KIMP’s Picks 17th April: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

As the week wraps up, it’s time to catch up on the social media moments you missed. From AI advancements impacting your business to social media algorithm updates that’ll shape your next content strategy move, a dose of marketing tips and creative inspiration to end your week strong, KIMP’s Picks has it all. 

Ready for the KIMP’s Picks 17th April Edition? Let’s get started.

In the Marketing Realm 

Using AI to boost B2B marketing efficiency 

B2B marketers are increasingly turning to generative AI to eliminate manual workloads and accelerate tasks such as campaign development, lead qualification, and journey orchestration.

According to Adobe’s 2025 AI and Digital Trends report, 58% of respondents are actively exploring the adoption of AI agents and assistants to boost efficiency and drive value. 

Adobe is responding to this demand through its Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator, a framework built into Adobe Journey Optimizer B2B Edition and Adobe Marketo Engage. Through this, Adobe aims to help B2B marketers discover and assemble buying groups using AI-powered intent signals, automate the creation of customer journeys with optimized channel recommendations, automate the collection of content for specific journeys, and automate sales insights and actions that follow. 

Getting your brand to appear in AI search results 

Gone are the days when people used search engines to find answers and recommendations. Many users now use AI chatbots to discover brands and start their purchase journeys. So, how do you make your brands appear in these AI search results? Search Engine Journal has the answer to this. 

Key tactics include monitoring how AI platforms describe your brand to ensure that your website (especially the About page) is optimized for clarity, credibility, and crawlability. Citations from authoritative sources, mentions on forums like Reddit, and rich content featuring expert quotes or statistics improve the chances of being cited by language models.

This shift also demands better cross-channel marketing alignment, long-tail keyword strategies, and ongoing experimentation as generative AI continues evolving.

People are searching and scrolling differently 

This next post we have builds on our previous discussion about how people are not scrolling or searching as they used to before. Accordingly, Google discusses using YouTube and Google to improve ROI by better understanding consumer behavior. 

It talks about using Video Reach Campaigns to boost awareness, as YouTube is now the number one platform in CTV reach, particularly for the Gen Z audience. The post also highlights the need for Video View Campaigns, based on the changing scrolling times and patterns on YouTube. Finally, it also highlights the significance of Demand Gen campaigns to expand reach and show up on more screens. 

Quad announces Marketing Experience Innovation Center 

Marketing solutions provider Quad has unveiled its Marketing Experience Innovation Center (MXIC) in Milwaukee, designed to offer marketers real-world inspiration and showcase cutting-edge technologies. 

The MXIC showcases Quad’s suite of marketing solutions, such as 3D visualization and Quad’s In-Store Connect, which uses digital screens to drive in-store engagement. It also features Accelerated Marketing Insights, leveraging eye-tracking and facial coding to help marketers evaluate consumer behavior and refine strategies pre-launch.

This initiative by Quad offers a unique environment for brands to explore new marketing possibilities in a tangible way. 

Bursting the marketing bubble – Liquid Death’s UK exit 

Liquid Death’s recent announcement of withdrawal from the UK market was a strategic decision driven by manufacturing costs rather than a brand misstep. The beverage company achieved significant revenue in its first UK year with minimal marketing investment. However, the brand’s experience offers valuable lessons for marketers.

Adweek’s post here discusses 4 key lessons to take away from Liquid Death’s UK exit. It reminds brands to break free of the assumption that consumers love them, about focusing on relevance, giving people a reason to care, and to reconsider and invest in the four Ps again. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

The importance of a reliable content scheduling tool 

Content marketing is essential for brands at every stage of a buyer’s journey. In the post here, Adobe discusses the need for content scheduling and, most importantly, the need for investing in a good content scheduling tool. 

The post underscores the importance of content scheduling and how it helps strengthen brand consistency and improve quality control. It also details the applications of content scheduling tools, reminding brands and marketers that now is a good time to choose a dependable tool to schedule their content. 

Simplifying content repurposing with AI 

Consistently coming up with great content can be overwhelming. One way to tackle this is to master the art of content repurposing. This helps you use one piece of content as the base and create multiple posts for multiple platforms. 

In the post below. Moz outlines how you can repurpose content efficiently with the use of AI. The post begins with a discussion about the need for content repurposing and how AI can be beneficial in the process. It then talks about the essential steps like identifying the right content to repurpose, segregating themes, and aligning them with the audience segments, and finally mapping them into different formats and platforms. 

