Paid Media News (Week 13)
Paid Media News (Week 13)
Explore every update from this edition, with the original reporting and contributor credits.
A digest of the original edition. Updates and availability reflect what was reported at the time.
Veo video generation launches globally in Google Ads Asset Studio
Google has made Veo, its generative video model, globally available within Asset Studio inside Google Ads. Advertisers upload up to three static images; Veo generates a unique video clip up to 10 seconds long from each, with fluid, natural motion added automatically.
Read this update in detail →PMax Asset Group Theming generates seasonal creative from existing asset groups
Google has rolled out Asset Group Theming for Performance Max campaigns, allowing advertisers to clone a high-performing asset group and apply a seasonal theme: Easter, Summer, Back to School, Cyber 5, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and others: with AI-generated themed image backgrounds, updated headlines, and matched descriptions applied automatically. The original asset group remains untouched throughout.
Read this update in detail →Four new Performance Max controls add first-party exclusions, placement reporting, budget forecasting, and audience demographics
Google has shipped four additions to Performance Max's controls and reporting suite. Advertisers can now exclude specific first-party audience lists from PMax campaigns: providing the targeting guardrails that have been the most consistently requested capability since PMax launched.
Read this update in detail →Demand Gen March 2026 drop: Creator Partnerships, follow-on views, and Veo integration
Google's March Demand Gen update introduces three new capabilities. Creator Partnerships with Google Ads is now available, enabling advertisers to discover, connect with, and activate creator content directly as Demand Gen assets: Google cites an average 30% increase in conversion lift on YouTube Shorts when authentic creator assets are used versus brand-only creative.
Read this update in detail →YouTube Top Sports Podcast Lineup now available to all US advertisers
Google has launched the Top Sports Podcast Lineup, making it generally available to all US advertisers via YouTube Select. The package allows brands to align with sports podcast content: from New Heights to The Rich Eisen Show: through a single placement buy covering the most-watched sports commentary and analysis channels on YouTube, without manually curating individual channels.
Read this update in detail →Data Manager adds ActiveCampaign as a native direct integration
Google has updated Data Manager to include ActiveCampaign as a supported direct integration, allowing advertisers to connect CRM and email marketing data directly to Google Ads without relying on third-party connectors. The integration supports creating Customer Match audiences and importing offline conversion data.
Read this update in detail →Shopping Ads adds political content verification requirement for nine countries from April 16
Effective April 16, Google will require election advertiser verification for Shopping Ads featuring certain political content in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Google will also prohibit some Shopping Ads featuring political content in India.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads API v23.2 released with VideoEnhancement resource and App campaign insights
v23.2 adds a VideoEnhancement resource that surfaces whether a video ad is Google-generated or advertiser-provided: an important signal as AI-generated video proliferates across PMax and Demand Gen. An AppTopCombinationView resource provides top-performing asset combination insights for App campaigns.
Read this update in detail →BatchJobService request size increased fourfold
Google has raised the request size cap for BatchJobService.AddBatchJobOperations from approximately 10.5 MB to approximately 41.9 MB. The change reduces the number of separate requests required when batching multiple large assets: particularly images, which can each reach up to 5.24 MB.
Read this update in detail →Google Ad Manager API adds read-only OAuth scope
Google has added a read-only OAuth scope to the Ad Manager API (https://www.googleapis.com/auth/admanager.readonly), permitting data reading and report running without write access. The scope is designed for reporting dashboards and alerting tools.
Read this update in detail →Sponsored Stores and "Quick results" both surfacing inside Google AI Mode
Glenn Gabe has spotted two distinct monetisation formats appearing in Google AI Mode product queries: a "Sponsored Stores" link when clicking a product in AI Mode results, and a "Quick results from the web" section that surfaces direct links to retailer websites. The dual format suggests Google is testing multiple ad and commerce surfaces within AI Mode simultaneously rather than committing to a single model for monetising shopping queries.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads campaign creation adds a natural language "tell us about your campaign" field
Arpan Banerjee has spotted a new free-text field in the Google Ads campaign creation flow labelled "Tell us about your campaign," which appears to personalise setup suggestions based on the input. The interface also features a cleaner, lighter dashboard layout.
Read this update in detail →PMax Animated Clips are generated via Veo directly in Asset Studio
Nikki Kuhlman has spotted Animated Clips, now available in Performance Max campaigns inside Asset Studio. Advertisers upload a source image; the system enhances it and generates multiple variations, with each selected enhanced image producing two animated video clips.
Read this update in detail →Ads Decoded episode 5: mastering lead quality in a fragmented signal environment
Ginny Marvin's Ads Decoded podcast has released episode 5, focused on lead generation measurement. The episode covers mapping the full customer journey from first click to offline sale, using Data Manager to connect CRM and offline data sources for high-frequency uploads, identifying conversion actions that balance volume with short enough delays to fuel Smart Bidding, and the role YouTube plays in a performance-led lead-gen strategy.
