Digital Digest
Marketing Intelligence Weekly
Weekly updates on the digital marketing news you need to know, including data reform, AI, cookie deprecation and platform updates.
Platforms
Google Search Core Update December 2025
- Google has released the December 2025 core update to Google Search.
- In a LinkedIn update by Google Search Central, Google stated: “This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites. “
- The update was released on 11 December 2025 and may take up to 3 weeks to fully roll out.
- Read more
Platforms
Google introduces social channels to Search Console
- Google is rolling out a new experimental integration that lets site owners see how their linked social media channels (e.g. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) perform in Google Search alongside website data — including clicks, impressions, queries and audience metrics.
- Rather than keeping web and social search data separate, this feature merges them in the Insights report so marketers can better understand overall brand discovery across Search and social platforms.
- Access is currently limited: Search Console auto‑detects and links social channels for selected sites, and only those in the experiment will see the prompt to include their profiles. Manual addition isn’t yet supported.
- Marketers will see total reach (search clicks + impressions), content performance trends, top search queries leading to social profiles, and audience location breakdowns — all in one place.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
That was fast! GPT 5.2 is here
- GPT‑5.2 is positioned as OpenAI’s most capable model series for professional knowledge work, with measurable improvements in reasoning, coding, long‑context understanding, tool use and vision tasks — outperforming previous models across core benchmarks.
- The rollout includes three variants — Instant for fast everyday tasks, Thinking for structured, longer and more complex workflows, and Pro for highest‑stakes queries — giving teams flexibility depending on task depth and speed.
- The launch follows internal “code red” efforts at OpenAI to respond to competition from Google’s Gemini 3, with GPT‑5.2 aiming to reclaim leadership in advanced AI performance.
- GPT‑5.2 is rolling out first to paid ChatGPT plans and developers via API, with broader access expected to follow; earlier versions like GPT‑5.1 remain available temporarily.
- Read more
AI in digital
AI in travel
Platforms
Platforms in travel
Google Labs unleashes AI-powered browser, Disco
- Disco is an experimental AI‑powered browser experience from Google Labs that reimagines how browsing works by turning your open tabs into interactive, task‑focused mini web apps.
- Using Google’s Gemini 3 model, Disco’s GenTabs feature analyses what you’re doing across tabs and natural language prompts, then dynamically generates a custom web app to help you complete that task (e.g., trip planner, meal organiser, study tool).
- Rather than passive browsing, Disco blends browsing + action — users open real web pages, and GenTabs synthesises them into an interactive interface tailored to your goal.
- This is an early prototype available via a waitlist, initially on macOS, with Google gathering feedback and potentially evolving ideas into broader Chrome features later.
- Read more
AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Traffic from AI search converts 8x the rate of social media
- Traffic from AI platforms like ChatGPT converts at about eight times the rate of social media traffic, according to 2025 Cyber Week data from Salesforce.
- During Cyber Week, online sales in Australia rose 7% year‑on‑year even though overall site traffic dipped 2%, driven by more purposeful, AI‑informed shoppers.
- Shoppers increasingly use AI to research before purchase, meaning visitors arrive at checkout already informed and ready to buy.
- Traffic from third‑party AI tools tripled year‑on‑year, underscoring how consumer habits are shifting toward AI‑led shopping journeys.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
OpenAI pauses ad initiatives to improve ChatGPT
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued an internal “code red,” putting a priority on improving ChatGPT rather than expanding into advertising or other add-on features.
- The pause affects advertising initiatives, AI agents for shopping and health, and a personality‑driven assistant feature known as Pulse — all are being delayed while the company focuses on core performance.
- Key areas for improvement include ChatGPT’s personalisation, speed, reliability, and ability to handle a broader range of queries — the goal is to make it “more intuitive and personal.”
- The move is in response to rising competition: Gemini 3 from Google has recently outperformed ChatGPT on several benchmarks and is gaining traction rapidly among users.
