Meta
- View-Through Conversion Optimization: “You can now improve upper-funnel results by letting Google Ads optimize for conversions driven by ad views, not just clicks.”
- Story Image Ads in PMax: “Performance Max campaigns now support vertical 9:16 image ads”
- Limit the number of campaigns
- Prioritize conversions
- Embrace algorithmic targeting
- Avoid removing placements
- Limit the number of ad sets
Chat 4 Ads
From Meta…
We will start personalizing content and ad recommendations on our platforms based on people’s interactions with our generative AI features
Whether it’s a voice chat or a text exchange with our AI features, this update will help us improve the recommendations we provide for people across our platforms so they’re more likely to see content they’re actually interested in
Also on Bluesky
Fistful of Google Ads Bits
Google is continuing its transformation to Meta Ads:
The agents are coming: Open Source Google Ads API MCP Server
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard that allows Large Language Models (LLMs), like Google Gemini, to connect with and act upon external data sources and applications. By releasing an MCP Server specifically for the Google Ads API, we are making it possible for any MCP-compatible AI application to understand and analyze advertising campaigns through natural language.
(If you don’t know what any of that means, you’re fine.)
Old news at this point, but Google is trying to toss some pennies at the publishers that took a traffic hit after its AI glow up with Offerwall:
Offerwall lets publishers give their sites’ readers a variety of ways to access their content, including through options like micropayments, taking surveys, watching ads, and more.
Getting a lot of spam from PMax?
Block app placements: tools > content suitability > excluded placements
Also on Bluesky
Meta needs to ditch the horizontal ad placements and replace that asset bucket with one for 4:5 in the ad builder while improving the flexible media system to better align asset size with placement size.
Also on Bluesky
ChatGPT adds Instant Checkout (which sounds a lot like Perplexity’s Pro Shop).
Buy from Etsy sellers (Shopify coming soon) without leaving your chat thread. This continues the trend of every platform trying to become a shopping platform (see: Google Shopping, Meta Shops, TikTok Shop, etc.)
Merchants pay a small fee on completed purchases, but the service is free for users, doesn’t affect their prices, and doesn’t influence ChatGPT’s product results.
The processing fee is a marketing expense. This could be great for early adopters.
Also on Bluesky
Google and Meta Ads are saturated and automated.
There is no in-platform secret sauce and the days of scaling your sales to the moon on one or the other are in the rear view.
They’re still the best at what they do, but you need something else if you want outsized results.
What’s your new frontier?
Also on Bluesky
Not sure how accurate this insight into Meta’s ad algorithm is, but it’s still helpful to think through.
The 15-Second Framework:
• 0-3 sec: Hook
• 3-5 sec: Value prop
• 5-8 sec: Benefits
• 8-15 sec: Problem/Solution
I’d make that the 16 second framework and extend the Value Prop or Benefits if needed. Use ThruPlays to your advantage.
What Meta’s AI actually sees:
→ Setting = income level
→ Person = demographic
→ Language = education
→ Problem = life stage
→ Music = cultural signals
→ Colors = emotional state
Computer vision + sentiment analysis + trove of behavior data
Also on Bluesky
Jon Loomer’s Core Meta Advertising Principles for the modern era:
& don’t forget:
Meta now prefers “creative diversification” by format, angle, approach, and text. Utilize five primary text and headline options for each ad. Create very different versions of your ads within a single ad set.
Modern advertising isn’t about control—it doesn’t exist.
It’s about context—the context provided and the context around the delivery.
Also on Bluesky
Reports of Instagram’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
Meta’s various apps are the closest we have the US to everything apps. The feature sets are deep enough that people can use them in different ways.
in multiple interviews with 15- to 26-year-olds, Gen Z people, they said that they used Instagram to keep in touch with friends, scope out crushes, build businesses, and pour over cooking videos. But out of all of its features, they seemed least interested in the polished public photo feed that had once been Instagram’s marquee offering.
But Instagram (and TikTok) aren’t social networks, they’re social media
it feels more comfortable to post on TikTok than it does on Instagram. And I think that’s a common narrative and sentiment that we hear all the time. But I think the reality is that most people, young people in particular, don’t really feel comfortable posting anywhere at this point
Instagram is a mix of entertainment, inbox (DMs as the new email), and search. At least for younger users.
What does this mean for how brands use Instagram?
The traditional feed is certainly easiest for most. But how much are people engaging with this “legacy” feature.
On-platform search plus Google indexing posts for off-platform search means the Instagram feed is more like Pinterest than TikTok. A visual microblog.
Also on Bluesky
Zuck’s dream of fully automated ad platform is starting to come true
Meta said that nearly two million advertisers are now using GenAI video generation tools. That’s about 20% of Meta’s entire advertiser base based on the latest available estimates.
I do think it was really telling that Zuckerberg was careful to say that these tools are the most valuable for small and medium-sized businesses and that agencies will continue to play an important role with big brands.
This will continue to bifurcate between those with big budgets and those without.
via Jasmine Enberg on Behind the Numbers
Also on Bluesky
👓
Al glasses gained further traction in the first half of the year, with Ray-Ban Meta more than tripling in revenue year-over-year.
&
Following the category-defining success of Ray-Ban Meta, the #1 selling Al glasses in the world which had sold millions of units since launch…
&
the insatiable demand for Ray-Ban Meta
Meta is mentioned 32 times in this eyewear company’s earnings report.
Oakley and Prada versions are next.
Is Zuck’s hardware platform dream being realized? Smart glasses remain my bet for the next consumer computing shift.
via Luxottica earnings report (PDF)
Also on Bluesky