NMS Editorial Team

NMS Editorial Team

Dark data viz of a GA4 dashboard showing a tiny AI Assistant traffic bar next to a massive Direct traffic bar, with ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude logos as recognized referrers.

GA4 Named Its AI Assistants Channel Around the 70.6% It Can't Actually See

Google Analytics rolled out a new AI Assistants channel on May 13, 2026, automatically tagging traffic from recognized chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude with the medium ai-assistant and grouping it in default reports. The channel only captures sessions that arrive with a recognized referrer header. ChatGPT's Atlas

Columbia Sportswear Replaced Performance Creative With 100 Inflatable Crocs

Columbia Sportswear released a Robert Irwin chase ad on May 12, 2026, in which the conservationist sprints across the Australian outback pursued by 100 inflatable crocodiles. The launch followed a quarter where Columbia's revenue stayed flat at $779M and US sales fell 10%. Instead of opening with the

Pop-art split-screen of TV remotes labeled YouTube and Netflix facing off, a 100B counter on YouTube side, a CAPI badge on Netflix side, halftone Upfront CPM speech bubbles

YouTube's Brandcast Just Lined Up Against Netflix's CAPI for Upfront Buyers

YouTube held Brandcast 2026 on May 13, claiming $100 billion paid to creators since 2021, reach of 244 million US adults, and 200% year-over-year growth in CTV ad conversions in Q1. The pitch lands 10 weeks after Netflix shipped its own Conversions API and signed Amazon and Yahoo DSP deals.

Dark attribution funnel diagram with scales of justice at center, a walled-off TikTok section, conversion arrows, and 35% and 23x callouts

TikTok's Attribution Portfolio Is the Defendant Running Its Own Trial

TikTok launched its Attribution Portfolio on May 13, 2026, a four-tool suite inside Ads Manager that reports on TikTok's role in conversions where TikTok was not the last click. The headline finding: more than 1 in 4 TikTok-attributed conversions happen after a user sees an ad and then

Dark dashboard mockup showing Microsoft Clarity AI Citations metrics: page citations bar chart, share of authority panel, grounding queries list, AI referral traffic graph

Microsoft Just Folded $499/mo AI Citation Tracking Into a Free Clarity Tab

Microsoft moved AI Citations in Microsoft Clarity from limited preview to general availability on May 13, 2026. The dashboard tracks page citations, share of authority, AI referral traffic, and grounding queries for any site with the Clarity tag installed, with no traffic cap and no paid tier. That drops the

Blueprint schematic of open web traffic falling 46% from 2023 to 2026 with Google AI Overviews, closed social link posts, and the Zero Click Marketing book

Fishkin's Zero Click Marketing Book Pins a 46% Number on the Web Collapse

Rand Fishkin and Amanda Natividad opened pre-orders this week for Zero Click Marketing, a book that pins a single number on a shift marketers have been arguing about for three years. Open-web traffic is down 46% since 2023, per data Fishkin cited on LinkedIn. Teams still using session count as