Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 18, 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 11, 2026 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! We’re diving into the latest updates you need to know including an invite to join out Kavanah Analytics Webinar,  major ways hackers are bypassing security systems and passkeys, Google ads on Waze, Vibe Coding and more! Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Kavanah Analytics- Webinar You're invited to a free online webinar introducing Kavanah Analytics on Monday, October 20, offered at two times to fit your team's schedule: 8:00 AM Eastern and 8:00 PM Eastern.  If your team is using digital tools to reach the lost, you already know the hard part isn't running an ad or posting a video. It's answering the questions that matter: Who responded? Did that conversation lead to a Bible study, a baptism, a disciple? Kavanah Analytics is a free tool built specifically for mission teams that automatically pulls your Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, messaging, and follow-up data into one clear picture, so you can see the whole journey from first click to real spiritual conversation without stitching together spreadsheets or paying for enterprise software. In this one-hour session we'll show you how it works, walk through a live team dashboard, and explain how to get your own team set up at no cost.  Bring your questions, and bring whoever on your team is asking "is this actually working?"  Register at https://forms.gle/d2mLocY1MrcsazA28 and join us on October 20. kavanahanalytics.com Turning Off Meta's Buggy Multimedia Experience Facebook recently added a new tool that lets you put many pictures and videos into one ad, but it has a lot of bugs. You can easily turn off this new feature in your settings to go back to the older, more reliable way of making ads. For Mission Teams If you are leveraging Meta ads and hate the new UI now you can turn it off. However, even though the system can be buggy at times, members of the Kavanah Media team have come to like the new system and find it easier to use- especially when leveraging diverse creatuves, https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/turn-off-new-creative-workflow-multimedia-experience Clicking 'Allow' Could Give Hackers Access to Your Account In another Google and Microsoft attack surface- hackers can now access your entire Google or Microsoft account by tricking you into clicking "Allow" on a seemingly normal screen. Once allowed, they can read your emails and send messages to your contacts without ever needing your password. For Mission Teams Mission teams must be extremely careful when granting app permissions on devices used for digital evangelism. Hackers can use this trick to access sensitive conversations with seekers, and even changing your password won't stop them unless you remove their access in your settings. https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/clicking-allow-on-a-google-and-microsoft-permission-screens-could-give-hackers-access-to-your-entire-account-fbi-warns 39 Ways Passkeys Can Be Hacked Passkeys were designed to replace passwords by using a secure digital lock, but hackers have found 39 new ways to bypass this security. The hackers attack the systems around the passkey, like the app, browser, or cloud storage, instead of breaking the passkey itself. For Mission Teams Mission teams using passkeys for ministry platforms should not assume they are completely safe from hackers. Since hackers can still access accounts through shared devices or cloud accounts, teams need strong security measures across all digital tools used for evangelism. See the entire list here: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/39-new-methods-that-compromise-passkey-authentication/ OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ad Tools and Global Reach OpenAI has released new tools for ChatGPT Ads that let creators build campaigns using simple text prompts, manage custom audiences better, and track ad performance more accurately. The platform also added budget pacing controls and expanded ad placement to users in Europe, India, the Middle East, and North Africa. For Mission Teams These AI tools and expanded regional footprints allow mission teams to reach seekers more effectively across Europe and the Middle East. Improved data matching and budget pacing also help teams protect user privacy and steward their evangelism resources wisely. https://ads.openai.com/?utm_source=openai_email&utm_medium=openai_email&utm_campaign=product_update Google Expands Waze Ads to 42 Countries Google is expanding Waze Ads beyond the United States to 41 additional countries through Performance Max campaigns. This update allows local organizations in 42 global markets to show location-based ads to drivers on their routes. For Mission Teams Where available local ministry teams and churches could use these location-based ads on Waze to guide nearby seekers directly to physical churches, community centers, or outreach events. Strategically targeting local drivers could help expand digital engagement into face-to-face discipleship. https://www.seroundtable.com/google-expands-waze-ads-42018.html Brands Emphasize Humanity to Rebuild Consumer Trust Many companies are designing ads that feature real human stories and handmade visual styles. This human-centered approach helps brands rebuild customer trust as public worry grows over artificial intelligence. For Mission Teams Content and news explaining this "Human Centered Content," trend is becoming more commonplace. Brands and marketers are realizing that sharing authentic human experiences in social media ads builds crucial trust with online seekers who are wary of automated content.  