Executive Briefing: Wednesday 30 September

Executive summary: A major regulatory decision impacts Google's European search experience and privacy. The online beauty market is undergoing significant transformation, driven by marketplaces, social media, and AI in product discovery. The retail media sector continues its strategic evolution with key leadership hires, and brands are increasingly leveraging external support to scale influencer marketing efforts. Google's European search impacted by DMA regulation Google reports that Digital Markets Act (DMA) changes are causing the "biggest reduction in search quality" in its 28-year history for European users, making their search experience "significantly worse." Nick Fox, Google's Senior Vice President of Knowledge & Information, expressed deep concern, noting the requirement to hand over search query data to competitors without sufficient anonymisation as a "massive violation of European privacy." This policy risks exposing sensitive personal information regarding health and finances. The regulatory enforcement is also leading to the removal of features like real-time flight pricing and hotel filters, alongside spam prevention measures, fundamentally altering the search landscape for European consumers and businesses Google's Nick Fox Feels Sad & Terrible For European Searchers After DMA. Online beauty market transforms with marketplaces, social, and AI Australia's online beauty market is rapidly shifting, with a 2026 report forecasting 47 per cent growth to $2.2 billion by 2030. Marketplaces are increasingly competitive; Amazon's beauty and personal care sales grew by $66.7 million year-on-year, capturing 19.9 per cent of the market share. Social media is a dominant force in product discovery, with nearly half of beauty buyers more likely to purchase after a creator recommendation across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. AI is also shaping discovery, as 38 per cent of beauty buyers use AI tools more often to find products and 55 per cent trust AI-generated recommendations. Brands must ensure their products are discoverable and purchasable across all channels consumers use Beauty shock: Marketplaces, social media, AI are reshaping online beauty market. Retail media talent signals strategic channel growth The retail media landscape is maturing and attracting significant talent, as evidenced by Bec Penn's move from Coles 360 to a retail media leadership role at Omnicom Media Australia. Penn, who previously led product strategy for Coles 360's retail media suite and worked on Cartology's addressable audience proposition, will focus on strengthening Omnicom's retail media capabilities. Her expertise in proving incrementality and guiding brands in investing across retailers with consistent rigour highlights a key strategic priority for the evolving sector. This appointment underscores the increasing importance for agencies to consolidate expertise and help clients navigate the complex, rapidly growing retail media ecosystem, which now encompasses off-network, onsite digital, search, DOOH, and in-store marketing channels. Brands scale influencer marketing through targeted external support Despite 66.33 per cent of influencer marketing programmes being managed in-house, brands are increasingly turning to external support for specific tasks as budgets grow rapidly. The 2026 Influencer Benchmark Report indicates 87.49 per cent of brands expect to increase creator marketing spend, with many planning increases of 50 per cent or more. This growth often outpaces internal headcount, prompting teams to outsource functions such as sourcing creators, content production, contract management, fraud checks, and detailed reporting. This hybrid approach enables brands to maintain strategic control while leveraging external specialists to address capacity gaps and scale operations efficiently, particularly for new market launches or high-volume partnerships Why in-house marketing teams are turning to external support for influencer campaigns.