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The GRADIENT: Why Taste Is the New Moat

What the Warrior Games Reveals About Purpose-Driven Communications

You don’t need more content, you need purpose-driven communication that adapts and resonates. Travis Claytor shows how the Warrior Games team gets it done. The post What the Warrior Games Reveals About Purpose-Driven Communications first appeared on Spin Sucks.

Publishers Expect Search Traffic To Fall Over 40%

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has published its annual predictions report based on a survey of 280 senior media leaders across 51 countries and territories. The report suggests publishers are preparing for two potential threats: generative AI tools, and creators who attract audiences with personality-led formats. Note that the Reuters Institute survey

Why internal alignment is your real growth engine

Growth doesn’t stall because you need more leads. It stalls when what’s happening inside can’t keep up with what buyers expect outside. Most teams are moving fast, just not together. Marketing is optimizing campaigns. Sales is chasing a number. Product is launching on its own timeline. And buyers? They’re stuck in the middle, dealing with

These are the new skills creatives are learning to save their jobs from AI

It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. In 2026, if you’re a creative professional, the anxiety is real. We’ve seen the headlines about AI-generated campaigns, the flood of synthetic images, the chatbots that write copy in seconds. It’s no longer about whether AI will affect creative work; it already has. The question is: what

Everyone Wants Virality. No One Wants Consistency.

Key Insights Going viral is more often luck, not strategy, and chasing it without the right system wastes time, money, and momentum. Most viral moments are unpredictable, unrepeatable, and ineffective at driving long-term business results. One moment of attention doesn’t build a brand, but consistency, integration, and alignment do. Real growth comes from sustained, strategic

Social Media Trust Is Breaking Down (And How You Can Rebuild It)

Social media is an integrated part of life in the U.S., with usage growing among adults. Pew Research Center reports that YouTube (84%) and Facebook (71%) remain the most widely used platforms for U.S. adults, followed by 50% of adults using Instagram. What we should pay attention to is that people’s trust levels have changed.

Marketing recruitment intent takes another tumble

While more marketing leaders expect to add to their teams in the next quarter, the net balance for recruitment intention has dipped, reports IPA Bellwether. Hiring intention from senior marketers to add to their teams remains in the negative, according to IPA Bellwether data shared exclusively with Marketing Week. After hitting a four-year low

In the Age of AI Search, PR Holds the Keys to Visibility

The future of visibility? It’s not SEO. It’s not ads. It’s PR. AI now answers instead of searches—and trust is the new currency. Gini Dietrich has why communicators are perfectly positioned to lead. The post In the Age of AI Search, PR Holds the Keys to Visibility first appeared on Spin Sucks.

16 Content Writing Tips From Experts To Survive 2026

AI has created insecurity for content writers, where their jobs could be in jeopardy from machine-generated content at scale. The reality is that many content writers may be displaced, but the ones that can survive and be in demand are the ones who embrace the current changes in search and adapt. Writers can be irreplaceable

Latest Google core update shows pageviews can’t be the top metric

The Atlantic sues Google, Arena Group leans into creators, and more. Top U.S. news publishers lose search visibility For years, big publishers treated Google as a distribution utility: publish a lot, cover everything and let domain authority do the rest. The December core update — rolled out Dec. 11–29 — is another sign that bargain

Alex Tan on Mouthwash Studio’s multi-media projects

Mouthwash Studio co-founder and creative strategy director Alex Tan took to the stage in LA’s Nicer Tuesdays to talk through the studio’s diverse fields whilst humorously explaining how creative strategy works, showing how there’s no “right way” to do it. From big-impact visual identities to the studio’s newsletter and cafe-bar, Alex sheds light on how

Better Marketing Measurement With the PESO Model©

Marketing measurement shouldn’t end in “trust us.” Christopher Barger explains how the PESO Model© gives you data that leaders actually care about. The post Better Marketing Measurement With the PESO Model© first appeared on Spin Sucks.

YouTube Expands Monetization For Some Controversial Issues

YouTube is updating its Advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow more videos about certain “controversial issues” to earn full ad revenue, as long as the content is non-graphic and presented in a dramatized or discussion-based context. The change was outlined in a Creator Insider video and is reflected in YouTube’s Help Center policy language. What’s Changing

Jury Opportunities Open for 2026 ADWEEK Awards

ADWEEK is putting out a call to nominate yourself or a colleague for one of our various 2026 awards juries. You can complete the form below or access it here. Industry leaders and experts across marketing, media, creative, and tech are eligible to be nominated as a juror. Serving as a juror is an opportunity

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a 3D Metroidvanit that feels hand-drawn

From the moment my sleep little robot awoke aboard the Vessel in MIO: Memories in Orbit, it’s clear this is not in a conventional 3D game. I’ve been exploring the game’s maze of puzzle rooms, lore, and bosses for some time ahead of release, but it’s the art style that has been prompting the dev

Invisible Brands: The New Discoverability Crisis

If you’re not in the AI answer, you’re not even in the conversation. Gini Dietrich shows you how to get back in. The post Invisible Brands: The New Discoverability Crisis first appeared on Spin Sucks.

Why Paid Search Foundations Still Matter In An AI-Focused World

At this point in time, AI search products such as Google and Microsoft’s PMax (and now AI Max) have firmly woven themselves into the toolkits of search marketers around the globe. But as many search marketers rush to not only test new products but also scale paid search activity, there is an increasing tendency to

How to scale marketing performance with agentic AI

The buzz around AI in marketing has finally settled into something more useful. We’ve moved past the initial excitement over generative images and into a more grounded, practical phase — one focused on transformation and leveraging data more effectively. And right now, a new chapter is opening up: agentic AI. Unlike traditional AI, which works

Saskia Martindale reimagines everyday snacks for otherworldly props and sets

Whether it’s a giant flat white or a game of chess that doubles up as a cheese board, much of set designer and art director Saskia Martindale’s personal practice centres on food. But it’s an obsession that’s surfaced in her commercial projects too. A designer of objects, props and sets, Saskia has worked with brands

Learning anything new takes time. Shelly Verkamp explores what the forgetting curve teaches us about mastering the PESO Model©. The post What Wine and Travel Taught Me About Mastering the PESO Model© first appeared on Spin Sucks.

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