- For marketers and advertisers, this likely means the anticipated ad placements inside ChatGPT will be postponed
- Read more
Platforms
New lifecycle audiences in Google Analytics: “High Value” and “Disengaged” Purchasers
- Google Analytics (GA) has launched two new lifecycle-focused audience templates — “High‑Value Purchasers” and “Disengaged Purchasers” — making it much easier for marketers to build segments targeting top customers or lapsed buyers.
- The High‑Value Purchasers template uses purchase count or a new “LTV percentile” metric to isolate customers who bring the most value.
- The Disengaged Purchasers template segments users by how long it's been since their last purchase, helping brands identify and re‑engage customers who haven’t bought in a while.
- On top of that, GA now offers dynamic remarketing directly within the platform — once you have ecommerce tracking enabled, GA can feed personalised display ads to past site visitors through linked ad accounts, no separate remarketing setup needed.
- The upshot: these updates lower the technical barrier for lifecycle marketing — making it faster and more efficient to target and re‑engage high‑value or lapsed customers using first‑party data.
- Read more
Platforms
Search Patners added to PMax reporting in Google Ads
- Google has added a dedicated “Search Partners” segment to its Performance Max (PMax) reporting.
- Advertisers can now see exactly how much budget PMax spends on Search Partners and track whether traffic from that network drives incremental value or conversions.
- The update improves transparency by revealing how Search Partner traffic compares with other PMax channels (Search, Display, YouTube, etc.), helping you evaluate ROI channel by channel.
- While this doesn’t give direct control over channel delivery, the added insight helps marketers make more informed decisions about spend allocation and optimisation of PMax campaigns.
- Read more
Platforms
Google launches Partner Match tool for YouTube ads
- Google's new 'Partner Match' tool allows advertisers to build YouTube audiences using third-party hashed data, like emails and postcodes.
- Targeting is available across key YouTube ad formats including Video Reach, Video Views, and Demand Gen campaigns – but it won’t support ad sequences or YouTube Select guaranteed deals.
- Global rollout excludes the UK, Switzerland, and EEA, though advertisers in these areas can still target users in permitted regions.
- Activation requires approval and consent steps, including authorising the data partner and applying lists during setup.
- This move sharpens targeting precision, giving marketers a powerful workaround as audience signals continue to decline.
- Read more
AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
AI bots account for 15% of all ad clicks
- AI bots are behind up to 15% of all ad clicks on unprotected media, significantly skewing digital engagement metrics, according to DoubleVerify’s Fraud Lab.
- Some ad clicks are 10x more likely to come from AI bots than humans, particularly from agentic AI that can autonomously act and mimic user behaviour.
- These bots inflate engagement without delivering real conversions, affecting campaign optimisation and skewing ROI reporting.
- DoubleVerify has launched AI Verification tools, including Agent ID Measurement and AI SlopStopper, to help marketers detect and filter out bot-driven activity.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
ChatGPT and Perplexity add personalised shopping research
- OpenAI's ChatGPT now offers a smart shopping assistant that delivers tailored buyer’s guides using web data, memory, and follow-up questions—live across all plans.
- Perplexity has launched a similar AI-powered personal shopper in the US, featuring interactive product cards, preference memory, and direct purchases via PayPal.
- Both tools target more thoughtful, high-consideration shopping (think: gadgets, beauty, home), blending conversational UX with ecommerce convenience.
- Perplexity takes a swipe at traditional search and affiliate-heavy content, positioning its AI as more user-first and “intent-aware.”
- Mobile rollouts are incoming for Perplexity, while OpenAI is teasing ChatGPT Pulse and direct retail integrations soon.
- Read more here and here
Platforms
Post scheduling and multi-location publishing in Google Business Profiles
- Google has rolled out post scheduling and multi-location publishing for Google Business Profiles, just in time for the holiday season.
- Businesses can now plan posts in advance, automating when they go live—ideal for campaigns and promotions.
- Multi-location publishing lets users create one post and publish it across multiple locations, saving heaps of time.
- These updates aim to boost efficiency and visibility, especially for businesses managing multiple branches.
