KIMP’s Picks July 24th: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

There’s always something new happening online. Just when you think you’ve caught up on the latest AI developments, a new platform update, viral campaign, or industry shift grabs the spotlight. Keeping pace can be challenging, especially when every headline seems important.

That’s why we’re here. KIMP’s Picks brings together the most relevant news, trends, and creative inspiration from across the digital world.

Let’s jump into this week’s highlights. Welcome to KIMP’s Picks’ July 24th edition. 

In the Marketing Realm 

How Google AI helps marketers personalize ads 

Google shared a case study highlighting how its AI tools are helping marketers personalize ads and ad creatives. Google AI is helping brands create and scale localized advertising assets faster while maintaining brand consistency. The winners of this year’s Google Ads Impact Awards Creative Impact category are using AI tools to streamline creative production and improve campaign performance.

SearchKings and Spray-Net used Google AI tools, including Veo, Gemini, and Lyria, to create 30-second commercials based on seasonal home maintenance signals. The team also built a custom Gemini Gem to review assets and ensure they followed brand guidelines. This approach reduced production timelines to 48 hours, saved $37,000 in costs, and increased incremental conversions by 50%.

The case study shows how brands can use AI to scale creative production, improve personalization, and drive stronger marketing results without losing control over brand standards.

e.l.f. Cosmetics uses creator-led YouTube strategy to drive product discovery and sales 

Another example from Google talks about e.l.f. Cosmetics taking a community-first approach to launch its Soft Glam Satin Concealer. This campaign used YouTube creators and AI-powered advertising tools to connect brand awareness with purchase decisions.

Instead of separating discovery and conversion, the brand worked with creators to develop content that matched how audiences naturally discover beauty products. Through its partnership with Viral Nation, e.l.f. combined YouTube Shorts, long-form videos, tutorials, reviews, and vlogs to reach consumers at different stages of the buying journey.

The brand identified creator content that performed well organically and amplified it through YouTube Demand Gen campaigns. Using Gemini-powered audience insights, e.l.f. reached high-intent shoppers while keeping the creator-led content authentic. 

The post highlights how brands can combine creator partnerships, AI targeting, and community-driven content to build trust while turning engagement into measurable business results. 

A high-attention channel for brands seeking deeper audience connections 

As advertisers face a more fragmented media landscape, cinema is gaining attention as an environment that offers focused engagement, cultural relevance, and shared experiences. A recent ADWEEK post delves into this emerging trend. 

Unlike many digital environments where consumers multitask or skip content, movie theaters provide a setting where audiences choose to be fully present. This creates an opportunity for brands to connect with viewers during moments of high attention and emotional engagement.

The article highlights that Gen Z continues to value moviegoing experiences, showing that younger audiences are not moving away from shared entertainment but are becoming more selective about the experiences they prioritize. For advertisers, cinema can help brands become part of cultural moments while complementing channels like social media, streaming, and digital video.

In the Content Marketing Realm 

How brands are establishing ownership in AI search 

Semrush discussed a new study analyzing over 1,000 topics in ChatGPT. It shows that most brands have not yet established strong ownership in AI search. The research, conducted with Kevin Indig and Growth Memo using Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit data, found that only 15.2% of categories had a clear brand leader.

The study analyzed 1,094 categories, more than 50,000 brands, and over 600,000 citations from January to June 2026. It found that appearing for a single ChatGPT prompt does not mean a brand owns a topic. True visibility comes from consistently appearing across related questions within the same category.

Traditional SEO metrics like organic traffic and Authority Score were not reliable predictors of AI search leadership. Brands that won topics were more likely to have deeper subject coverage and stronger relevance signals around specific categories.

The research also found that once brands build a strong lead in a topic, they are likely to maintain it. Brands with a five-point lead retained their position in 90% of month-over-month comparisons.

This highlights a major opportunity for brands to build topical authority in AI search before categories become more competitive.

Not all traffic declines are a content problem 

MarTech, in a recent post, discusses a new SEO analysis. The post highlights that declining traffic does not always mean content needs an update. Brands often respond to falling clicks by refreshing pages, but the right solution depends on why the decline happened.

The analysis identifies four main types of content decay. Ranking decay happens when competitors overtake a page or content becomes outdated. Zero-click capture occurs when AI Overviews or search features answer queries directly, reducing clicks even when rankings remain strong. Intent drift happens when search results change and users expect a different content format. Demand decay occurs when interest in a topic declines over time.

