KIMP’s Picks 21st March: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Welcome to another edition of KIMP’s Picks—your weekly roundup of what’s buzzing in the social media landscape. Finding it tough to keep up with AI breakthroughs and insightful discussions online? This post’s for you! Are you ready for this week’s Friday briefing? Let’s dive in.

In the Marketing Realm 

Making the most of predictive audiences in GA4

Google Analytics has evolved, and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) brings a slew of new updates. Predictive audiences is one of the recently popular features on GA. In the post here, Google discussed how leading supermarket ASDA increased their ROAS using predictive audiences. 

Reportedly ASDA was able to boost their ROAS by about 84% with this data-driven approach. Predictive audiences can be used in regular ads, remarketing, and in re-engagement campaigns. 

Puma taps into agentic AI to up their marketing game 

The recent AI-powered ad from Puma gives a glimpse of what the future of marketing looks like. Popular digital agency Monks has teamed up with NVIDIA to craft a creative 30-second commercial for Puma, relying entirely on AI agents rather than human crews. 

The post here from Ad Age discusses this campaign and how it shifts the landscape in marketing. The ad demonstrates how brands can tap into AI tools and AI agents to craft high-impact, adaptable visuals delivered faster than ever. It shows how AI can revolutionize productivity and innovation in marketing. 

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The power of reactive marketing 

In a playful response to a viral incident where a four-year-old boy called 911 to report his mother for stealing his ice cream, popular dairy brand Tillamook has introduced the Meltdown Line. This initiative allows individuals who have experienced ice cream theft to call a dedicated hotline for a free replacement tub of Tillamook ice cream. Little Black Book explores the most creative campaigns across various industries. In a recent post, they discussed this intuitive reactive campaign effort from Tillamook. 

The featured campaign highlights the power of jumping on trends with agility and a human touch.

Brands rally against U.S. tariffs 

There’s another post from Ad Age that caught our attention and this one is about a reactive campaign as well. A classic example of newsjacking. This campaign from Maple Leaf Foods is a reaction to the recent U.S. tariffs. 

Titled ‘Look for the Leaf,’ this campaign urges Canadians to shop local. The initiative uses outdoor ads to highlight the red maple leaf symbol on packaging from various Canadian brands. 

The campaign aligns with a growing movement among Canadians to boycott American products in favor of supporting local businesses, reflecting a surge in national pride as a response to trade tensions. 

For more insights from brand reactions to the U.S. tariffs, check out our blog here. 

Tapping into Shorts for advertising 

Teaming up with EMARKETER, Google recently analyzed the effectiveness of using YouTube Shorts in advertising. The post discusses the diversity and the extensive reach of Shorts. Therefore it can be a great medium for brands looking to strengthen discovery through social media. 

According to the survey, about 96% of Gen Zers in the U.S. consume both long-form and short-form videos on the platform. And with respect to Shorts alone, there has been a 25% YoY growth in Shorts views in the U.S. Based on all the data presented in this post, one thing is clear – if you are not already using Shorts for advertising, now is a good time to start. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Leveraging commercial keywords 

In a recent post, Moz discussed the significance of commercial keywords in content marketing. It highlights the importance of commercial intent and how brands can tap into this category of keywords to connect with audiences with a clear intent to purchase. 

Generating keyword ideas is definitely one of the most challenging steps in content marketing. Understanding search intent is one way to simplify this process. 

Semrush’s AI optimization 

AI has become a valuable add-on to content marketing. Therefore, Semrush is bringing AI-powered capabilities into their tools. In a recent post, they highlighted the AI-powered optimization available on the platform. The waitlist for the same has been open. 

Features like these are particularly handy because traditional SEO is no longer enough. With brands and consumers relying on AI-powered answers and summaries to grasp information quickly, AI-powered tools can be beneficial for brands looking to elevate their marketing efforts. 

Time to rethink your SEO strategies 

We’ve been talking about the evolution of SEO. So this next post from Search Engine Land is one about SEO strategies that don’t seem to be working as effectively as before. 

The post specifically talks about four SEO strategies that might not deliver the intended results as they did in the past. The post highlights that obsessing over page load speeds might not be a necessary step once you know that your page meets the Core Web Vitals standards. 

Secondly, the post explores how backlink authority might not be the most useful metric if there are other issues like keyword cannibalization, poor keyword targeting, and weak internal linking. 

The third point discussed is too much focus on fresh content without focusing on updating existing content. Finally, it also talks about strategies for content refreshes and how it helps only when you choose articles ranking for relevant keywords with good search volume. 

In the Design Realm 

A campaign built on bold design 

Ads of the World shared a post discussing a recent creative design-driven campaign. The “Wall of Will” initiative, created by Saint Elmo’s in collaboration with Sports Illustrated Germany, aims to combat the alarming trend of young girls quitting sports. Accordingly, it showcases the inspiring stories of elite female athletes. 

As a design-driven campaign, this one places vibrant wallpaper installations featuring athletes like Giulia Gwinn and Gina Lückenkemper in school gyms and locker rooms (spaces where motivation often declines). 

The campaign underscores the magic that happens when great design brings a strong message to life.  

Visual identity inspiration 

The post here is from The Brand Identity, a page that shares inspirational design projects from various industries. It discusses the vibrant rebranding for Human, a humanist Dutch broadcaster. 

The brand was earlier using all-caps typography and now they have replaced it with warmer lowercase typography. But what stands out is the refreshed color palette. The design features bright hues like fluorescent magenta and orange, symbolizing the diversity and openness of the conversations Human promotes. This lively visual identity stands out in the competitive Dutch media landscape.

