The Level newsletter

AI Powered Growth

What changed in AI and marketing this week, and what our team would do about it.

Every Wednesday, someone from Level opens the issue with a take from their corner of the work: programmatic, search, creative, CRM. Then we round up the platform updates, research, and test results you can share with your team.

What's inside

Built for your next planning meeting.

Each issue pulls from what our teams see across live accounts in financial services, education, B2B, home services, healthcare, and consumer health and CPG.

01

A new Level voice each week

The opening note rotates across our strategists, media buyers, and leadership, so you hear from the person closest to the topic.

02

The updates that matter

New ad formats, Google and Meta product changes, and AI search shifts, with a line on what each one means for your plan.

03

Results from real tests

What happened when we ran it ourselves, like the agentic buying test with PubMatic that doubled reach per dollar.

04

Research worth reading

Benchmarks and studies from neutral sources, summarized so you can decide in a minute whether to read the full report.

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AI Powered
Growth
Nov 4, 2026

Try a personal agent for your workflows

Dave Brong on personal agents from Meta, OpenAI, xAI, and Anthropic, and how to put one to work this week.

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Archive

Past issues

72 issues since June 2025.

October 2026
Oct 28, 2026Trust in financial services is getting a paper trailGoogle and your clients are both asking financial brands to show proof of who they are.Read issue → Oct 22, 2026Measurement is now a growth leverGoogle and Meta learn from the signals you send back, so the 2027 plan starts with your data.Read issue → Oct 14, 2026Cross-team wins start with simple conversationsLevel's VP of Programmatic Media guest-edits this week's issue.Read issue → Oct 7, 2026The best reading list comes from practitionersPlus how Wyndham makes 15× the creative with AI, why attribution undercounts AI search, and where AI agents stall on your site.Read issue →
September 2026
Sep 30, 2026AI users engage with nearly 3× as many touchpointsPlus the five steps behind Google's Rethink ROI results, and brand marketers pushing back on AI's "good enough" standard.Read issue → Sep 23, 2026The practice matters more than the toolPlus a healthcare CEO on why patients hate the corporate feel, Klaviyo going headless, and what your new Google Ads benchmark isn't telling you.Read issue → Sep 16, 2026Speed matters, building better matters moreWhy AI's biggest builders are asking to pace the frontier, plus new conversational ad formats, Meridian's agentic upgrades, and YouTube's modern mainstream research.Read issue → Sep 9, 2026Judgment is the only signal AI hasn't copied yetAlso this week: a No. 28 Adweek ranking, the "be on Reddit" advice gets a funnel check, and Artem Koren on intent technology.Read issue → Sep 2, 2026Do the unseen work awesomelyPlus a programmatic head-to-head with PubMatic, and why 92% of VPs trusted an AI call they later doubted.Read issue →
August 2026
Aug 26, 2026Why nothing stays optimizedPlus, what happens when a million people flag AI slop, why the IAB is trying to measure ads served to bots, and this week's display ad benchmarks.Read issue → Aug 19, 2026The blank page is no longer blankPlus what value inflation is teaching your bid strategy, the enrollment signal sitting unused in your CRM, and Forrester on why a bigger 2027 budget won't help.Read issue → Aug 12, 2026The tools are only as smart as your setupPersonalization gaps, AI creative staging, Meta exclusion audiences, and campaign benchmarking coming to Analytics.Read issue →
August 2026
Aug 5, 2026Great culture doesn't happen by accidentPlus, LinkedIn wants to flag AI slop, the IAB wants to standardize how you measure AI visibility, and I'm resharing the process behind good AI creative.Read issue →
July 2026
Jul 29, 2026The CTA we all get wrongFrom data integrity to Demand Gen migration, what changed this week and what it means for your brand.Read issue → Jul 22, 2026Agentic buying just passed its first real testFrom media buying to creative to search, this week is one long argument for keeping a human in the loop.Read issue → Jul 15, 2026Taste still isn't something AI can fakePlus: why just 15% of marketers say measurement actually drives their budget calls.Read issue → Jul 8, 2026The final 10% of creative still belongs to humansOur July 30 session with Level's creative team, a Silver at The Drum Awards, and notes from conference season.Read issue → Jul 1, 2026The robots didn't win at CannesWhat festival winners, OpenAI, and rooftop chats can tell us about where this is all headingRead issue →