https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/humanity-in-advertising-ai-distrust?utm_source=tldrmarketing European Union Enforces Stricter Safety Rules on Popular Platforms The European Union placed ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox under its highest level of platform regulations after user growth surged. These services must now regularly assess risks involving minor safety, illegal content, and automated recommendation systems. For Mission Teams Tighter platform regulations in Europe could affect how ministry ad campaigns and conversational AI tools operate. While this platforms are not as widely leveraged for digital engagement by missions teams and churches, the adjustments these platforms must conform to may still affect other digital platforms, how users find and engage with content, and more. Teams should be prepared to adjust their strategies accordingly. https://www.politico.eu/article/chatgpt-reddit-roblox-face-eus-strictest-platforms-regime/ Meta Releases AI Tool for Real-Time Multilingual Transcription Meta introduced a new artificial intelligence model that transcribes live audio in over seventy languages simultaneously. The system accurately identifies more than twenty different speakers in a single recording, even when people switch languages mid-sentence. For Mission Teams This real-time translation tool allows global ministry teams to host live, multi-language meetings and broadcast outreach content seamlessly. Leveraging instant transcription helps teams securely engage diverse seekers and disciple international communities without language barriers. https://www.engadget.com/2249112/meta-new-ai-transcription-model-can-distinguist-between-multiple-speakers-and-languages-in-real-time/ Meta Disables Cameras on Smart Glasses Modified by Users Meta remotely turned off the cameras on thousands of smart glasses because users tampered with the recording lights. The company took action to prevent people from secretly filming others without their permission. For Mission Teams As smart glasses become increasingly common, the battle for user privacy intensifies. This development highlights several important concerns: Workers may be recorded at any time without their knowledge. Our sense of ownership is diminishing. While Meta's ability to detect tampering and disable devices can protect personal privacy, it also raises significant concerns about control and autonomy. https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-glasses-camera-disabled-tampering-recording-light-update-2026-9 Google Avoids Forced Breakup in Major Antitrust Ruling A federal judge ruled that Google will not have to sell its advertising exchange despite breaking antitrust laws. Instead of breaking up the company, the court ordered Google to make its ad tools work better with competing platforms. For Mission Teams Keeping Google's advertising network intact allows mission teams to continue using familiar tools to run targeted digital outreach campaigns. Improved compatibility between ad platforms helps teams protect user privacy while efficiently finding seekers and making disciples online. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/us-court-rules-google-will-not-have-to-sell-ad-exchange-after-losing-antitrust-case/?utm_source=tldrmarketing Vibe Coding Replaces Traditional Website Building Vibe coding is a new way to build websites by telling artificial intelligence what you want instead of writing complicated code. This easy method lets anyone quickly turn their ideas into a working webpage just by giving the AI specific instructions. For Mission Teams Using AI to build websites allows mission teams to quickly launch digital evangelism sites, however, it is not a complete replacement. AI can hallucinate and oftentimes misses critical website components involved in security, data privacy, compliance and more. Teams should be cautious when launching sites with AI and audit the products before launch to ensure security and compliance where relevant.   https://yoast.com/traditional-coding-vs-vibe-coding-website/?utm_source=mailblue&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_080926&utm Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement  Looking for ways to use digital tools to grow evangelism and disciple-making? Check out our other resources: Kavanah Media Blog – Learn from our experiences serving hundreds of mission teams worldwide. We share practical lessons, real stories, and best practices to help your team avoid mistakes and grow in digital outreach. Subscribe here. Jon Ralls' new book–  Check out Jon Ralls' new book The Reluctant Whisper on Amazon, where he talks of evangelism from a sales pitch into an authentic act of presence—sharing faith through story, not scripts! Check it out here. Ad Resource Store- Stumped on what ads to run next? Check out Kavanah Media's Ad Resource Store for ideas, templates and more! Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Church GAP Analysis Tool- Uncover hidden risks before they become problems. Use our Free GAP Analysis Tool to evaluate your church or non-profit’s cybersecurity, compliance, and governance today.  Kavanah Analytics- How is your digital content truly impacting lives? We created Kavanah Analytics to help churches and mission teams answer that question. Learn More Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Jon Ralls, Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: September 11, 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - November 6, 2026 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! 🚀 We're diving into the latest updates you need to know including Meta's AI bots overloading small websites, a new WhatsApp photo suggestion feature, Reddit's first search ads, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Meta's AI Crawlers Are Overloading Small Websites Some small website owners say Meta's AI crawlers, bots that copy web pages to train AI, are using so much bandwidth that their sites slow down or crash. One designer found that 97.6% of her site's data traffic over four weeks went to Meta's bots. For Mission Teams Teams should be cautious when seeing traffic boosts as it may be bot traffic. Ministry websites on small hosting plans could face slowdowns, outages, or extra fees if these bots hit them hard. Teams could consider checking their site traffic for "Meta-ExternalAgent" and "Meta-WebIndexer" and asking their web host about blocking them, since some owners found robots.txt rules alone did not stop them. https://www.fastcompany.com/91633357/meta-web-crawlers-crash-small-business-websites-ai-bots-surge WhatsApp Now Suggests Your Latest Photo in Chats WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that shows your newest photo, video, or screenshot as a suggestion when you open a chat. Nothing sends automatically, and tapping the suggestion opens an editor so you can review it first. For Mission Teams While this feature could make sharing relevant screenshots even easier a suggested screenshot could show private details, like a seeker's message, a contact list, or a location, and it is easy to share it in the wrong chat by mistake. Those with concerns should turn this off under Settings > Chats > Recent media suggestions. https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-is-rolling-out-media-suggestions-on-android-and-ios/ Reddit Tests Ads in Search Results Reddit is testing ads on