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Retail leaders weigh AI’s impact on discovery
PLUS: Liquid Death CMO breaks down viral marketing
Zihan Lyu
August 23, 2025
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 | Sponsored by ADVANCE 2025 by Smartly |
Hi there!
Highlights from today's newsletter:
🔍 How agencies can achieve a data advantage amid AI-driven upheavals
🌐 Search everywhere optimization: Five essential digital platforms beyond Google search
📱 FIVE social media updates you need to know this week
EDITOR’S PICK
#EVENT TAKEAWAYS
At eTail Boston 2025, retail leaders made one thing clear: the search funnel as we know it is vanishing.
AI assistants, shopping agents, and social platforms are rapidly reshaping how consumers discover and buy. Panelists warned that traditional search volume could drop by 25% within a year - replaced by conversational queries and in-chat purchases.
As Google rolls out AI Mode and platforms like Perplexity and TikTok embed commerce into discovery, retailers face a new mandate: optimize not for keywords, but for answers. And while AI speeds up the path to purchase, authenticity remains the trust signal consumers still crave.
WHAT WE ARE READING
 | Agencies face mounting pressure to integrate AI and comprehensive data strategies in response to channel fragmentation and rising client demands for connected, customer-centric marketing. Effective data partnerships—emphasizing interoperability, compliance, and transparency—are pivotal for enabling integrated measurement and omnichannel execution. Failure to secure reliable data infrastructure risks compromised results and diminished client trust amid regulatory scrutiny. |
 | Integrating traditional and digital media can yield over 50% increases in key brand metrics if campaigns are specifically tailored to objectives such as awareness or conversions. The study’s analysis of 1,083 campaigns indicates that many advertisers underutilize media synergies, missing substantial performance gains. Marketers must prioritize coordinated media planning to address these inefficiencies. |
 | Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO) demands optimizing not just for Google but for platforms like TikTok, Reddit, AI assistants, YouTube, and Pinterest, as user discovery habits fragment. The article details core optimization tactics and metrics for each, emphasizing the necessity of building authoritative, authentic content where the intended audience actually searches. Focusing on data-driven decisions is crucial as traditional SEO integrates with platform-specific search behaviors. |
WHAT WE ARE LISTENING TO
🎙 CHEW ON THIS PODCAST
Liquid Death's marketing strategy exemplifies a shift toward entertainment-first branding, emphasizing systematic attribution and detailed retail integration. The company employs weekly, structured creative sessions to foster virality, prioritizing single-purpose content that aligns with specific funnel stages rather than blending brand messaging, benefits, and calls to action. This disciplined approach enhances brand visibility without diluting audience engagement.
Notably, Liquid Death has advanced retail media measurement through exposed audience matching across major platforms such as Walmart Connect and Amazon DSP, providing more precise ROAS calculations. The brand’s collaboration requirements—partnering exclusively with entities that reach new audiences and provide unexpected value—underscore a strategic approach to partnerships as acquisition rather than mere awareness. Furthermore, audience portability and branded search lift as KPIs underpin their ability to systematically recycle and retarget awareness, demonstrating a sophisticated integration between creative marketing and retail distribution channels.
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