The breaking news headlines from the last 24 hours related to digital marketing, social media marketing, entrepreneurship/business ownership, and leadership include:

– **Affinity acquires French startup Affilizz** to enhance its affiliate marketing technology by integrating frontend shopping widgets with backend revenue optimization tools[1].

– **Myntra partners with former cricketer Sourav Ganguly** to launch ‘Souragya’, an ethnic wear label timed ahead of the Durga Puja festival[1].

– **Niva Bupa’s CMO reports that celebrity endorsements no longer effectively drive health insurance sales**, shifting focus instead to influencers, regional content, and pop culture storytelling in tier 2 and 3 markets[1].

– **Consumer durables brands are targeting tier 2 and tier 3 cities for festive advertising**, combining EMI offers, omnichannel approaches, and digital-first campaigns to capture demand this season[1].

– From the digital marketing industry perspective, **AI-driven discovery and engagement are surging rapidly**, with AI-referred sessions growing over 500%, especially in sectors like legal, finance, insurance, and health. ChatGPT remains dominant, with other LLMs like Perplexity and Gemini gaining traction[2].

– Social media continues to transform business impacts in 2025, including boosting direct revenue through social commerce, extending organic search reach, enhancing customer support, and increasing brand visibility – while also raising risks due to platform scrutiny[4].

These headlines reflect key trends in the integration of AI into marketing, a focus on tier 2/3 city consumer segments, influencer and localized content strategies, new business partnerships in product lines, and evolving social media’s role in driving business outcomes[1][2][4]. This snapshot provides insight useful for entrepreneurs and leaders adapting strategies amid rapidly changing digital landscapes.