its search results pages for the first time, with ads matched to users' search queries. For now, only a small group of selected advertisers have access to the feature. For Mission Teams People often search Reddit with honest questions about life and faith, so search ads could someday help teams reach seekers at the moment they are looking for answers. Most teams can't join this early test yet, but if the testing is successful Reddit could become a even more viable platform for digital engagement. Those already running Reddit ads should watch for wider access. https://redditinc.com/news/we-are-testing-ad-placements-in-reddit-search-pages Turn On MFA, Passkeys, and Security Keys Now Several Kavanah Media partners recently had work accounts and their personal email accounts taken over by attackers, which put many connected accounts and contacts at risk. Personal email is often used to reset work passwords, so one weak account can open the door to a much bigger breach. For Mission Teams Everyone should turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA, a second step after your password) for all work email, personal email, social media, and ad accounts, etc.. Use passkeys or a hardware security key such as a YubiKey wherever you can, because unlike text-message codes, they will not work on fake login pages. Teams should also exercise caution when opening emails or clicking links from untrusted or unfamiliar sources. When in doubt, they should contact the senders through a separate communication channel to verify the legitimacy of any suspicious emails. Google Tests A/B Experiments for Asset Groups in Performance Max Campaigns Google/YouTube Google is testing a new tool that lets advertisers compare two sets of ad assets within a single Performance Max asset group. Advertisers can choose how to split traffic and which metrics to measure, such as conversions, value, or clicks. For Mission Teams Teams running Google Performance Max campaigns can test two sets of images, videos, or text to see which drives more visitors to a response page. However, this is a beta feature and may not be available in every account or region. Plan to run the test for at least 4 to 6 weeks, as Google recommends, and choose one clear success metric, such as conversions, to determine which message leads to more meaningful interactions. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-44-adriaan-dekker-vxzve/ Google Says AI Chatbots Are Cutting Into Its Search Ad Revenue Google said more people are using AI chatbots and its own AI search tools, and this is hurting its search ad business. Search volume grew 12% in Q3, slower than earlier quarters, and search revenue was flat. For Mission Teams Google says it is expanding ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode to more users and search queries, including in international markets. Teams running search ads should monitor these new placements and consider testing them with small budgets. As more people turn to AI chatbots for answers, teams should ensure their content is clear and accurate. The article also reports that up to 10% of AI Overviews were found to contain incorrect information, so teams should check how their ministries are described in AI-generated responses. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/google-says-ai-chatbots-are-hurting-its-bottom-line/873401/ Meta Now Suggests Lookalike Audiences for Leads Campaigns Meta is showing a new message in Leads campaigns suggesting that using a lookalike audience could lower the cost per quality lead by 11%. The author has seen this message only in Leads campaigns, so it does not appear to be a change affecting all campaign types. For Mission Teams If your team receives many low-quality sign-ups or leads, consider building a custom audience from people who have completed your follow-up process. You can then turn it into a lookalike audience and add it as an audience suggestion in a single ad set. Avoid creating multiple ad sets for different audience suggestions, as they may compete against each other. However, keep in mind that, according to the author, it is difficult to prove whether these suggestions actually help, and Meta often ignores them. Test carefully, and when handling contact lists, protect the privacy of seekers, especially in countries with restricted access. Additionally, if you use a CRM system and sign-up forms hosted on your own website rather than Meta's platforms, this strategy may not work due to Meta's Religious Data Restrictions. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/lookalike-audience-suggestions-leads-campaigns/ Meta Expands Creator Assistant Into a Content Planning Tool Meta has updated its Creator Assistant chatbot to help people plan and improve content on Facebook and Instagram. It can point out trends, build storyboards and shot lists, review drafts, and write comment replies for you to check. For Mission Teams Teams can use it to identify trending topics, plan short-form videos, and draft replies to comments. However, every reply should be reviewed by a person to ensure the tone and message are appropriate for seekers. Additionally, since it is unclear how Meta handles the data users enter, avoid sharing sensitive ministry details, contact names, or security-related information. Note that the tool is designed for creators and is now available on the web through the Creator Dashboard, as well as on mobile. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-updates-creator-assistant-chatbot/873524/ Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement  Looking for ways to use digital tools to grow evangelism and disciple-making? Check out our other resources: Jon Ralls' new book–  Check out The Reluctant Whisper on Amazon, where he talks of evangelism from a sales pitch into an authentic act of presence—sharing faith through story, not scripts! Check it out here. Ad Resource Store- Stumped on what ads to run next? Check out Kavanah Media's Ad Resource Store for ideas, templates and more! Digital Strategies got you confused?- Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Church GAP Analysis Tool- Uncover hidden risks before they become problems. Use our Free GAP Analysis Tool to evaluate your church or non-profit’s cybersecurity, compliance, and governance today.  Kavanah Analytics- How is your digital content truly impacting lives? We created Kavanah Analytics to help churches and mission teams answer that question. Learn More Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Jon Ralls, Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: November 6, 2026