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The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 AWW = ADD TO CART

Oh wow! Want happier customers? Train your chatbot to talk like one. A recent study found consumers were up to 50% more satisfied, and more likely to buy, when AI chatbots use interjections like “Wow,” “Aww,” and “Oh!” These expressions make bots sound more human, helping users feel heard, and building trust in your brand.

• Researchers say when chatbots have human-like traits they feel more relatable.

• This emotional connection makes the experience feel more positive, and enjoyable, increasing trust in the bot's recommendations — ultimately boosting purchase intent.

🥈 THE PAYPAL AD PUSH IS ON

💰️ From payments to placements: PayPal $PYPL ( ▲ 0.41% ) is expanding its ad reach by launching programmatic ads. Previously, the company only offered ads on its site, but now it's pitching advertisers on targeted ads that will run across other publishers' sites. The ad platform users data from PayPal, Venmo, and Honey to target ads based on what customers buy across its platforms. more

• PayPal’s advantage: access to shopping data across 30 million merchants and 400 million shoppers.

• The goal: to help advertisers reach a broader audience, expanding PayPal's reach and competing with major social networks for ad dollars.

🥉 GET YOUR PRODUCTS ON THE AI HOT LIST

🛍️ ChatGPT made me buy it: OpenAI has started rolling out shopping search features directly in ChatGPT, covering categories like fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics. These results aren’t ads or affiliate links, they’re powered by structured data from third-party sources, and brands can apply to have their products included. more

• Product reviews come from a mix of sources, including editorial sites like WIRED and user-generated forums like Reddit.

• Users can customize which types of reviews ChatGPT prioritizes when recommending products.

• OpenAI also announced improved citations, WhatsApp integration, and new features like trending topics and autocomplete.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• Digital video ad spend is expected to grow nearly 15% in 2025, reaching $72.5 billion, per new IAB data. The growth continues a shift that started last year, with digital video overtaking linear TV for the first time, claiming 51% of total video spend. That lead is set to widen this year, with digital projected to take 58% of the market. more

  • CPG brands are set to lead digital video ad spend in 2025, with a projected $14.3 billion, up 13% from 2024. Retail follows, expected to spend $8.4 billion, marking an 18% YoY increase.

• Google $GOOGL ( ▲ 3.03% ) is testing a new shopping ads design that looks more like an image pack, moving away from the traditional carousel format. The new layout appears below existing Shopping ads on desktop and initially looks like a row of product images, until expanded, revealing them as an extension of the ad unit. more

• 👀 Aisle be watching: Advertisers can now track sales from in-store digital ads across retailers like Hy-Vee, Cub Foods, and ShopRite with Grocery TV. With screens in nearly 6,000 stores, the platform is moving toward a future where brands can buy and measure in-store media across multiple grocery chains in one place. more

Search 🔍

• 💥 SEO mythbusters: Google’s John Mueller shot down the SEO hack that changing the "lastmod" date in XML sitemaps to the current date boosts ranking. He called it "lazy" and said that while such tactics may have had short-term effects, they offer no long-term benefits. more

Social Media 📱

• X is losing steam in Europe: According to its latest filing under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the platform has lost 11 million users, a 10.5% drop since August. more

• Bluesky is having a rough Tuesday with back-to-back outages preventing feeds from loading for users worldwide. The first outage started around 6AM ET and lasted about 40 minutes, followed by another crash at 8AM. This comes just days after a similar outage on April 24th, which was attributed to PDS networking issues. more

  • It’s unclear what caused the disruptions, but by 8:25AM ET, Bluesky appeared to be back online with all systems showing green status.

• Instagram $META ( ▲ 0.66% ) is testing a new Notes feature that lets brands and users customize messages with colours and emojis. The platform said it’s just an internal prototype for now, with no plans to roll it out to users yet. more

• The 411 on video optimization: LinkedIn has shared an overview of video specs and posting tips, including safe zones guidelines to ensure your content isn’t hidden by UI buttons while playing in-stream. more

  • Maximum file size: 5 GB

  • Maximum video duration: 15 minutes

  • Aspect ratio: 1:2.4 - 2.4:1

Commerce 🛒 

• Amazon $AMZN ( ▼ 1.7% )  confirmed today that Prime Day will return this July, offering “deep discounts” across 35+ categories, amid a consumer environment shaken by Trump-era tariffs. Official dates are still under wraps, but the announcement comes as some sellers reportedly weigh backing out due to tariff-related costs. more

  • Amazon is also facing pushback from the White House after reports claimed it planned to display tariff costs alongside product prices. In response, the company said while the idea was considered by the team behind its low-cost Amazon Haul store, “this was never approved and is not going to happen.”

The Ticker

📈 HOW DIGITAL MARKETING STOCKS ARE DOING

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