R2Clickthrough tests the AI tools, agents and workflows marketers actually use, and breaks down what new model and platform releases mean for paid media, SEO and content teams.https://www.r2clickthrough.com/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-in-search-the-latest-shift-read-for-marketing-teams/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-in-search-the-latest-shift-read-for-marketing-teams/Google merged AI Overviews and AI Mode into one search flow, turned the search box into an AI input, and starts auto-migrating eligible Search campaigns to AI Max on September 1. Here's what those shifts mean for paid and organic teams this quarter.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/meta-ai-ad-features-read-for-marketing-teams/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/meta-ai-ad-features-read-for-marketing-teams/Meta shipped three AI ad changes this summer: an ads MCP server for agents, Muse Image heading into Advantage+ creative, and creative that can adjust your text by default. Here is what each means for your account, plus what the Q2 numbers say.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-briefs-the-workflow-that-holds-up/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-briefs-the-workflow-that-holds-up/AI briefs fail when they carry no decisions. I share the brief structure, five inputs that make a draft usable, and the review gate, as of August 2026.Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/what-automated-bidding-actually-does-and-hides/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/what-automated-bidding-actually-does-and-hides/Meta's automated bidding optimizes for delivery, not your CPA. Here is what Highest Volume and Advantage+ campaign budget do, and what the interface hides.Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-makecom-what-we-learned/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-makecom-what-we-learned/We built marketing agents in Make.com and learned where the canvas helps, where the credit meter bites, and what a real stack costs in 2026. Dated and sourced.Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/performance-max-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/performance-max-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/Performance Max got real controls in 2026, then the bidding math changed. What to check before August 17 and September's language cut, dated and sourced.Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/eu-ai-act-article-50-disclosure-deadline-marketers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/eu-ai-act-article-50-disclosure-deadline-marketers/EU AI Act Article 50 applies since 2 August 2026 and covers more than high-risk AI. Four transparency obligations hit marketing teams now. Read the checklist.Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-overviews-the-workflow-that-holds-up/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/ai-overviews-the-workflow-that-holds-up/AI Overviews appear on half of tracked queries, and citations no longer follow the top 10. Run the loop: track, structure, answer, refresh, as of August 2026.Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/chatgpt-ads-what-media-buyers-need-to-know/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/chatgpt-ads-what-media-buyers-need-to-know/ChatGPT Ads went self-serve in the US in May 2026 and launched in the UK in August. What it costs, how targeting works, and what is still missing.Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/the-new-anthropic-model-read-for-marketing-teams/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/the-new-anthropic-model-read-for-marketing-teams/Anthropic shipped Claude Opus 5 at Opus 4.8 prices with near-Fable-5 performance. Check the tier math before your next build, as of August 2026.Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/the-new-openai-model-read-for-marketing-teams/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/the-new-openai-model-read-for-marketing-teams/OpenAI shipped the GPT-5.6 family in July, then cut Luna prices 80% in August. See which tier fits your workload, as of August 2026.Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-mcp-servers-what-we-learned/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-mcp-servers-what-we-learned/We built marketing agents on MCP servers. Here is what held up, what failed, and the approval gates that saved us, dated August 2026.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/tiktok-ai-creative-tools-read-for-marketing-teams/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/tiktok-ai-creative-tools-read-for-marketing-teams/TikTok's AI creative tools changed twice in 2026: Symphony Agent in July, Seedance 2.5 in August. What each costs and where the free tools fall short.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/google-ai-ads-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/google-ai-ads-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/Search ads go AI-native in 2026: AI Max auto-upgrades hit September 1, ads run inside AI Mode, and AI creative has new disclosure rules. Check your account.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/meta-ai-creative-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/meta-ai-creative-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/Meta's AI creative stack changed three times in 2026: delivery reads creative pre-auction, generation moved into Ads Manager, disclosure grew teeth. Audit now.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/automated-bidding-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/automated-bidding-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/Google changes target-based bidding on August 17, 2026. Budget-limited campaigns will finally hit their targets, so accounts that overperform need action now.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/programmatic-seo-the-workflow-that-holds-up/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/programmatic-seo-the-workflow-that-holds-up/Programmatic SEO still works in 2026, but template-swap version is dead. Here is the data-first workflow I run, the gate that protects it, and where AI fits.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/advantage-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/advantage-in-2026-what-changed-for-media-buyers/Meta made Advantage+ the default in 2026. Targeting and attribution changed with it. What moved, and what to check before your next launch.Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-n8n-what-we-learned/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/building-marketing-agents-with-n8n-what-we-learned/Building marketing agents with n8n: what held up, what failed, and what a stack costs in 2026. Dated and sourced, before you build.Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandthttps://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/chatgpt-for-marketing-the-honest-test/https://www.r2clickthrough.com/blog/chatgpt-for-marketing-the-honest-test/What ChatGPT is actually good for in marketing in 2026: verified pricing, documented limits, and workflows that survive real campaigns. Read the honest test.Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTErik Brandt