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Last month we talked about Generative Engine Optimization becoming a real discipline. In March, Google made the clearest move yet toward monetizing the AI search experience itself.
On February 11, Vidhya Srinivasan, VP and general manager of Ads & Commerce at Google, confirmed the company is testing a new shopping ad format inside AI Mode --- the fully conversational search interface that now has over 75 million daily active users. The format recommends retailers based on user queries and appears alongside organic shopping suggestions, clearly labeled as sponsored. Google is also testing similar formats in travel and other verticals.
But the line that should be highlighted, circled, and taped to every marketer's monitor: "We aren't just bringing ads to AI experiences in Search; we are reinventing what an ad is."
That's not product marketing fluff. It signals a fundamental shift in how paid visibility works. AI Mode ads don't behave like traditional search ads --- they surface inside conversational responses, where the context is richer and the intent is more layered. Google also introduced Direct Offers, a new format that lets brands share tailored promotions with shoppers signaling high purchase intent within AI Mode, without changing what they offer everyone else.
For PPC teams, the practical implications are immediate. You can't bid specifically for AI Mode placements yet, and there's no separate reporting. But ads from existing Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns are already eligible to appear in these surfaces. The brands showing up are the ones with clean data, strong product feeds, and high-quality ad assets. Google's auction is moving from keyword-matching to signal-matching, and that changes where control actually lives.
Meanwhile, on the GEO side, the February developments reinforce what we flagged in January: AI citation is becoming a distinct performance channel. Google's Ads Decoded podcast confirmed that asset diversity is now infrastructure for an AI-mediated search environment --- the system needs a deep pool of creative assets to work with across traditional SERP, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. Thin creative libraries are a liability.
On February 5, Google launched something it had never done before: a core update targeting only Discover. The February 2026 Discover Core Update finished rolling out on February 27 after a 22-day deployment, and the implications extend well beyond publishers who track their Discover traffic.
Why this matters: Discover's share of Google-sourced traffic to news publishers has nearly doubled in two years, climbing from 37% in 2023 to roughly 68%. Traditional web search traffic to those same publishers dropped from 51% to about 27% over the same period. When a single surface drives that much traffic, any algorithmic change to how it selects content has direct revenue consequences.
The update made three significant shifts. First, geographic personalization is now a meaningful layer --- local domains appear roughly five times more often in their home-state feeds than in feeds elsewhere. Second, Google is actively demoting sensational content and clickbait, with early data showing templated curiosity-gap headlines losing distribution at the top of feeds. Third, topic authority now matters more than engagement metrics. Google explicitly stated that consistent publishing in a niche builds Discover visibility, while sporadic coverage of trending topics no longer earns sustained traffic.
For content marketers, this is the clearest signal yet that Google is treating Discover as a separate distribution channel with its own ranking logic. The strategies that work in search can actually hurt Discover performance if they lean on engagement-bait tactics. Brands producing substantive, original content with real expertise --- especially locally relevant content --- are the ones gaining ground.
Google announced Scenario Planner on February 19 --- a no-code interface for its open-source Meridian marketing mix modeling platform. Nearly 40% of marketers say they struggle to connect MMM outputs to real business decisions, according to Harvard Business Review research. Scenario Planner is designed to close that gap.
The tool turns complex statistical model outputs into interactive simulations where marketing leaders can test different budget allocations and instantly see projected ROI without writing code or waiting on data science teams. Instead of MMM being a once-a-year retrospective exercise locked in a data science department, Scenario Planner makes it a living planning tool.
This is significant for two reasons. First, it removes the usability bottleneck that has kept MMM insights out of day-to-day decision-making. Traditional MMM projects take 8--12 weeks from data collection to actionable output. By the time results arrive, market conditions have shifted. Second, it signals Google's broader enterprise strategy: build horizontal data platforms that connect analytics, advertising, and cloud infrastructure, creating relationships that extend beyond media buying.
For agencies and in-house teams managing meaningful ad budgets, this is worth testing now. Budget allocation decisions are about to get more data-informed across the board, and the teams using tools like Scenario Planner will have a structural advantage over those still working from spreadsheets and gut instinct.
SXSW 2026 runs March 12-18 in Austin, and this year's edition is the most structurally different in the festival's 40-year history. The Austin Convention Center is under demolition for redevelopment, so the entire event is spilling out across the city into "badge-specific neighborhoods" --- distributed hubs organized by track and interest.
For brand marketers, this isn't just logistical trivia. The new layout fundamentally changes how activations work. Without a central convention center anchoring foot traffic, brands need to be more intentional about placement and more creative about drawing people in. The flip side: more diverse venue options, more street-level visibility, and opportunities for immersive experiences that weren't possible in a convention hall.
The Brand & Marketing Track runs all seven days, covering brand strategy, experiential marketing, audience engagement, and creator partnerships. But the real action at SXSW has always been outside the sessions --- in the activations, pop-ups, and brand experiences that generate earned media and social content. This year, with the footprint completely reimagined, expect brands to push further into experiential formats that blur the line between content and commerce.
SXSW remains one of the best barometers for where experiential marketing is headed. The brands showing up this year are treating Austin as a testing ground for spatial, context-aware marketing --- the kind of work that will become standard as AR wearables (flagged in our February roundup) start reaching consumers.