Read this update in detail →Google NewFront 2026: DV360 goes Gemini-powered with new CTV inventory, identity, and agentic tools
Google used NewFront 2026 at Pier 57 on March 23 to reposition Display & Video 360 as a Gemini-powered end-to-end media buying platform: the "Gemini Advantage": framing it as the only ad tech stack where the same AI model that powers the products also owns the inventory.
Read this update in detail →DV360 API joins Google's Advertising and Measurement Community Discord
Google has launched dedicated Discord channels for the Display & Video 360 API, Structured Data Files, and the Bid Manager API on the existing Google Advertising and Measurement Community server: the first official community engagement channel for DV360 bulk tools. The DV360 API and Structured Data Files documentation has also been redesigned with task guides, concept guides, and improved navigation.
Read this update in detail →Apple announces Apple Maps Ads launching in the US and Canada
Apple has announced paid advertising placements inside Apple Maps, launching initially in the United States and Canada. Local businesses will be able to bid on search queries: such as "coffee near me" or "pharmacy": and surface directly in Maps search results, with users able to call, navigate, or order directly from the placement.
Read this update in detail →Bing Webmaster Tools adds page-level citation data for AI grounding queries
Microsoft has updated the AI Performance Dashboard in Bing Webmaster Tools to surface bidirectional citation insights: advertisers and SEOs can now see which specific pages are being cited for a given grounding query, and which grounding queries are driving citations to a specific page. Aleyda Solís flagged the update as a direct response to community feedback, tagging the Bing team by name.
Read this update in detail →Simo Ahava updates the GTM server-side SSL guide following the Google Cloud Platform change
Simo Ahava has revised his guide on mapping an IPv6 frontend to a server-side Google Tag Manager load balancer on Google Cloud, following a platform change that now requires a Certificate Map for configuring SSL on multi-frontend load balancers. The updated steps involve configuration steps that cannot be completed entirely within the Google Cloud Platform UI, requiring some manual intervention until Google integrates the flow.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads offline conversion imports to improve attribution from April, with no breaking changes
Google has announced infrastructure changes to the Offline Conversion Import experience, rolling out in April 2026, with no breaking API changes. The first phase, in April, introduces improved GCLID attribution and fallback recovery: expired GCLIDs and clicks that occurred before a conversion will now be attributed where previously they were not, reducing EXPIRED_EVENT and CONVERSION_PRECEDES_EVENT errors and raising overall attribution rates.
Read this update in detail →Meta's engagement-through attribution confirmed live in accounts
Jon Loomer has confirmed that Meta's attribution changes, announced in early March, are now active in accounts. Click-through attribution now requires an actual link click prior to conversion: reactions, shares, comments, and other non-link clicks no longer qualify under click-through and instead fall under the renamed "engage-through" window, which carries a one-day lookback rather than seven.
Read this update in detail →Meta adds frequency and recency filters to Facebook and Instagram custom audiences
Bram Van der Hallen has identified two new filters for Facebook and Instagram custom audiences used in retargeting. The "At least" filter targets users who engaged with an account at least a specified number of times within a specified period, enabling focus on high-intent repeat engagers.
Read this update in detail →WhatsApp Status ad placement rolling out automatically via Advantage+ Placements
Bram Van der Hallen has confirmed that the WhatsApp Status ad placement is now being automatically enabled for Traffic campaigns optimising for link clicks, daily unique reach, or impressions when Advantage+ Placements is active at the ad set level. Meta also added an option to include WhatsApp users whose age is unknown, which may increase reach at the cost of defined audience composition.
Read this update in detail →Meta Ads Manager campaign creation gets left-side section navigation
Matias Axel Ramayo has spotted an updated campaign creation interface in Meta Ads Manager, featuring a new left-side panel that summarises all campaign sections with clickable jump links. The layout allows advertisers to navigate directly to any section of the campaign setup rather than scrolling linearly through the full form.
Read this update in detail →New Meta Customer Life Cycle Strategy setting spotted in Ads Manager
Sam Hall has spotted a new "Customer Life Cycle Strategy" setting appearing in Meta ad accounts, adding an apparent signal layer beyond existing audience exclusions. The setting appears to provide Meta's delivery system with additional context around new customer acquisition goals: potentially improving performance where exclusions and customer matching are imperfect.
Read this update in detail →Threads Marketing API expands with global App Ads and reply moderation
Meta has updated the Threads Marketing API with two significant additions. App Ads can now be purchased globally on Threads, supporting APP_INSTALLS and app event optimisation for LINK_CLICKS or CONVERSIONS via Threads feed placement: using existing image, video, or carousel assets with no bespoke creative required.
Read this update in detail →Three Meta API endpoints that surface what Ads Manager hides
Bianca Bergshoeff has published a practitioner guide to three underused Meta API endpoints. The /insights endpoint slices performance beyond Ads Manager's standard breakdowns: by placement, age, gender, country, and frequency patterns: and includes creative ranking scores that can surface inefficiencies before they cost budget.