June 2026
Jun 24, 2026The brief is still the hard partThis week: Cannes Lions, social as the leading news source, 2026 higher ed performance benchmarks, and what changed in organic CTR.Read issue → Jun 17, 2026The last human leverHeading to Cannes Lions at a moment when the industry is figuring out what creativity is actually worth.Read issue → Jun 10, 2026The case for self-imposed friction in marketingWhat a global AI slowdown debate has to do with your marketing program.Read issue → Jun 3, 2026The 50 most-cited domains in Google AI Overviews.Plus: The Trade Desk's Claude-powered campaign agent and a question we've been sitting with at SMX Advanced this week.Read issue →
May 2026
May 27, 2026The search changes from GML 2026 that should get your attention.The gap between what AI can do and what most programs are doing just got wider.Read issue → May 20, 2026Google I/O 2026 recap for performance marketersWhat changed, what it means for attribution, and what to build next.Read issue → May 13, 2026The work will still be there when you get backOn taking breaks, YouTube's brand playbook, and what schema markup doesn't do for AI citations.Read issue → May 6, 2026The new engine doesn't fit the old factoryWhy we're shifting from subject matter experts to subject matter editors.Read issue →
April 2026
Apr 29, 2026You don't have a lead volume problemWhat two conferences this week kept coming back to (and what it means for marketing high-consideration products and services.)Read issue → Apr 22, 2026AI makes the work faster. People make it matter.What that means for Reddit, CTV, ChatGPT ads, and where we're showing up this week.Read issue → Apr 15, 2026Stop asking about your AI strategy.The Adaptive Advantage summit, Meta passing Google, and a neuroscientist on free will.Read issue → Apr 8, 2026Intelligence is meaningless if you can't adaptWhat Anthropic's biggest leak teaches about the only skill that scales in 2026.Read issue → Apr 1, 2026No, this isn't a prankApril 1st edition. Everything in here is real (unfortunately).Read issue →
March 2026
Mar 25, 202680 hours without Wi-FiWhat happens when you stop reacting and start thinking.Read issue → Mar 18, 2026Good marketing is still good marketingAI tools, Reddit strategy, and the four Ps. Yes, really.Read issue → Mar 11, 2026Why easy-to-copy work is dyingSurface-level tactics are becoming interchangeable. Here is how to build on authentic expertise and real community value instead.Read issue → Mar 4, 2026Directing agents, Reddit strategy, and search fragmentationInside: How real conversations shape your pipeline, why attribution isn't a scoreboard, and the best AI video model.Read issue →
February 2026
Feb 25, 2026The Winter Marketing GamesFrom synchronized spreadsheet luge to scaling AI with empathy and navigating the new search revolution.Read issue → Feb 18, 2026Gen Z, attribution, and the new trust gapPlus: Krish Sailam on scaling AI with empathy and trust.Read issue → Feb 11, 2026AI had its Super Bowl momentFrom AI-themed commercials to ChatGPT ads and the visibility imperative.Read issue → Feb 4, 2026Lessons from the Level Agency SummitWhy getting 250 sharp minds in one room changes the work. Plus: What's catching my eye this week in AI, growth, and B2B.Read issue →
January 2026
Jan 28, 2026From the Level "All In" Summit floorReflections from a week of in-person conversations and real alignment.Read issue → Jan 21, 2026ChatGPT ads are coming. Are you visible?From ChatGPT ads to attribution, this week's signals point in one direction.Read issue → Jan 14, 2026If you can't measure it, AI won't save itSummit notes + incrementality mistakes + platform shifts squeezing the funnel.Read issue → Jan 7, 2026New year, new rules for AI, search, and growthStart the year with the signals that matter.Read issue →
December 2025
Dec 17, 2025How AI changed the mechanics of growth in 2025Visibility, velocity, creative systems, and team structure evolved.Read issue → Dec 10, 2025What AI maturity really demandsIntent signals, workflow clarity, and honest diagnostics define this week's biggest shifts.Read issue → Dec 3, 2025Want better AI outcomes? Fix your signals firstAI-driven discovery, messy buyer paths, and zero-click pressure all point to one truth: signals win.Read issue →
November 2025
Nov 26, 2025Search trends I'm thankful forClearer Overviews, smarter automation, and image models that are starting to scare me.Read issue → Nov 19, 2025Why data is the biggest gap to AI marketing successThis week: synthetic audiences, PMax clarity, AI visibility, and why data readiness matters.Read issue → Nov 12, 2025How growth leaders are turning AI breakdowns into breakthroughsThe new discipline of building smarter, self-learning systems.Read issue → Nov 5, 2025Your audience can tell when it's AIThis week: why audiences recoil from fake AI, how to fix SEO freshness, and the rise of shoppable ads.Read issue →
