Automotive Marketing - Maple Leaf Agency

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Tuesday Brief: Google Says Your Search Console Collapse Never Happened

Your Search Console AI impressions collapsed on 13 August and Google has confirmed none of it was real. Plus a paused AI…

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Your Bid Target Just Became an Instruction: Search and Social Update for 17 August 2026

Google's Smart Bidding change went live today, so a target you set as a ceiling is now an instruction. ChatGPT Ads started…

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Google Is Deleting the Language Setting: Search and Social Update for 16 August 2026

Google Ads removes campaign level language targeting in late September, which matters more in a multilingual market than almost anywhere else. AI…

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Your Week in Search and Social: 9 to 14 August 2026

Three changes this week were not features you can adopt when ready. Google Ads starts migrating campaigns to AI Max on 1…

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Salesperson filming a walkaround video of a bakkie on a phone mounted to a small tripod in a South African dealership showroom

6 Marketing Mistakes and How AI Solves Them

A NADA Show 2026 session on generative engine optimisation, dealership video and content that AI will actually cite. We translate it for…

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AI Max Carries 72% More Invalid Traffic: Search and Social Update, 14 August 2026

New Lunio data shows Google search campaigns running AI Max carried 72 percent more invalid traffic, and Google converts eligible campaigns automatically…

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Your Next Customer Might Never Touch Your Booking Form

Google's Pixel 11 lets an assistant navigate apps and websites on a customer's behalf, across more than forty apps. Anthropic starts watermarking…

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Service manager listening to diesel technicians beside a truck in a South African commercial vehicle workshop at sunrise

Disrupt Yourself Before the Market Disrupts You

A change-leadership session for truck dealers at ATD Show 2026 never mentions AI once, which is exactly why it explains so many…

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Search and Social Update: 12 August 2026

Google has opened its generative AI performance report to every Search Console account, complete with a pop-up pointing you at it. It…

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A service advisor with a tablet greeting a customer at a South African dealership service reception, workshop bays behind

Driving Service Revenue With AI and CDP Advertising

A NADA 2026 workshop argued that fragmented customer data, not weak advertising, is why dealership service marketing underperforms. We translate it for…

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Search and Social Update: 11 August 2026

YouTube doubles the watch hours a new channel needs to start earning, from 4,000 to 8,000, effective February 2027. Google also banned…

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A dealership sales manager and salesperson in conversation on a South African car showroom floor

Leading With Emotional Intelligence in the AI Age

Sam Cox told NADA 2026 that dealership leaders do not have to choose between efficient tools and emotional intelligence. We watched the…

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