, it can make it harder for creators to fund the work they share for free. Supporting someone’s content may require subscribing, donating, or finding another way to contribute.

1782165337330ae782afaa05e8ffa7d765e078a1be21db889f.jpgCardMapr.nl on Unsplash

7. Some Features May Be Mistaken for Ads

Ad blockers can occasionally block page elements that aren’t traditional advertisements. Newsletter forms, embedded videos, comment sections, or shopping widgets may disappear because they resemble ad-related content.

When that happens, the page can feel broken even though the website itself isn’t the main problem.

17821653001cd1acc5c650deb7ef32eff05b7740166de5699e.jpgCampaign Creators on Unsplash

8. You May Need to Manage Whitelists

Over time, many users build a list of websites where their ad blocker has to be turned off. That can include banking sites, streaming platforms, news outlets, online stores, or work-related tools. Managing those exceptions isn’t difficult, but it does make browsing feel a little less effortless.

1782165271f1b5c176b87cd8408b0efd4e0691b28bdfae323d.jpgrupixen on Unsplash

9. Some Blockers Raise Privacy Questions

Not every ad blocker is equally trustworthy. Some tools may collect browsing data, allow certain advertisers through paid programs, or come from companies with unclear policies. Before installing one, it’s worth checking who makes it and how it handles your information.

17821651378c91d3e9591dd1975add16c10b6a0b702e3488e8.jpgTowfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

10. It Can Create a False Sense of Protection

Using an ad blocker can reduce exposure to many annoying and risky ads, but it doesn’t make you fully safe online. You still need to watch out for phishing links, suspicious downloads, fake websites, and unsafe browser extensions. Treating an ad blocker as complete protection can leave you less careful than you should be.

Of course, even with those drawbacks, there’s a reason ad blockers remain popular. For many people, the benefits are enough to outweigh the inconveniences.

1782165059f2bf780d5e09db52718c2d1b114ce2ab39bed7c2.jpgThomas Lefebvre on Unsplash

1. Web Pages Usually Load Faster

Ads can add a surprising amount of weight to a webpage, especially when they include videos, animations, trackers, and third-party scripts.

Blocking them often helps pages load more quickly and respond more smoothly. If you browse on a slower connection, the improvement can feel especially noticeable.

17821650177a8ddbdd224fce00f03a1d18fecda229c9c4617e.jpegMonoar Rahman on Pexels

2. Browsing Looks Cleaner

A good ad blocker can remove banners, pop-ups, sidebar ads, and other visual clutter from the screen. That makes articles easier to read and websites less distracting to use. You can focus on the content instead of constantly working around flashing boxes or crowded page layouts.

178216494958dbd7b3ecf1aff469e9d07d1da3c1489e64e3c5.jpegcottonbro studio on Pexels

3. Autoplay Videos Become Less Annoying

Few things interrupt browsing like an unexpected video ad playing with sound or taking over part of the screen. But with an ad blocker, it can stop many of these videos before they start. That makes the experience less disruptive, especially when you’re reading, researching, or browsing in a shared space.

1782164904c5b3ced43f13f298efca99bf5e239c54027cd8a1.jpgChristian Wiediger on Unsplash

4. You Use Less Data

Since many ads include images, videos, and tracking scripts, they can consume data without adding much value to your visit. Blocking them can help reduce how much data your browser uses. This is especially helpful when you’re on a limited mobile plan or using a weak connection.

178216488046f1f2b28e36f7d9e89ce3cb451c3768e9eea896.jpgChristin Hume on Unsplash

5. There’s Less Tracking Across Websites

Many online ads are connected to tracking systems that follow your activity from one site to another. Ad blockers can reduce some of that tracking by blocking ad networks and related scripts.

While they don’t guarantee full privacy, they can make everyday browsing feel less exposed.

1782164842c4af4171c6fde21872782e07b8359f0eb193dfd0.jpgTumisu on Pixabay

6. Pages Feel Less Overwhelming

Some websites overload visitors with pop-ups, sticky ads, newsletter prompts, sponsored boxes, and video placements all at once. An ad blocker can strip away much of that excess and make the page easier to navigate. The difference can be especially helpful when you’re trying to read long articles or compare information.

1782164741430a118039e7f2c2ae401f56fcb63001b210672f.jpegChristina Morillo on Pexels

7. They Can Reduce Exposure to Malicious Ads

Some harmful ads can lead users toward scams, fake downloads, or infected websites. Ad blockers can lower the chance of encountering those dangerous placements by stopping many ads from loading in the first place. They’re not a substitute for careful browsing, but they do add a useful layer of defense.

1782164712f96a84c2205abb3691ae52ffc386c0cbccfe8c30.jpgMichael Geiger on Unsplash

8. They Remove Distractions

When you’re looking up information, ads can pull your attention away from the actual task. Blocking them helps you move from page to page with fewer interruptions. That can make work and research feel more efficient, boosting your focus and overall productivity.

