• ClickZ
  • Posts
  • Tariffs are forcing a marketing reset in the US | The ClickZ Digest

Tariffs are forcing a marketing reset in the US | The ClickZ Digest

PLUS: Social data is your new strategy engine

Author

Zihan Lyu
April 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 31 minutes

Follow us on LinkedIn 🔗

Hi there!

Highlights from today's newsletter:
🌎 Brands are driving engagement with hyper-local, multi-touch strategies
🤖 How Google Gemini 2.5 can transform your marketing strategy
📊 Analyzing social media data in 2025 with AI integration

EDITOR’S PICK

#MARKETING STRATEGY

Tariffs are rewriting the rules of marketing in the U.S.—and speed, not scale, is now the advantage. 

As costs rise and margins tighten, brands like Chipotle, Foot Locker, and eBay are showing how marketing must shift: holding prices steady to protect trust, aligning campaigns with real-time inventory, and replacing seasonal calendars with modular, data-driven execution.

With 94% of advertisers anticipating budget cuts, the pressure isn’t just to do more with less—but to prove every dollar moves the needle. Marketing has moved from storytelling to strategic survival.

#GOOGLE ADS

Curious to know the optimal way to allocate your Google Ads budget? Fospha’s latest analysis of top performers reveals key insights into balancing Performance Max (PMAX) and Paid Search:

🥇 How Top-Performers Do It: For the highest-performing 25% of brands, a strategic allocation of around 55% of total Google budget to Performance Max and 12% to Paid Search appears to be the sweet spot for driving results.

🏢 Size Matters: Note, this optimal allocation does vary slightly between different brand sizes. Top-performing small brands were found to have a 52% PMAX / 15% Paid Search split, while top-performing large brands allocated more to PMAX, with a 59% PMAX / 9% Paid Search split.

Why? With extensive product catalogs and diverse customer segments, large brands can leverage PMAX's AI-driven optimization, while smaller brands benefit from the precision targeting of Paid Search to capture high-intent traffic while still leveraging PMAX for efficiency

Unlock the full potential of your Google Ads budget!

Fospha’s new Performance Max and Paid Search Playbook is your guide to cultivating cross-channel synergies, reducing wasted ad spend, and maximizing blended performance.

WHAT WE ARE READING

Brands are leveraging hyper-local, multi-touch advertising strategies using first-party data and AI to improve consumer engagement. By targeting campaigns based on contextual intelligence and dynamic creative solutions, companies like Dior and Sony have increased brand awareness and sales. This data-driven approach maximizes retail impact both online and in physical stores.

Meta Ads’ AI features, integrated into the Advantage Ads manager, enhance ad performance by optimizing campaign elements like audience targeting and budget allocation.

Utilizing generative AI, NLP, and reinforcement learning, these tools save costs and improve efficiency for marketers seeking broader audience reach and better ad placements. Such features are crucial for businesses aiming to adapt swiftly to market opportunities and refine ad strategies with precision.

In 2025, social media analytics have progressed from basic engagement tracking to vital tools for understanding consumer behavior and forecasting trends, driven by real-time data processing and AI insights. This evolution benefits businesses by enabling more precise targeting and rapid response to market dynamics, crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.

Understanding these advancements and adopting a data-centric approach is essential for brands aiming to improve ROI and adapt to the constantly changing digital landscape.

TOP VOICE

💭INSIGHTS FROM TOBI LUTKE
💭INSIGHTS FROM LEE ARTHUR

In our Shoptalk 2025 wrap up with ClickZ, one thing was clear | Lee Arthur

This industry is operating in a new reality. From full-funnel AI to omnichannel orchestration, the conversations weren’t speculative,they were tactical.

Here are the biggest shifts we heard on the ground:

🔹 AI is everywhere
“AI isn’t a concept -it’s a capability,” summed up by voices across the floor. From text-to-buy to media measurement, brands are moving from testing to scaling.

🔹 Omnichannel is baseline
“Omnichannel isn’t a trend - it’s the new baseline,” said Sam Carter, CEO at Fospha. The new standard is unified journeys online and off.

💭INSIGHTS FROM RORY FLYNN

A smarter way to scale creative assets with GPT-4o

Need GIFs, ad creatives, or email assets fast? GPT-4o makes it ridiculously easy.

Upload an image, tweak small features, loop frames—and boom, you’ve got scroll-stopping visuals using assets you already have. It’s a killer move for asset expansion without extra shoots.

Think more output, less effort.

WHAT WE ARE LISTENING TO

🎙 MARKETING AGAINST THE GRAIN

without costing a dime…

Explore the potential of Google Gemini 2.5 to enhance marketing efficiency by utilizing advanced AI techniques at no cost. Understand how deep research can assist in writing precise prompts and building comprehensive marketing campaigns. These insights are crucial for professionals seeking cost-effective AI-driven marketing solutions.

Editorial

Contact an editor to create content for your business. [[email protected]]


Advertise with us

Connect with us on socials

Reply

or to participate.