Meta’s Andromeda system now prioritizes creative performance over signals like audience targeting, to determine ad delivery, marking a fundamental shift in how campaigns are optimized. Audience targeting precision matters far less than it used to. That shift reaches every brand spending on the platform, and Meta isn’t alone. Platform algorithms across Reddit, LinkedIn, and every…
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Food for Your Brain.
Latest Trends and Best Practices from our Thought Leaders and Industry Experts.
Marketplaces & AI Are Rewriting Automotive Discovery
There’s a transaction happening before your customer sees your first impression. A customer needs brake pads. They’re not Googling your brand name. They’re typing “brake pads for 2019 F-150” into Amazon, or an LLM, or Google. Alexa for Shopping (formerly Rufus), Google’s AIOs, and other AI agents synthesize reviews, evaluate fitment compatibility, and present a…
Read MoreBOPIS Isn’t a Feature. It’s Now Table Stakes for Automotive Retail.
A customer can research the best burritos in their city, order one using a promo found online, track the delivery in real time, and be eating it in twenty minutes, all without leaving their couch. Replacing your car’s shocks can require entering the year, make, model, and VIN, knowing the mounting structure and ride height,…
Read MoreWe Tested ChatGPT Ads in Beta. Here’s What We Discovered.
Mindgruve secured access to ChatGPT’s closed advertising beta earlier this year. The program ran from February to April 2026. The platform is now open to any advertiser through the self-serve Ads Manager, but many of the insights we uncovered in beta still hold true. Here are specific takeaways from our experience that can help you…
Read MoreThe $70 Billion Auto Industry Disruption
The EV transition didn’t go as planned. But the stalled electrification timeline isn’t the disruption that matters most right now. Marketplaces, retail media networks, and AI have redrawn who controls discovery, pricing, and the customer relationship. That redistribution is where $70 billion is flowing, and it doesn’t care which emblem is on the hood or…
Read MoreThe Automotive Aftermarket Power Shift
Sixty percent of automotive aftermarket businesses expect demand to grow in 2026. The catalyst has nothing to do with a breakthrough product or a clever brand campaign. Sticker prices on new cars are doing the work. Today’s economy and new vehicle costs have pushed American consumers to hold onto what they already own, and that…
Read MoreWhere AI Scales — and Humans Still Matter
POSSIBLE 2026 brought together some of the brightest minds in marketing — 7,500 attendees, 300-plus exhibitors, and a packed schedule of roundtables and fireside chats set against the backdrop of Miami Beach. Unsurprisingly, AI dominated the conversation. But so did the tension around it. For all the talk of automation, optimization, and scale, a clear…
Read MoreTaming the Spaghetti Monster: Why the Marketing Funnel is Different, Not Dead
It’s a flow that’s so familiar by now that it’s almost accepted as dogma: But as more channels, and AI, have fused into the journey, consumer behavior has shifted and one question is often asked: Is the marketing funnel dead? While some argue for getting rid of linear planning, and others cling to the traditional…
Read MoreAI Is Automating Media Buying. Here’s What That Means for You.
A year ago, most media teams had a version of the same answer when clients asked about AI: “We’re still looking into our options.” That answer doesn’t hold anymore. AI has evolved from an experimental to an operational media tool — and the agencies and brands that built around its capabilities are outpacing the ones…
Read MoreThe $554 Billion Incentive Misalignment: Why Your Own Org Structures and Comp Plans Are Funding the Discount Death Spiral
Your sales team is compensated on revenue. Your marketers are measured on ROAS. Your wholesale partners are judged on sell-through. Each one is making the individually rational decision to discount — and collectively, they’re bleeding out $554 billion in annual global markdown losses due to overstock across retail, up significantly from the $300 billion in…
Read MoreIt’s Time to Rethink Standard Display and Online Video (OLV)
We’re entering a new era of media consumption and advertisers need to adapt. For years, standard display and OLV have served as the workhorses of digital advertising, providing scale, flexibility, and measurable results across countless websites and apps. Yet as media consumption continues to evolve, advertisers are shifting their investment toward higher-attention environments like digital…
Read MoreThe Future Is Now: AI, Search, and the Next Marketing Frontier [On Demand]
Mindgruve recently hosted “The Future Is Now: AI, Search, and the Next Marketing Frontier,” a webinar led by David Shapiro, VP of Global Earned & Owned Media. The session focused on how AI-powered experiences are reshaping discovery, consideration, and conversion, and what marketing leaders should do now to stay visible as search becomes more conversational,…
Read MorePaid Search Strategies That Work For the User Journey Today
People calculate too much and think too little. That’s an insight from the late, great investor Charlie Munger that applies as much to paid search marketing as it does to finance. Because here’s a dirty little secret about many paid search teams: They often get bogged down in tactics — calculating whether to invest in…
Read MoreChatGPT Begins To Roll Out Paid Advertising: What To Know
Advertising in ChatGPT represents an emerging opportunity within the broader shift toward AI-driven discovery and decision-making. While the environment offers strong contextual intent and brand-safe conditions, it currently lacks the measurement maturity, transparency, and scale required to function as a core media channel for advertisers. We recommend approaching ChatGPT advertising with intentional experimentation rather than…
Read MoreCES 2026: Growth Signals Brands and Leaders Can’t Ignore
CES has always been a window into what’s next. But this year, especially in the C Space where tech, media, and marketing collide, it felt less like a showcase and more like a reality check. Across conversations with retail and commerce leaders, one theme kept surfacing. Executives don’t care about the latest flashy tools merely…
Read MoreMindgruve Accelerates Its European Growth with ameo Acquisition
Mindgruve, a modern media, commerce, and data technology company, today announced its acquisition of ameo, a commerce agency based in Hamburg, Germany, recognized as one of Europe’s longest-standing Amazon advertising and analytics providers. The acquisition broadens Mindgruve’s European footprint and strengthens its ability to help U.S. and global brands scale retail media performance across international…
Read MoreMindgruve Names Spencer Lian-Thornton Vice President, Growth and Partnerships
Former Amazon Leader to Drive Enterprise Retail Media Expansion. Mindgruve, a modern media, commerce, and data technology company, has named Spencer Lian-Thornton as its new Vice President of Growth and Partnerships. In this role, Lian-Thornton will help accelerate the company’s growth, expand enterprise partnerships, and further advance Mindgruve’s leadership in retail media and commerce-driven marketing….
Read MoreTop Digital Marketing Predictions & Trends for 2026
Before we leap into 2026, let’s rewind and see how our 2025 predictions held up. Spoiler alert: we’re basically clairvoyant, going a perfect five for five on our trend forecasts. Now, what does our crystal ball reveal for 2026? Whether 2026 has you energized or overwhelmed, Mindgruve is ready to navigate it all with you….
Read MoreKey Takeaways From Amazon unBoxed 2025
Amazon’s annual unBoxed conference this November drew advertising professionals from around the world to Nashville, where the retail giant unveiled its most ambitious push yet toward AI-powered automation. Mindgruve attended the conference to gain firsthand insights into product launches poised to reshape how brands connect with shoppers across Amazon’s purchase journey. We’ll break down the…
Read MoreMindgruve Wins Gold at 2025 MarCom Awards for Best-in-Class Landing Page
Mindgruve is proud to announce that we’ve been named a Gold Winner at the 2025 MarCom Awards in the Landing Page category. Hosted by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), the MarCom Awards recognize excellence in marketing and communications across a wide range of disciplines. This award reflects the strategy, creativity, and collaboration…
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