1782164669519793334b03559d33244da3569650142774a094.jpgGlenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

9. They Improve the Experience on Older Devices

Older laptops, tablets, and phones can struggle with ad-heavy pages because every extra script and video takes processing power. An ad blocker may help those devices run pages more smoothly. It won’t fix every performance issue, but it can make daily browsing feel less sluggish.

17821642692bde8c5b9e442595b563d69a2f96ea8180d47f5f.jpegBOOM 💥 Photography on Pexels

10. You Have More Control Over Your Browser

One of the biggest perks of using an ad blocker is the feeling that your browser is serving your needs instead of advertisers’ priorities. You can decide which sites deserve exceptions, which filters to use, and how strict you want the blocker to be.

That control makes the internet feel more personal and less intrusive.

1782164242b9060942b839ada5d1de7339b31669aa7a6797fb.pngFirmbee.com on Pexels

By Christy Chan

Christy Chan is a writer, editor, and designer based in the wild, rugged Pacific Northwest. Though she didn’t major in English—she holds a BA in Cognitive Systems and an Associate Certificate in Graphic Design Foundations—words have always been her first love.

Sourced from Savvy Gamer

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Customers Don’t Trust 5-Star Reviews Anymore. Here’s What They Want Instead

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By RYAN VANNI

As AI floods e-commerce with fake feedback, brands like Ghia, Ritual, and Dr. Squatch are rebuilding trust with smarter social proof.

In e-commerce, product page reviews have always been the digital equivalent of a crowded restaurant. When a waiting line stretches around the block, you assume the food must be good. That’s because humans are evolutionarily hardwired to seek safety in numbers; we look for social proof to lower our perceived risk. So, when a product page has hundreds of 5-star reviews, brands could assume that this version of social proof alone would lead to higher sales.

Not anymore. Traditional text-heavy reviews are experiencing a massive crisis of “review nihilism.” Both customer fatigue and AI slop have resulted in a DTC landscape where these types of reviews are significantly less effective.

When a product accumulates 5,000 reviews, it stops being helpful. No mobile shopper is going to read 50 pages of feedback. Not to mention the recent rise of AI-generated fake reviews, making a flat “5-star rating” highly suspect to savvy consumers. According to data from Pangram Labs, nearly 74 percent of AI-generated reviews lean heavily on unearned 5-star bias. The result? Shoppers don’t trust a perfect score anymore. They trust nuance and verified verification mechanisms.

For brands like Ghia, Ritual and Dr. Squatch, this could have been a worse case scenario. All have very rigorous review sections for each product that provide enormous value for shoppers and brands; serving as a visual proxy for the missing sensory experience and acting as a zero-cost product development focus group. But instead of sticking with a fading strategy, each pivoted and became a valuable lesson in the power of guided discovery.

A new path to validation

While legacy e-commerce is usually reactive—putting a wall of text at the bottom of a page and hoping users wander down to read it—guided discovery is predictive. It uses AI and smart UI choices to serve various forms of social proof directly to the user.

So, instead of forcing a customer to hunt for information, guided discovery answers product questions—like “Does this taste chalky?” or “Is it too sweet?”—before they even need to scroll. Creating a system like this means balancing several approaches to allow customers to feel like they’re growing trust organically. Here’s where to start:

Let tech curate the vibes: Instead of reviews, try AI-summarized “sentiments” which involve using the technology to read thousands of customer reviews and distil them into an objective, bulleted snapshot highlighting the “pros” and “cons” directly on the product page. It’s a favourite new approach embraced by Amazon and platforms powered by Yotpo Reviews AI. However, resist the urge to use AI to hide negative feedback. Research shows that will only get brands flagged as untrustworthy by consumers. Similarly, avoid generalized statements that add zero cognitive value and feel like corporate fluff.

Let UGC do the hard work: Move away from static star ratings toward shoppable, highly interactive customer photo and video galleries. In an AI-saturated ecosystem where text can be faked, raw vertical video of a real person unboxing or eating a product is the ultimate trust infrastructure. In fact, they drive up to a 137 percent higher purchase likelihood than polished studio ads because they look humanly authentic. It’s no wonder that Ghia and Dr. Squatch do an exceptional job of integrating native-looking TikTok and Instagram reels of actual customers directly onto their landing pages.

Practice radical transparency: Customers need more proof than ever, so brands must go the extra mile in citing sources transparently. If your AI summary claims a snack is “low-sugar but sweet,” those keywords should be clickable. Tapping the word should instantly filter the review database to show the exact verified reviews that generated that sentiment. Ritual is the standard-bearer for this strategy. Every single ingredient, clinical study, and customer consensus statement on their site is backed by a clickable data point that leads straight to the source material.

Most importantly, brands must come to terms with the fact that reviews alone will no longer do the work of validating your brand and products. Fighting “review nihilism” takes a little cleverness and a lot of dedication to providing social proof along an entire ecommerce journey.

Feature image credit: Adobe Stock

By RYAN VANNI

Sourced from Inc.

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