- The features are based on user feedback and designed to help brands stay top-of-mind during busy periods.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Ads Feature coming to ChatGPT Android app
- Reports show that ChatGPT’s Android beta app (version 1.2025.329) contains code referencing an “ads feature”, including strings like “search ad”, “bazaar content” and “search ads carousel” — suggesting ads are actively being built in.
- If rolled out, ads on ChatGPT may focus on contextual, search‑ or recommendation‑based formats (e.g. product suggestions or “sponsored responses”) rather than traditional disruptive banner ads.
- For marketers: this could open a major new channel — with ChatGPT’s large user base, early advertisers may gain a first‑mover advantage.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.5
- Claude Opus 4.5 is Anthropic’s smartest, most efficient model yet, excelling in coding, research, and long-form content creation — while slashing token usage and improving speed.
- It's now more affordable ($5/$25 per million tokens), making top-tier AI power accessible to more teams and businesses.
- Major upgrades include better support for long, multi-step tasks and integration with Excel, Chrome, and desktop workflows, ideal for automating day-to-day marketing operations.
- Early users praise its deep reasoning, adaptability, and precision, especially in code generation, planning, and content structuring.
- Anthropic also rolled out improved developer tools and agent functionality, hinting at more advanced, autonomous workflows ahead.
- Read more
Platforms
Google expanding custom segments for display campaigns in Personalized Ads policy update
- Google is rolling out a change on 12 Dec 2025 that expands access to Custom Segments for certain display campaigns that had previously been restricted by its Personalized Ads policy.
- The update specifically affects campaigns that were limited under the policy—not all display campaigns.
- For marketers, this means previously blocked verticals (e.g. some health, finance, or other regulated categories) might now build custom intent or interest‑based segments to reach more precise audiences.
- While this unlocks stronger targeting tools and could improve performance for restricted advertisers, the announcement lacked clarity: it didn’t specify exactly which verticals will benefit, whether all Display formats or also Demand Gen campaigns are included — leaving a degree of uncertainty.
- Bottom line: If you run restricted‑category Display campaigns, this could meaningfully expand your targeting toolkit
- Read more
AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Adobe says AI chatbots playing significant role this holiday shopping season
- Holiday shoppers in the U.S. have already spent $79.7B online — a 7.5% YoY increase — with AI chatbots playing a growing role in purchase decisions.
- 32% of consumers have used AI for shopping help, and 81% say it improved their experience; AI traffic surged 830% YoY this season.
- Mobile is dominating, contributing $41.3B in sales so far and projected to drive 56.1% of all holiday revenue.
- Buy Now, Pay Later usage is up 5% YoY, peaking during Cyber Week, with mobile accounting for over 82% of BNPL spend.
- Marketers should focus on seamless mobile UX, omnichannel integration, and personalised social ads to capture rising mobile and AI-driven traffic.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
It’s official, more ads now appearing in AI Mode
- Google is increasingly showing ads embedded inside its “AI Mode” results — not just the regular search results — signalling a new ad surface is emerging.
- The testing has been expanding: what began as a limited desktop experiment has more sightings lately, giving the indicator that this move is gearing up for a wider rollout.
- The inclusion of ads in AI‑generated answers could reshape visibility and click‑through rates — adding both opportunities (less competition) and complexities (new ad formats, evolving SERP dynamics).
- Advertisers should start preparing for this shift: AI Mode may become a mainstream channel within Google search advertising.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Google rolls out Gemini 3 to AI Mode
- Google has rolled out Gemini 3 Pro to its Search’s AI Mode, promising smarter, more context-aware results.
- The AI now uses deeper reasoning and an upgraded "query fan-out" to surface more relevant, often previously overlooked content.
- New generative UI tools let the search interface build more dynamic, visual layouts, enhancing user engagement.
- Currently, Gemini 3 Pro is only live for U.S. users with access to AI Mode.
- Marketers should start considering how visual and dynamic search presentation impacts their SEO and content strategies.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
TikTok lets users decide how much AI content they want to see
- TikTok now lets users adjust how much AI-generated content appears in their For You feed via a new control in "Manage Topics".