In the Design Realm 

Highlights from Canva Create 2025 

The annual Canva Create event is surely something that creatives look forward to. The Canva Create 2025 event was held recently, and if you haven’t caught up on all the announcements made, here’s a quick roundup for you: 

• Canva Sheets with AI-powered innovations like Magic Charts, Magic Formulas, and Magic Insights. 
• Canva AI & Canva Code for coding applications. 
• Visual Suite 2.0 bringing all creative tools to one design. 
• Magic Charts to simplify data storytelling. 
• Enhanced photo editing options. 
• Star Wars templates for fans and creators.
• Several design-related feature enhancements like kernings, ligatures, AI Voice and more.  

Smyle’s ‘Polluted Stories’ campaign targets plastic pollution

Ads of the World shared a post highlighting a recent advocacy marketing campaign by Smyle, a  Dutch plastic-free oral care brand. The campaign highlights how a strong message and stunning visuals to support it can help engage the audience. 

The campaign titled Polluted Stories’ was launched in Amsterdam to combat plastic pollution. It features recognizable sea characters such as Nemo and Ariel, shown in polluted environments to illustrate the impact of plastic waste. The shocking visuals instantly and impactfully deliver the intended message. 

Smyle is also using this campaign to urge major players in the oral care market to follow suit. With a six-week run across billboards and social media, Smyle’s initiative aims to drive a collective shift towards more sustainable practices in the oral care industry. 

The Hartford unveils modernized brand identity rooted in legacy

Pentagram Design discusses the modernized brand refresh of the leading US insurance company, The Hartford. 

The comprehensive brand refresh aims to honor its rich 200-year heritage while projecting a modern and customer-focused future. 

At the heart of the new identity is a bold reinterpretation of The Hartford’s iconic stag symbol, which dates back to the 19th century. The new design presents the stag in a confident, forward-looking pose with simplified lines and added dimension, enhancing clarity across digital and physical platforms.

Other brand elements include a custom typeface named Trust Hartford, inspired by U.S. coin lettering, and a refined color palette featuring a classic claret with vibrant fuchsia accents.  

This brand redesign project highlights the magic that happens when you balance legacy and a modernized approach. 

A people-first identity 

A good brand identity is one that is built on a strong foundation. And The Brand Identity discusses one such brand identity in the post here. 

This post discusses the fresh identity designed for the popular employee engagement platform Relesys. The bold new brand identity was designed to stand out in a tech-dominated industry. The rebrand positions Relesys as a high-energy, people-first platform focused on empowering frontline workers, not just showing off their technical expertise and features. 

At the core of the identity is a dynamic podium motif, inspired by sports culture, symbolizing ongoing progress and team achievement. This metaphorical association helps give a solid shape to the identity. 

In the AI Realm 

OpenAI introduces the “Library” feature to streamline visual content

Have you thought that having all the images generated on ChatGPT in one place will make it more convenient? OpenAI heard you. They are finally introducing the Library feature. 

This option provides users with a centralized location to view and manage their AI-generated images. The update is currently rolling out to all Free, Plus, and Pro users on both mobile and web platforms. 

Located in the ChatGPT sidebar, the library displays images in an intuitive grid format, allowing for easy browsing and access. Users can also initiate the generation of new images directly from this section or edit one of their old images from the collection. This enhancement simplifies the workflow for users who frequently create visuals with ChatGPT, making it easier to organize and reuse their AI-generated content.

Gemini Advanced users can now generate videos powered by Veo 2

Google is bringing video generation powered by Veo 2 to the Gemini app. The feature is initially available to Google Advanced users. 

This allows the creation of eight-second, 720p video clips from text prompts. Accessible via the Gemini app’s model dropdown, Veo 2 produces MP4 files in a 16:9 format, with a monthly generation limit.

The model excels at rendering realistic physics and human motion, allowing detailed prompts to craft cinematic visuals. 

Google expands Whisk with new animation feature powered by Veo 2 

Google is bringing Veo 2 to more places. In addition to generating videos on Gemini, you can now experience Veo 2-powered animation on Whisk on Google Labs.

Whisk Animate is available starting today for Google One AI Premium subscribers worldwide and can be accessed through the Google Labs platform. This offers a new avenue for users and potentially brands to quickly create engaging video content from static images, including style and subject references. 

OpenAI enhances personalization with improved memory capabilities 

The Memory feature on ChatGPT is quite handy for users who wish to record and save their preferences so that their responses are more personalized and the content generated is more in line with their preferred tone. 

Expanding this memory feature, ChatGPT can now reference all your previous chats to ensure that your responses are better personalized. 

Previously, the platform could only retain a limited set of facts through a feature called “Memory,” which had to be manually updated or triggered during conversations.  However, the updated system introduces a second memory setting called “reference chat history.” 

