Digital Marketing Updates You Should Know

Digital Marketing Updates 2026

AI expands possibilities for graphic design

February 2026, Graphic Design Update
Mauricio Alves

At Dweebi, we’ve been testing AI tools as a means to expand design possibilities and enhance creativity. Tools have always been a part of design evolution – from paper to digital, from vector to 3D. And artificial intelligence is no different. 

With countless tools available, we’ve been testing to see how the strengths and limitations of each fit into our design process. Just like any software, it’s not the tool that makes the designer, but the designer who uses the tool to amplify their ideas.

As with any new software, there is no fixed formula, only testing, adaptation and critical thinking. See our example of taking our Dweebies mascot beyond Adobe Illustrator to Midjourney to make it 3D with a crochet texture.

Google Search Console’s new social channel insights

February 2026, Social Media & Search Update
Amira Bird

Google Search Console has introduced new social channel insights, giving marketers clearer visibility into how their social profiles and posts appear within Google Search and contribute to referral traffic. The reporting shows queries your social channels are appearing for, alongside searches that lead users directly to your profiles or content. It reflects Google’s broader move toward understanding digital marketing more holistically, with social signals and content now more visibly connected to search and AI-driven discovery journeys.

For social teams, this reinforces that posts are no longer purely short-lived, in-platform content. As social profiles and posts become more discoverable through search, their lifespan can extend well beyond the first engagement window and support ongoing visibility.
This positions social as part of a wider search ecosystem, where content can be surfaced through Google and AI search experiences as well as within the platforms themselves. The result is a shift toward creating social content with stronger evergreen value, clearer keyword alignment and a more integrated role within overall search strategy.

What the 2016 trend tells us about social media

January 2026, Social Media Update
Amira Bird

The recent 2016 nostalgia trend has exploded across TikTok, Instagram and X, with users declaring 2026 is the new 2016 and flooding feeds with throwback photos, decade-old filters, classic pop tracks and retro memes. What makes this more than just a fleeting hashtag is how deeply it taps into a shared longing for a simpler, less curated digital era. A time when social feeds felt more personal, raw and fun, before reels, AI content and algorithm-driven performance became dominant.

This wave of nostalgia isn’t merely about looking back. It’s a cultural moment that celebrates authenticity and emotional comfort through collective memory, making it one of the strongest and most widespread nostalgia trends we’ve seen online in years.

For businesses leaning into this, it can look like focusing on the human side of your business and bringing out authenticity for your business through behind-the-scenes, staff moments, process clips and casual posts that are less hard sells.

Google Marketing Suite Upgrades

January 2026, Reports & Insights Update
Amira Bird

Last year we saw a (surprising) update to Google Search Console’s UI after years of no changes to the platform whatsoever.
We theorised these updates signalled incoming changes to reporting on AI searches. We are yet to see a robust reporting for AI searches beyond prompt scraping – which is expensive & ineffective in my opinion.
Now, Google has confirmed that data from Google’s AI Mode is included in the Search Console Performance report. While it’s not perfect in it’s reporting, and we are yet to see a specific AI Mode or Gemini report, it’s certainly a start.

On the flipside, Google has now integrated Gemini into Google Trends in an effort to aid research for search trends. It can help you compare data & get the bigger picture using the Trends Explore tool.

Ads for ChatGPT – We knew it was coming!

January 2026, AI Update
Amira Bird

ChatGPT has announced this month that they’re rolling out ads for free and Go accounts in the US (with other regions to follow). While he majority of paid subscriptions will remain ad-free, we all knew this was on its way.
While they dictate that ads will be clearly labelled as well as high-value for the search, we are yet to see what this means for advertisers to understand how we will be able to target particular topics or how the advertising is reported on.