waves and hr glass marketing blog update

Marketing Intelligence Briefing: January 02 2026

Time period: Dec 25, 2025 to Jan 02, 2026

The digital marketing landscape is shifting under our feet. Google’s latest core update has reshuffled the search rankings, while Meta is using your AI conversations to target ads and Meta bought our favourite App Manus. Ignoring these changes is like navigating a storm without a compass. Your website traffic could plummet, your ad spend could become inefficient, and you could lose competitive advantage.

Priority Intelligence Updates

🔴 Critical: Google December 2025 Core Update Completed

What changed: Google completed the rollout of its December 2025 Core Update on December 29, 2025. This was a global update affecting all languages and the third core update of 2025. Google stated this was a regular update designed to better surface relevant and satisfying content.

Why it matters: Core updates can cause significant shifts in search rankings. Websites that have seen a drop in traffic may have been negatively impacted. This update continues Google’s push to reward high-quality, helpful, and people-first content.

Who is affected:All websites are affected, but especially content publishers, e-commerce sites, and businesses that rely on organic search traffic.

What to do next:

  • Audit your rankings and traffic: Check Google Search Console for any significant changes since December 11, 2025.
  • Analyze content quality: For pages that lost visibility, review them against Google’s helpful content guidelines and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles.
  • Focus on people-first content: Ensure your content is written for your audience, not just for search engines.

Source: Search Engine Land

🟡 Important: Meta Uses AI Chat for Ad Targeting

What changed: Meta’s new privacy policy, rolled out on December 16, 2025, allows the company to use conversations with its AI assistants on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to personalize ads and content.

Why it matters:This creates new opportunities for highly specific ad targeting, but also raises privacy concerns. While direct political conversations are excluded, related topics can be used to infer user interests and political leanings.

Who is affected: All Meta advertisers and users of Meta’s AI features.

What to do next:

  • Explore new targeting options: Look for new AI-based targeting segments in your Meta ad campaigns.
  • Monitor user sentiment: Be aware of potential user backlash regarding privacy.
  • Stay informed on regulations: Keep an eye on the evolving legal landscape around AI and data privacy.

Source: The Washington Times

🟡 Important: Google Ads Lowers Audience Size Minimum

What changed: Google Ads has reduced the minimum audience size for remarketing lists to 100 active users, down from 1,000 for Search campaigns. This change is now live across all Google Ads networks.

Why it matters:This is a significant change for small and medium-sized businesses, as it makes remarketing accessible to those with smaller customer bases. It allows for more granular targeting and the ability to exclude small customer lists from acquisition campaigns.

Who is affected: Small to medium-sized businesses, B2B advertisers, and e-commerce brands with smaller customer lists.

What to do next:

  • Activate smaller remarketing lists: Test campaigns with your smaller, previously ineligible, audience segments.
  • Refine your data: Ensure your CRM data is clean to create effective micro-segments.
  • Update exclusion lists: Exclude small customer lists from your new user acquisition campaigns to improve efficiency.

Source: MediaPost

⚪ Monitor: Google Business Profile Formalizes Review Requests

What changed: Google has published official documentation for its review request feature, which allows businesses to generate shareable links and QR codes to ask for customer reviews. This feature has been available since March 2025, but now has official guidelines.

Why it matters:This provides clarity for businesses on how to properly solicit reviews. The policy strictly prohibits offering incentives for reviews.

Who is affected:All local businesses with a Google Business Profile.

What to do next:

  • Use the feature: Generate review links and QR codes from your Google Business Profile dashboard.
  • Train your team: Ensure your staff understands that offering incentives for reviews is against Google’s policy.

Source: PPC Land

⚪ Monitor: Meta Offers Chronological Feed Option in the Netherlands

What changed: Following a court ruling in the Netherlands, Meta is now offering Facebook and Instagram users in that country the option to switch to a chronological feed. The rollout started on January 1, 2026.

Why it matters: This is currently limited to the Netherlands, but it could set a precedent for other EU countries. A shift to chronological feeds could impact organic reach for businesses.

Who is affected:Marketers targeting audiences in the Netherlands.

What to do next:

  • Monitor your metrics: If you have a significant audience in the Netherlands, keep an eye on your organic reach and engagement.
  • Watch for wider rollout: Be aware that this feature could be expanded to other regions.

Source: NL Times

Confirmed vs. Rumours

  • ✅ Confirmed:
  • Google’s December 2025 Core Update is complete.
  • Meta is using AI chat conversations for ad targeting.
  • Google Ads minimum audience size for remarketing is now 100.
  • Google Business Profile has official documentation for review requests.
  • Meta is offering a chronological feed option in the Netherlands.
  • ⚠️ Unconfirmed: LinkedIn Algorithm Changes: There is industry chatter about a “2026 algorithm change” on LinkedIn, with mentions of “360Brew” and “Lla-MA-3 structures.” However, there has been no official announcement from LinkedIn to confirm these changes. Treat this as a rumour for now.

Action Checklist

  • Audit your Google Search Console data for impacts from the December 2025 Core Update.
  • Review your Meta ad campaigns to explore new AI-powered targeting options.
  • Activate smaller remarketing audiences in Google Ads.
  • Generate and use Google Business Profile review links and QR codes.
  • Monitor your organic reach in the Netherlands if you have a significant audience there.

Strategic Insight

The overarching theme of these updates is a deeper integration of AI into marketing, from search rankings to ad targeting. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges. The platforms are becoming more sophisticated in their ability to understand user intent and behaviour, which can lead to more effective marketing. However, it also means that marketers need to be more strategic and data-driven in their approach. The emphasis on “people-first” content from Google, coupled with Meta’s use of personal conversations for ad targeting, highlights the increasing importance of building trust and providing genuine value to your audience. Want to connect lets meet.

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