Welcome to a new week of social updates. LinkedIn is providing more ways for users to show their AI literacy and skills with a verified identifier. This could boost employment options and help legitimize any upskilling or training you’ve been working on. Let’s take a deeper look and see what else has improved.
Trends covered – Let’s get phygital/ Treatonomics hit the sweet spot/ Connectioneering turns ‘mehs’ into must haves/ First-party flex: get to know your customers IRL/ Cultural intelligence – the new brand currency.
The SABC is stepping up its digital strategy with SABC Plus, introducing artificial intelligence (AI), gamification and expanding zero-rated content across the streaming platform. This is in an effort to make public broadcasting more accessible, engaging and inclusive, it says.
The marketer is continuing a revived Pepsi Challenge around its Pepsi Zero Sugar brand, and its big game ad features an icon from Coke’s advertising.
The findings from the SAMY Marketing Trends 2026 report, reveal that investment is rising in the channel but with a clear caveat from the C-suite – demonstrate clearer performance, integration and return on investment.
“Our purpose is clear: to champion jazz and classical music in a way that is relevant and sustainable. This line-up allows us to focus our resources, strengthen consistency on-air and create space for future growth, while remaining true to FMR’s identity.”
84% of South Africans use fashion and personal care to boost confidence and well-being, not vanity — KLA/YouGov survey.
Digital Law Company founder and CEO Emma Sadleir says a ban on social media use by young South Africans would be a good idea, but she doesn’t believe it would be effective. Sadleir stated that unless South Africa gets brave enough to block such platforms from operating locally unless they comply, no such ban would be effective. “That’s the only big stick we’ve got.
Despite the fear that AI-generated ads will sacrifice quality for speed, a new study has found that advertising made with the technology can match the performance of ads created by people and, in some cases, even better it.
Publicis isn’t just growing faster than the rest of the global ad holding companies; it may also be redrafting the rules of what a scaled agency model looks like in an AI-first market.