This campaign highlights that a cohesive, vibrant design rooted in core values can amplify a brand’s presence helping it stand out in a crowded market. 

Hitachi unveils new brand design 

Hitachi recently announced their refreshed brand design aimed at embodying the brand’s transformation into “True One Hitachi” with a strong emphasis on digital innovation. 

This marks the first major update to the company’s visual identity in 25 years, featuring an evolved logo, refreshed color palette, bespoke typeface called Hitachi Sans, and dynamic graphic elements.

While aligning with the brand’s core heritage, the fresh design also encapsulates the current trends and resonates with the transformation of the brand. The introduction of 3D tonal textures inspired by Hitachi’s engineering heritage will serve as versatile backdrops for various applications.

In the AI Realm 

Gemini unveils Canvas for creators 

Google has introduced Canvas, a feature very similar to the Canvas feature on ChatGPT. This feature helps streamline collaboration and allows creators to work on co-creating documents or code conveniently and efficiently. 

Canvas acts as an interactive hub, like a digital whiteboard where users can team up with Gemini to craft, tweak, and share projects in real time. It is currently available to both Free and Advanced users. 

This feature is particularly beneficial for developers, as it allows for seamless transitions from concept to working prototype without the need for multiple tools. 

Google announces Audio Overviews

Analyzing large volumes of data is one of the specialties of AI tools. Building on this, Google has launched Audio Overviews, a new feature in the Gemini app. This new feature allows users to convert documents, slides, and even Deep Research reports into engaging audio discussions. The generated output mimics a podcast-style format. The feature is designed to help users better understand complex information while on the go.

To make things interactive and keep the information more engaging, the output is presented like a podcast where two AI hosts discuss the presented details in the document. 

Google is phasing out Assistant for Gemini-powered upgrade 

A few weeks ago, Amazon announced Alexa+, their revamped assistant with all new AI upgrades. Keeping up with this trend of AI-powered virtual assistants Google has announced that their native assistant, Google Assistant will soon be phased out and replaced by the Gemini-powered assistant. 

It’s been close to a decade since the launch of Google Assistant for mobile devices. But now generative AI is steering the future. Therefore, Gemini, designed as a personal, AI-driven aide, aims to blend seamlessly with apps and services, boosting productivity and creativity. With millions of users already making the switch to Gemini, the company is set to upgrade more devices—including tablets, cars, and smart home devices—to the new platform. 

Adobe revolutionizes AI content creation with GenStudio 

Adobe has launched GenStudio for Performance Marketing, a generative AI-driven tool designed to tackle the rising demand for personalized, on-brand content at scale. GenStudio addresses the challenges faced by marketers and creatives by automating critical workflows, enhancing speed and precision throughout the content lifecycle. 

The upgrade comes with features like Firefly integration which helps users easily create images and text that align with brand guidelines. Moreover, it also brings ad platform integrations with Meta and Google simplifying advertising workflows on the whole. 

Adobe unveils Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator

At the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, Adobe introduced the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Agent Orchestrator. This is a system for building, managing, and orchestrating AI agents.

Given that enterprises are actively looking for tools and strategies to build AI agents to improve the efficiency of their workflows, this move from Adobe simplifies the process. This innovation empowers marketing and creative teams in organizations to deliver highly personalized, scalable customer experiences by leveraging custom AI agents for specific tasks. Adobe talks about building Audience Agents, Content Production Agents, and more. 

Meet Stability AI’s Stable Virtual Camera 

Stability AI has unveiled a research preview of Stable Virtual Camera, their AI model that effortlessly converts 2D images into 3D videos with dynamic life-like depth and impressive camera control. 

All it takes is an input image and a text prompt describing the camera angle like Dolly Zoom In or Out, Move Forward or Backward or even a custom camera path. In addition to these dynamic camera controls, the tool also supports multiple aspect ratios. Moreover, it supports long video generation, up to 1000 frames. 

Roblox debuts Cube, AI-driven 3D generation 

Roblox unveils their open-source generative AI model, Cube, poised to reshape 3D and 4D content creation. Cube 3D crafts fully functional 3D objects from text prompts, soon expanding to images and more.

Unlike typical models relying on 2D reconstruction, it’s trained on native 3D data, ensuring game-ready assets.  This means that users can generate 3D objects in seconds. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes 

YouTube announces a Youth Digital Wellness push 

YouTube, alongside over a dozen content creators and distributors from ten countries, launched the Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative. This aims at elevating online experiences for kids with high-quality, age-appropriate content. 

The initiative focuses on responsible product design and content creation, aiming to limit exposure to low-quality or harmful material. The initiative reinforces YouTube’s existing safeguards, such as YouTube Kids and parental controls, while introducing industry-wide standards. From customized product design to healthy screen time options and more, this initiative emphasizes a host of details to enhance the app experience for diverse users. 

TikTok announces Security Checkup for enhanced account protection 

TikTok has launched Security Checkup, a comprehensive new tool designed to give users greater control over their account security. 

Accessible via the ‘Settings and privacy’ menu, Security Checkup provides a step-by-step guide to key security features. This includes linking a phone number and email for backup login, enabling 2-Step Verification, monitoring logged-in devices, and identifying suspicious activity.

The platform also encourages users to adopt passkeys for password-free logins. With this tool, TikTok aims to empower users to easily review and update their security settings, ensuring a safer and more secure experience on the platform.

Final Thoughts…

Let’s be real—staying on top of this endless stream of updates is no small feat. We’re here to cut through the clutter and get you up to speed in minutes. Sounds good? Stay tuned for next week’s KIMP’s Picks!