The study notes that AI Overviews have created a new challenge for publishers. Pages can maintain rankings and still lose traffic because users get answers directly in search results. 

To identify the cause, brands should compare clicks, impressions, and average position in Google Search Console instead of relying only on traffic drops. Each type of decline requires a different response, from improving content and matching search intent to reallocating resources elsewhere.

In the Design Realm 

Coca-Cola refreshes global visual identity 

Coca-Cola has introduced a new global visual identity system designed to strengthen brand consistency across more than 200 markets. The refresh is rolling out across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The updated system builds on Coca-Cola’s most recognizable brand elements, including its red and white color palette, Dynamic Ribbon, Arden Square, and Spencerian script. These assets will appear more prominently across packaging, retail spaces, equipment, and digital experiences.

The company is also updating Coca-Cola Zero Sugar’s design with larger “Zero Sugar” branding, a black Dynamic Ribbon on cans, and black bottle caps on PET packaging while maintaining connections to Coca-Cola’s heritage.

Alongside the new identity, Coca-Cola has launched a Brand Center and Design Intelligence tools to help internal teams and agency partners maintain creative quality and consistency across global markets.

This brand update shows how brands can evolve their visual identity while preserving the familiar assets that drive recognition and consumer trust.

In the AI Realm 

Google unveils new Gemini models for faster, more efficient AI agents 

Google has introduced new Gemini models designed to help developers and businesses build production AI agents with improved speed, lower costs, and better performance.

The new Gemini 3.6 Flash model focuses on coding, knowledge work, and multimodal tasks while using fewer output tokens than Gemini 3.5 Flash. According to Google, the model reduces output token usage by 17% and lowers costs per AI task. 

Additionally, Google has launched Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, its fastest and most cost-efficient 3.5-class model. Designed for high-volume workflows like AI search and document processing, it delivers faster response speeds and improved performance compared with previous Flash-Lite versions.

Finally, the Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber model within CodeMender is a cybersecurity-focused solution designed to help detect and fix software vulnerabilities. The model will initially be available through a limited-access pilot for governments and trusted partners.

A new skill training feature in Claude Cowork 

After introducing Claude for Teachers just about a week ago, Anthropic has introduced a new feature in Claude Cowork that allows users to teach the AI how to complete tasks by recording a walkthrough of their work. The feature, called Record a Skill, lets users capture their screen while explaining a process, after which Claude creates a reusable skill to perform the same task.

The feature is available for Claude Pro, Max, and Team plan users through the Claude desktop app. Users can demonstrate workflows such as repetitive business processes, and Claude can use the recorded instructions to complete similar tasks in the future.

This update highlights how AI is moving from answering questions to learning workflows, creating new opportunities and challenges for brands, teams, and employees.

Google introduces “Collections” feature in Gemini Notebook 

Google has introduced a new Collections feature in Gemini Notebook, designed to help users organize and manage multiple AI notebooks more efficiently.

Originally launched as Project Tailwind in 2023 and later renamed NotebookLM, Gemini Notebook has become a key part of Google’s Gemini AI ecosystem. The new Collections feature allows users to group related notebooks into folders, making it easier to find specific projects or information without scrolling through long notebook lists.

Users can create and rename collections, organize notebooks within folders, and customize collection names with emojis. The feature is currently available only for personal organization, as collections cannot yet be shared with others. Google has indicated it may consider adding sharing capabilities in the future.

The Collections update is being rolled out gradually and will become available to more users over time.

OpenAI unveils Presence to drive Enterprise AI agent deployment 

OpenAI has launched Presence, an enterprise-focused product designed to help companies deploy AI agents for customer support, internal operations, and other high-value workflows.

The platform aims to address a key challenge for businesses: making AI agents reliable enough for production environments. Presence combines AI models with company-specific knowledge, permissions, policies, guardrails, and escalation rules to help agents handle tasks while maintaining human oversight.

Companies can configure agents for specific roles, such as resolving billing issues, supporting insurance claims, or handling IT requests. The system limits access based on the job requirements and allows businesses to define when agents can act independently and when human approval is needed.

ElevenLabs introduces Vocals in ElevenMusic 

ElevenLabs has expanded ElevenMusic with new features that allow users to create original songs with consistent voices and musical styles.