October 2025
Oct 29, 2025Meet our new growth partners at BAM StrategyBAM Strategy is now part of Level. Here's how it sharpens our edge on both sides of the funnel.Read issue → Oct 22, 2025What every marketer was talking about at MAICONEveryone's experimenting with AI, but the winners are measuring visibility and moving fast.Read issue → Oct 15, 2025The new AI stack looks nothing like the old oneGoogle's Workspace just changed. Slackbot leveled up. AI twins are here. You ready to lead through it?Read issue → Oct 8, 2025See you at MAICON 2025 next week?We're pressure-testing our AI Brand Visibility Audit live, and what it's revealing should set off alarms for marketers.Read issue → Oct 1, 2025AI chaos, career pivots, and the ad wars aheadFrom ChatGPT ads to marketing careers, growth leaders need new playbooks fast.Read issue →
September 2025
Sep 24, 2025Welcome to the no-playbook era of growthThe boldest experiments are becoming tomorrow's rules. Are you ready to move?Read issue → Sep 17, 2025AI agents are coming for your ad budgetOversight, automation, and memory are reshaping how ads get bought and sold.Read issue → Sep 10, 2025What Google, agencies, and AI tools teach usAntitrust rulings, AI fails, and agency OS talk. Here's what it means for growth leaders.Read issue → Sep 3, 2025From Sakana to Nano Banana: This week in AIAI that evolves on its own, voice tools that talk with real emotion, and yes, a photo of me standing on top of Everest.Read issue →
August 2025
Aug 27, 2025The AI podcast for growth leaders"Good Enough Isn't" is here. In Episode 1 we unpack GPT-5, Grok's trust problem, and Meta's automation push.Read issue → Aug 20, 2025Growth leadership in the age of AI disruptionGoogle's AI updates are cutting into traffic, Meta is reducing targeting options, and new AI tools are reshaping brand and pipeline.Read issue → Aug 13, 2025Growing your edge when the AI leaders stumbleGPT-5's missteps, Google's traffic drama, and the AI playbook top brands are using now.Read issue → Aug 6, 2025From AI referrals to RevOps ROIWhat the smartest growth leaders are tracking, testing, and building this week.Read issue →
July 2025
Jul 30, 2025GPT-5 is near, search is changing, and automation just got easierThis week: Google redefines SEO, research agents save real time, and String makes building workflows feel like typing an idea.Read issue → Jul 23, 2025AI isn't coming for your job. It's coming for your content plan.SEO, content, and attribution are being rewritten by AI. Here's what smart marketers are doing differently.Read issue → Jul 16, 2025Want to measure and improve your AI readiness? Do this.Plus: hiring smarter, getting cited in AI search, and deploying agents that actually help your business.Read issue → Jul 9, 2025ChatGPT is sending traffic now. Are you ready to capture it?AI referrals are rising, search is shifting, and bots are texting you first. Here's how to adapt and win.Read issue → Jul 2, 2025AI SEO Is Here. Is Your Strategy Still Stuck in 2020?Google's rewriting search. Here's how we're helping clients win the new AI SEO game.Read issue →
June 2025
Jun 25, 2025AI rollouts fail for this one simple reasonIt's not the tech. It's the trust. This week's Deep Dive unpacks the one thing that can make or break successful AI adoption.Read issue → Jun 18, 2025The new rules of AI search, content velocity, and AI-integrated CRMsThis week: Google rewrites search. HubSpot gets GPT. We test o3-pro and Flow for real-world ROI.Read issue → Jun 11, 2025AI-Powered Growth Is Here: Faster Video, Smarter SEO, Better ResultsThis week: how I built a keynote sizzle reel in under an hour, why your SEO strategy is toast, and what conversion tracking your CFO will actually love.Read issue →

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This transformative merger brings together the rich histories and vast expertise of both agencies under one industry-leading brand. Level Agency’s clients now benefit from expanded resources, deeper insights, and a broader range of services, setting new standards for innovation in the digital marketing landscape.

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Level Agency is now the leading expert in higher education marketing after acquiring Becker Media, combining decades of experience with advanced digital solutions. Clients can expect game-changing strategies that supercharge enrollment and drive unparalleled results.