When enabled, this new memory feature allows ChatGPT to incorporate insights from all past interactions with a user, not just specific facts. Unlike the older memory function, this broader contextual memory cannot be individually reviewed or edited. But yes, you can turn this memory feature on or off manually. 

OpenAI unveils 3 new models in its API 

OpenAI has introduced three new models—GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano—via its API, marking a significant step forward in AI performance. These models outperform previous versions like GPT-4o across key areas, including coding, instruction following, and long-context understanding. 

GPT-4.1 leads in coding. The GPT-4.1 mini model delivers intelligence on par with GPT-4o but with 83% lower cost and half the latency. GPT-4.1 nano, OpenAI’s fastest and most cost-efficient model, is designed for tasks requiring quick responses, such as classification and autocompletion.

ByteDance Unveils Seaweed-7B

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has introduced Seaweed, a new 7 billion parameter video AI model. This hyper-efficient model supports text-to-video, image-to-video, and audio-driven video synthesis, generating clips up to 20 seconds in length. 

ByteDance claims that Seaweed matches or even outperforms larger, industry-leading models like Sora, Kling 1.6, and Veo, particularly in terms of compute efficiency and performance with limited resources. This release indicates a growing competition in the video AI space.

Kling welcomes Phase 2.0 with KLING 2.0 Master and KOLORS 2.0

Kling AI has launched Phase 2.0, introducing significant advancements in both its video and image generation capabilities. The release includes KLING 2.0 Master for video creation and KOLORS 2.0 for enhanced image generation, marking a comprehensive leap from static visuals to dynamic storytelling tools.

A standout in this update is the new Multi-Elements Editor, which allows users to flexibly add, replace, or remove video content using both text and image prompts. Alongside it, advanced Image Editing features now let creators inpaint and expand directly on original images for seamless modifications. A Restyle option has also been added, enabling users to transform visual styles with a simple text prompt.

Claude enhances productivity with the Research feature & Google Workspace integration 

Anthropic has launched two major features for its AI assistant Claude: a Research tool and Google Workspace integration. 

The Research feature, in early beta for Max, Team, and Enterprise plans in the US, Japan, and Brazil, enables Claude to perform multi-step web and internal searches, delivering cited answers in minutes. This is similar to the Research option currently available on other AI tools like Grok and ChatGPT. 

The Google Workspace integration, available in beta for all paid plans, allows Claude to access Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. This helps streamline tasks like compiling meeting notes or creating briefing documents. Enterprise users can enable Google Docs cataloging for improved document retrieval.

Runway’s Gen-4 – now on mobile app

Runway has been known to take steady strides in the world of AI video generation. A few days ago, Runway announced the launch of Gen-4 to enhance video generation. 

Now they have made this upgrade available on their mobile app as well. This means that you can carry your video generation wherever you go. 

xAI unveils Grok Studio for a collaborative workflow 

xAI has launched a major update to its Grok chatbot with the introduction of Studio, a new interface that enhances user interaction by supporting document creation, coding, and game development. 

The update brings Grok closer in functionality to tools like ChatGPT’s Canvas, offering users a dedicated window where content can be created and formatted more freely.

Another key addition is Grok’s integration with Google Drive. Users can now interact with spreadsheets, documents, and slides directly in the chatbot. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes 

TikTok expands the TikTok Safety Suite 

TikTok announced the introduction of two new brand suitability controls: the TikTok Video Exclusion List and the TikTok Profile Feed Exclusion List. 

These features provide advertisers with greater flexibility in determining where their ads are displayed. The Video Exclusion List allows for the exclusion of specific video IDs, offering near real-time control over ad adjacency. The Profile Feed Exclusion List enables advertisers to prevent their ads from appearing alongside content on specific profile pages.

Additionally, TikTok has also launched the TikTok Brand Safety & Suitability Playbook, a comprehensive guide outlining all available brand safety solutions, complete with use cases and activation instructions.

LinkedIn Launches “Create on LinkedIn” Hub

LinkedIn has introduced a streamlined hub for creators. This hub is designed to guide professionals in producing more effective content on the platform. 

The hub is structured around three key areas: Create, Optimize, and Grow, and also features a dedicated “Creator Tools” section offering format-specific advice. This initiative aims to help users build their brand, grow their business, and share their expertise.

Wrapping Up…

That’s a wrap for this week’s KIMP’s Picks. We hope you found these posts insightful and inspiring as you navigate the overwhelming social media realm. We hope that these quick highlights eliminate the need for doomscrolling and give you your much-needed end-of-the-week recap. For more such weekly recaps, stay tuned, and we’ll be back next week. See you then! 

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