- The platform is introducing invisible watermarking tech to better label AI-generated content, complementing existing C2PA Content Credentials.
- TikTok will start applying these watermarks to content created with its own AI tools and uploads containing verified metadata.
- The platform is also investing $2 million in an AI literacy fund to educate users about AI safety and media literacy.
- This move aligns with growing industry trends, as rivals like Meta and OpenAI also explore AI-only content feeds.
- Read more
Platforms
Search Console adds a branded queries filter and custom chart annotations
- GSC now includes a built‑in Branded Queries Filter — you can filter your Performance report by queries that clearly include your brand name (or its variants/misspellings) versus those that don’t.
- Read more
- GSC also now supports Custom Chart Annotations — you can place short notes directly on your Performance report charts to mark when you made a major site change, ran a campaign, or when external events might have impacted traffic.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Group Chat rolls out for ChatGPT users
- The group‑chat feature is now rolling out globally to all logged‑in users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans of ChatGPT.
- Up to 20 participants can join a shared chat with ChatGPT, enabling “group conversations” alongside the AI for things like planning events, working on projects, or brainstorming.
- ChatGPT’s behaviour in the group chat is designed to step in when helpful but also stay quiet when the human discussion is flowing — it uses a “social behaviour” model to decide when to respond.
- Privacy and memory: Group chats are separate from your personal one‑on‑one conversations — none of the group chat content is fed into your ChatGPT memory, and you can control participants.
- Read more
Platforms
Reddit launches interactive ads
- Reddit is launching Interactive Ads, a new ad‑unit format that lets brands build custom, playable, or engaging creative experiences (quizzes, dynamic reveals, countdowns) directly in its feeds.
- These formats are native to Reddit’s ecosystem of 100,000+ topic communities and are designed for true participation (taps, swipes, choices) rather than passive viewing.
- Early adopters include big‑names like Paramount Pictures (via a “movie‑themed escape game”), Electronic Arts (with a game challenge + countdown) showing how interactive storytelling works within the platform.
- The key benefits: greater creative freedom, deeper engagement, and upper‑funnel brand impact — moving beyond static image/video ads into something more immersive.
- Note: the format is currently in limited alpha testing; brands need to contact Reddit’s ad team to secure participation.
- Read more
AI in digital
AI in travel
Platforms
Platforms in travel
Google Maps gets smarter with Gemini
- Google Maps is introducing hands‑free, conversational navigation via Gemini: you can ask things like “What vegan‑friendly restaurant’s along my route?” and it will handle multi‑step tasks.
- It’s adding landmark‑based navigation, meaning directions will reference real‑world visible landmarks (e.g., “turn right after the Thai Siam restaurant”) instead of just street names or distances.
- There’s a new proactive traffic‑alert system: you’ll get notifications of unexpected closures or heavy jams even if you’re not already navigating.
- Plus, the “Lens built with Gemini” mode lets you point your camera at a café/shop/restaurant and ask natural questions like “What’s popular here?” or “Should I stop here?” — essentially bridging augmented reality + search.
- Roll‑out is initially in the U.S. (Android & iOS) for landmark navigation and proactive alerts; Lens mode comes later this month in the U.S.
- Read more
AI in digital
AI in travel
Platforms
Platforms in travel
AI Mode experiments with agentic booking for tickets, restaurants, and more
- Google’s AI Mode is now experimenting with agentic booking — meaning it can search across multiple sites and help users book things like restaurants, events and wellness appointments in one go.
- The rollout is currently US‑only, in English, as part of the Search Labs experiment. Restaurant bookings are available to all eligible users; event tickets and wellness bookings are available to subscribers of Google’s higher tiers (Pro/Ultra) with bigger usage limits.
- Restaurants: specify party size, date & time, location, cuisine, and AI Mode returns available slots + booking links.
- Event tickets: users can say e.g. “2 cheap tickets for X”, prefer standing floor etc., and get a list of options + links.
- Wellness appointments: shows real‑time availability from local booking platforms and links to finalise.