The new Vocals feature lets creators generate tracks using their own voice or select one from the Vocal Library. With the Voice-to-Song tool, users can record a voice sample and turn it into a complete song within seconds. They can also create reusable Vocals by uploading existing music, allowing the AI to learn their vocal tone, texture, and style for future tracks.

ElevenMusic has also added Styles, which help users maintain consistency in the overall sound of their music. Creators can build a Style from their own tracks or use options from the Style Library, and combine Styles with Vocals to create songs with a consistent voice and sound.

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

X announces a complete overhaul of its Android app 

X has released a completely redesigned Android app after nearly a year of development, aiming to improve speed, reliability, and overall user experience.

The updated app was rebuilt from the ground up using a new technical foundation and includes improvements to scrolling, loading times, notifications, and future feature development. X’s head of product Nikita Bier described the rebuild as one of the company’s largest engineering projects, designed to make it easier to roll out new features faster.

The Android version had previously lagged behind the iOS experience, with performance issues affecting some users. X says the new app is intended to address those problems, particularly as Android remains the dominant mobile platform in many global markets.

YouTube announces new AI-powered tools

YouTube has rolled out two new AI-powered tools to simplify music curation and content creation.

Users in the United States can now build custom party soundtracks using AI Mode directly inside Google Search. Once generated, these personalized playlists can be saved straight to YouTube Music with a single click.

At the same time, YouTube Shorts creators are getting an organizational boost. A new “Recent Generations” tab has been added to the AI Playground. This gives creators a central hub to easily find, access, and manage all of their past AI-generated assets while making content.

Together, these updates highlight YouTube’s push to make AI tools more practical for everyday listening and creation.

Meta expands parental supervision features on Threads 

Threads is rolling out parental supervision features in the U.S. as part of Meta’s broader effort to give parents more visibility and control over teen experiences across its platforms.

Through Meta’s Family Center, parents and guardians will be able to view how much time their teens spend on Threads, set daily usage limits, manage sleep mode, and adjust privacy and content settings. Parents can also control who can tag their teens in posts and decide whether users under 16 can change certain Teen Account protections.

Threads Teen Accounts already include built-in safety measures, such as private accounts and limits on the content teens can view. The new supervision tools add more oversight while allowing parents to support their teens’ activity on the platform.

Instagram finally lets users change music on old posts 

Instagram has introduced a new feature that allows users to update the music on published feed posts and carousel posts without deleting and re-uploading them.

Previously, changing a post’s soundtrack meant creating a new upload and losing the original post’s engagement. With the new tool, users can swap the audio while keeping existing likes, comments, shares, and reach intact.

The feature gives creators and brands more flexibility to refresh older content, adapt posts to current trends, or update music choices without sacrificing performance history. Users can access the option through the post’s edit menu and select a new audio track.

X will soon let advertisers launch lead gen ads in the platform 

X is preparing to launch Lead Gen Ads, a new advertising format that will allow businesses to collect user contact information without requiring people to leave the platform.

The feature will let advertisers add calls to action directly to ads, creating a simpler path from ad engagement to lead generation. By reducing the need for external forms and landing pages, X aims to make customer acquisition more efficient for advertisers.

Meta makes WhatsApp easier to use across devices 

WhatsApp has introduced new features for seamless switching between devices. Users can now create a WhatsApp account directly from the iPad app without needing to link it to a phone. The update follows demand from users who wanted a more independent iPad experience.

WhatsApp has also upgraded its in-car experience with improved support for CarPlay and Android Auto. Drivers can now access messages, make calls, view call history, and reach favorite contacts through their car’s display while keeping their hands free.

For desktop and web users, WhatsApp now allows PDFs to be opened directly within chats and edited with basic tools like highlighting and annotations through Adobe Acrobat integration. Users can also share music from Apple Music or Spotify directly to their WhatsApp Status.

To Conclude…

As platforms continue to evolve, staying informed is no longer just about keeping up with features. It’s about recognizing the opportunities behind these changes and knowing where to invest your time and attention.

KIMP’s Picks is here to simplify the process for you. Say goodbye to endless scrolling and hello to quick weekly recaps with KIMP’s Picks. 

Stay tuned for more updates, trends, and creative inspiration from the world of design, marketing, AI, and beyond.