In a move that speaks volumes about how the advertising calendar is shifting, IAB moved its NewFronts from their traditional late April/early May slot to March 23--26 in New York City. This isn't just a scheduling change --- it's a strategic acknowledgment that the buying cycle has evolved.
IAB CEO David Cohen was direct about the reasoning: with digital investments now operating on an always-on cycle rather than the traditional broadcast calendar, buyers need earlier access to premium streaming and digital video inventory. Moving to March gives brands a first-mover advantage in planning.
The 2026 NewFronts are built around the convergence of video, streaming, CTV, and AI-powered measurement. Google is using the event to showcase how Gemini models are embedded across its marketing platform, with Display & Video 360 and CTV advertising as focal points. The IAB Main Stage on March 25 brings together buy-side, sell-side, and technology leaders to address how video investment strategies are adapting to AI, commerce, and cross-platform performance demands.
For marketers allocating video budgets, the message is clear: streaming and CTV are now performance-driven channels, accountable for business outcomes rather than just impressions. The NewFronts' move to March puts this conversation earlier in the planning cycle, which means teams that wait until Q2 to think about video strategy are already behind.
March's developments share a common thread: the infrastructure layer of marketing is being rebuilt in real time, and the rebuilding favors teams that invest in quality signals over shortcuts.
Google's AI Mode ads reward clean data and strong creative assets. The Discover update rewards topical authority and original reporting. Scenario Planner rewards teams who treat measurement as a planning tool rather than a reporting obligation. SXSW rewards brands that invest in real experiences rather than booth presence. And the NewFronts' calendar shift rewards early planners over reactive ones.
The pattern is consistent with what we've been saying all year: the gap between what your brand says and what your brand does is becoming machine-readable. AI systems don't just index your content --- they evaluate your reputation, your authority, and your consistency across every surface where your brand appears.
The companies winning right now are the ones building infrastructure that holds up under scrutiny from both algorithms and humans. That means strong first-party data, consistent content ecosystems, clean product feeds, and brand experiences that deliver on what the marketing promises. It's not glamorous work. But it's the work that compounds.
Mar 4 | Virtual (Free)
The March installment of the virtual MarTech Conference features six live panel discussions covering data silos, identity in a cookieless world, post-funnel collapse strategy, context-aware virtual experiences, rethinking workflows, and online visibility in the age of AI. New this year: the Vibe Marketing Lab, a live community exercise where marketers collaborate using AI-powered tools to build marketing assets during the event, benefiting nonprofit partner Harlem Grown.
Mar 4--5 | Location TBA
Ad Age's summit focused on cracking the code on youth marketing and breaking into viral culture. Sessions explore Gen Z and Gen Alpha engagement strategies, the creator economy's role in brand building, and how emerging platforms are reshaping the path to cultural relevance. If your audience skews young or your brand is trying to stay culturally current, this is two days well spent.
https://www.adageevents.com/event/AdAgeNextGen/summary
Mar 9--11 | Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA
B2BMX moves to a new venue this year and remains the premier event for B2B marketing practitioners. The 2026 program is organized across seven content tracks covering AI, go-to-market strategy, content and storytelling, attribution and measurement, ABM, and marketing leadership. Speakers from Adobe, Salesforce, and Microsoft. If you're in demand gen, RevOps, or B2B content strategy, this delivers practical, implementable frameworks.
Mar 12--18 | Austin, TX
SXSW celebrates its 40th anniversary with its most ambitious reimagining yet. With the Austin Convention Center under redevelopment, the festival distributes across city neighborhoods, creating a new experiential landscape for attendees and activating brands alike. The Brand & Marketing Track runs all seven days with programming on brand strategy, audience engagement, and creator partnerships. Over half a million attendees are expected across the conferences and festivals.
Mar 19--20 | Tishman Auditorium, The New School, New York, NY
A two-day, in-person conference for social media and marketing leaders. Sessions cover organic social, influencer marketing, paid media, community strategy, short-form video, and AI --- all framed around what's actually working right now. Speakers from Microsoft, IBM, Meta, Mount Sinai, Red Cross, and Vanguard. Tight format, practitioner-led talks, and honest Q&A make this one of the more actionable events on the calendar.
https://socialfresh.com/conference/social-media-conference-2026/
Mar 23--26 | New York, NY (Multiple Venues)
The world's largest digital content marketplace moves to March for the first time, giving buyers earlier access to premium streaming and digital video inventory. Spanning four days across NYC venues with the IAB Main Stage on March 25 at Convene Brookfield Place, the event showcases innovations in video, streaming, and CTV. Google, among other major platforms, will present how AI is reshaping video investment, measurement, and activation. Invite-only for qualified brand marketers and agency professionals.
https://www.iab.com/events/newfronts-2026/
Mar 24--26 | 180 Studios, London
Three days of seminars, workshops, and networking for marketing, advertising, media, and technology professionals. Over 75 sessions covering generative AI's role in creativity, supply path optimization, data ethics, and diversity in advertising. The event draws 7,000+ attendees from brands, agencies, and publishers across Europe and globally. Evening programming includes networking events and entertainment. If you market to European audiences or want a read on how the UK and EU are approaching AI and advertising regulation, this is essential.
2732 Sutton Blvd.
