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Marketing News and Insights

  • Writer: Reza Hosseini
    Reza Hosseini
  • May 13
  • 3 min read

No.10 | May 13, 2025

Your Guide to AI-Driven Marketing


In mid-May 2025, the marketing landscape experienced notable platform updates, innovative campaigns, and strategic pivots.


This roundup highlights key developments both globally and within Canada, focusing on digital marketing, branding, customer engagement, and the latest tech trends.


In the second section, titled AI & Innovation, you’ll find a summary of major advancements and insights from the world of artificial intelligence.




AI-Driven Marketing


AI & Martech: Smarter, Faster, More Personalized


  • SAS Innovate 2025:

    SAS unveiled AI agents within its Viya platform, enhancing customer journey analytics. Macy’s reported improved engagement and churn prediction using SAS tools. 


  • Canva Visual Suite 2.0:

    Canva introduced AI-powered features like Magic Studio for bulk content generation and Canva Code for interactive content creation, streamlining design workflows.


  • Notion Mail Launch:

    Notion released an AI-integrated email platform, offering features like auto-drafting and custom views, enhancing productivity for marketers. 



Social Media & Influencer Marketing


  • Pinterest's Growth:

    Pinterest projected Q2 revenue between $960M and $980M, attributing growth to Gen Z engagement and AI-driven ad personalization. 

    Reuters


  • Meta’s Gen Z Insights:

    Meta's study revealed 67% of Gen Z users share videos to express emotions, suggesting brands should focus on emotionally resonant content.


  • Instagram 'Edits' App:

    Instagram launched 'Edits', a mobile app for advanced video editing, enabling creators to produce high-quality content directly on their devices. 



Canadian Market Trends


  • Digital Marketing Skills Demand:

    Digital Marketing Skills Demand: The Conference Board of Canada reported a surge in demand for digital marketing skills across sectors, urging educational institutions to adapt curricula accordingly. 


  • Digital Services Tax (DST):

    Canada's 3% DST on digital services revenue is impacting advertising costs, with companies like Google and Amazon passing fees to advertisers.


  • Brand Localization:

     In response to global trade tensions, brands like Kraft Heinz and McDonald's are emphasizing local sourcing in their Canadian marketing to resonate with consumers. 


Campaigns & Creative Trends


  • Shift from Digital-Only Branding:

    Brands are moving beyond digital ads, focusing on first-party data, community events, and authentic storytelling to build consumer trust amidst privacy concerns. 

     

  • Sustainable Packaging:

     Companies are adopting eco-friendly packaging with QR codes for transparency, aligning with consumer demand for sustainability and information accessibility. 


    Platform & Policy Updates


  • Google's E-E-A-T Emphasis:

    Digital Marketing Skills Demand: The Conference Board of Canada reported a surge in demand for digital marketing skills across sectors, urging educational institutions to adapt curricula accordingly. 


  • Reddit Ad Controls:

    Canada's 3% DST on digital services revenue is impacting advertising costs, with companies like Google and Amazon passing fees to advertisers.


    Stay Ahead with AI-MARKETER


    For more insights and updates, visit www.AI-Marketing.ca and follow us on LinkedIn, and Facebook.

    Empowering Canadian businesses through innovative marketing strategies.




AI & Innovation



China Declares AI Independence


President Xi Jinping announced a national system for AI self-reliance, aiming to eliminate dependence on U.S. supply chains. Huawei is testing domestic chips to rival NVIDIA, while DeepSeek’s upcoming R2 model signals a new level of Chinese competitiveness.


📌 Why it matters:

Canada must closely watch trade and tech developments—AI leadership is now geopolitical.



AI Interpretability Becomes a Priority


Anthropic’s CEO warned of AI systems advancing faster than our ability to understand them. Their Claude 3 Sonnet model has over 30M interpretable “features.” The company calls for a global push toward transparency and “AI MRI-style diagnostics.”


📌 Why it matters:

Trust in AI will increasingly hinge on understanding how it thinks—not just what it does.



AI Becomes More Affordable & Versatile


  • OpenAI released GPT-4o and “o4-mini”—models with near GPT-4-level capabilities at a fraction of the compute cost.


  • Baidu introduced ERNIE 4.5 Turbo, undercutting GPT-4 pricing by 80%, and launched Xinxiang, a multi-agent AI system.


    📌 Why it matters:

    This price war means even small businesses can now afford AI solutions once reserved for Fortune 500s.



Creative AI Gets New Tools


  • Adobe Firefly 4 Ultra improves image generation realism.


  • Google’s Music AI Sandbox empowers musicians to create tracks using AI.


  • Tavus’ Hummingbird-0 introduces advanced lip-sync models for video marketing.


    📌 Why it matters:

    From ad visuals to explainer videos, AI is redefining what in-house content creation means.



AI in Workflows


  • Grok Workspaces lets teams create custom legal/research agents for document review.


  • Sana Agents (no code) now automate 100+ workflow tasks in enterprise environments.


    📌 Why it matters:

    Expect more vertical-specific tools—HR, legal, finance—built on smart automation.


Quick Highlights:


  • OpenAI launched Stargate, a global AI infrastructure network.


  • Elon Musk’s xAI will power Twitter/X’s recommendation engine.


  • Ziff Davis sued OpenAI over copyright use of editorial content.


  • Moonshot’s Kimi-Audio is setting new benchmarks in speech recognition and audio-to-audio translation.




 
 
 

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