- And of course travel bookings can’t be far behind with Sundar Pichai stating last week: “We're working on multiple agentic experiences across key verticals such as travel, commerce shopping and so on.”
- Having real‑time, structured data (availability, pricing, timeslots, etc) and deep‑link-friendly booking flows becomes more important so you’re surfaced in these agentic experiences.
- Users still complete the actual booking on the provider’s site (AI Mode links through) so you’ll want to ensure your booking UX and tracking is solid.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
PayPal partnering with ChatGPT to enable in-chat shopping and payments
- PayPal is teaming up with OpenAI to enable in-chat shopping and payments in ChatGPT via the new “Instant Checkout” feature, launching in 2026.
- It uses OpenAI’s open-source Agentic Commerce Protocol, letting merchants list products in AI apps and users shop via AI agents.
- PayPal will support wallet and card payments within ChatGPT, offering buyer/seller protection and handling backend integrations.
- Merchants’ products across fashion, beauty, home, and electronics will become discoverable in ChatGPT—no setup needed.
- PayPal is also rolling out an agentic commerce suite for merchants to manage listings, payments, and user insights across AI platforms.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Snap partners with Perplexity to bring more AI to its users
- Snap’s partnering with Perplexity to embed its conversational AI search directly into Snapchat from early 2026.
- The integration will live in Snapchat’s chat interface, offering verified, real-time answers within the app.
- It’s a $400 million deal (cash + equity) that positions Snap as a major AI platform for mobile-native users.
- This is Snap’s first large-scale external AI partnership and part of a push to make AI more “social, personal and fun.”
- Users can still chat with Snap’s existing My AI—Perplexity will complement it as a new answer engine.
- Read more
Platforms
Link videos to product listings in Google Merchant Center
- Google Merchant Center has launched a new “Creative Content” section that allows brands to upload and map video assets to product listings — boosting both paid and organic visibility.
- Videos can come from social channels (including TikTok), the brand’s website or via Google’s own Product Studio — and you can now link specific videos directly to SKUs.
- Once uploaded, videos in this new section sync automatically with the linked Google Ads asset library — saving time and keeping creative assets aligned across campaigns.
- The feature shows up in GMC under Creative content → Video assets (below Product Studio) — if your account has it enabled.
- For marketers: this is an early chance to test how attaching video directly to product listings affects discoverability and performance (especially for e‑commerce) — worth digging in.
- Read more
AI in digital
Platforms
Microsoft Copilot’s new AI Search features clickable citations
- Microsoft Copilot now supports “AI Search” via its generative answers, featuring prominent, clickable citations and an option to view aggregated sources.
- The update includes a dedicated “Search” mode inside Copilot, enabling users to shift from chat‑style responses to more traditional search‑style results (concise answers or in‑depth summaries depending on the query).
- Microsoft says this change was designed with publishers and content‑owners in mind, helping to create a “healthy web ecosystem” by making source attribution clearer and encouraging clicks to original content.
- From an SEO/marketing lens: this means your content has a better shot at being cited directly in Copilot’s answers—so source‑quality, attribution‑friendly content matters more.
- Read more
AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Almost half of AI convos return product and brand recommendations unprompted
- According to new research by Profound on Zero Click: The Machine Customer Era, almost half of AI chats return product and brand recommendations unprompted.
- 33.8% - 1 in 3 conversations contained unprompted product recommendations.
- 41.2% - Almost half of conversations saw the AI mention specific brands, unprompted.
- 12.3% - 1 in 8 conversations included actual prices or price ranges.
- Contact us for a copy of the report.
Platforms
Query Groups now in Google Search Console
- Google Search Console has introduced Query groups in its Insights report: similar search queries are now automatically grouped, giving you a clearer high‑level view of what your audience is searching.
- The groups are generated using AI and can evolve over time; they don’t impact ranking—they’re just for insights.
- Currently, the feature is rolling out gradually and only available to properties with a large enough volume of search queries.
- For content strategy, this means you can now more easily spot top‑topic clusters and allocate resources accordingly (e.g., see which ‘theme’ of queries is dropping or growing).
- Read more