Read this update in detail →Amazon Prime Day confirmed for late June: catalogue readiness timeline moves with it
Amazon has confirmed Prime Day is moving to late June 2026: a calendar shift with implications that extend well beyond promotional planning. Vanessa Hung notes that Amazon's algorithm begins building relevance signals weeks before a major traffic event, meaning the indexing window for catalogue optimisation is already narrowing.
Read this update in detail →Amazon introduces "Lowest Price in 90 Days" badge during Big Spring Sale
Alexander Swade observed a new badge appearing across Amazon listings during the Big Spring Sale event, displaying "Lowest Price in 90 Days": and in some cases "Lowest Price in 30 Days": in place of the standard Big Spring Sale badge. The new badge appears to take precedence where the price qualifies, suggesting Amazon is testing a price-history transparency signal as a higher-value trust indicator than a generic promotional label.
Read this update in detail →Amazon ends commingled FBA inventory for brand owners on March 31
Amazon will end commingled FBA inventory for Brand Registry owners on March 31, 2026. Brand owners with valid GTINs will be able to use manufacturer barcodes (UPC, EAN) without their stock being pooled with other sellers' inventory: eliminating the risk of counterfeit or expired units appearing in fulfilment and reviews.
Read this update in detail →Shopify launches Agentic Storefronts for ChatGPT as default sales channel
Shopify has announced that Agentic Storefronts: a new sales channel that enables merchants to sell directly to ChatGPT users: is now active by default for eligible stores. Products synchronise in real time across surfaces, with live inventory and pricing, and, if checkout is enabled, customers can purchase without leaving the chat.
Read this update in detail →Google's March 2026 core and spam updates both roll out simultaneously
Google released a core update on March 27 and a spam update on March 25, with both rollouts active within 48 hours of each other. The core update is designed to surface more relevant and satisfying content across all site types, with the rollout expected to take up to two weeks.
Read this update in detail →Shopify ships native A/B testing and controlled rollouts inside the admin
Shopify has launched Rollouts, a native server-side-controlled deployment feature in the Shopify admin under the new Markets section. Merchants can now schedule storefront changes, release updates to a percentage of visitors, analyse performance, and decide when to push to 100%: without third-party testing tools or custom infrastructure.
Read this update in detail →Amazon dominates Western Europe while Temu wins central and eastern markets
Mike Ryan has published an original analysis combining self-reported MAU data from Amazon and Temu with Eurostat consumer data across European markets, producing what he describes as the most comprehensive picture of marketplace market presence to date. The findings show a clear geographic split: Amazon dominates high-GDP western markets, while Temu leads across central and eastern Europe: notably Poland, Romania, and Hungary.
Read this update in detail →New York enacts AI synthetic performer disclosure law effective June 9 [Reminder]
New York State has enacted S.8420-A, the first US state law requiring advertisers to conspicuously disclose when an ad features a synthetic performer: defined as any AI-generated or algorithmically created figure designed to appear as a real human. The law covers any AI-generated human figure in any ad across any medium, not just deepfakes of identifiable individuals.
Read this update in detail →EU coalition calls for a binding DMA non-compliance decision against Google search self-preferencing
A broad coalition of industry associations, consumer organisations, and digital rights groups has formally called on the European Commission to adopt a binding non-compliance decision against Alphabet under Article 6(5) of the Digital Markets Act, which prohibits self-preferencing in general online search. The coalition states that two years of investigation, one year of preliminary findings, and compliance discussions have produced no meaningful change, and that remedies and fines must make continued non-compliance economically unviable.
Read this update in detail →Claude mobile app gains access to Figma, Canva, Amplitude and more via MCP
Anthropic has shipped MCP integrations accessible directly in the Claude mobile app, allowing users to connect to and query tools such as Figma, Canva, and Amplitude from their phones. Charly Wargnier flagged the update as a significant shift: MCP-powered workflows: previously limited to Claude Desktop and Claude Code: are now available on mobile, removing the constraint that agent-connected workflows required a desktop session.
Read this update in detail →Claude Code gains auto mode for autonomous permission handling
Anthropic has launched auto mode in Claude Code, available as a research preview on the Team plan, with Enterprise and API access rolling out over the following days. Auto mode allows Claude Code to handle file writes and bash command permissions autonomously, without requiring approval for each action or disabling safeguards entirely.
Read this update in detail →Gemini 3.1 Flash Live launches with lower latency voice across Search and enterprise
Google has released Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, described as its highest-quality audio and voice model, now powering Search Live, Gemini Live, and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. The model delivers faster response times than its predecessor, can follow the thread of a conversation for twice as long, and has improved tonal understanding: dynamically adjusting to user frustration or confusion.
Read this update in detail →ChatGPT adds a library for centralised file management across conversations
OpenAI has launched Library in ChatGPT: a new sidebar tab providing a central location for all files uploaded across conversations, with browsing, sorting, search, and direct attachment from the composer. OpenAI reports that more than 1 billion files are uploaded to ChatGPT each week.
Read this update in detail →The advertiser takeaway
Each update reflects the source reporting at the time. Open an individual update for its full description, original links and media.
Explore the original edition
Every update from this edition is linked above. Explore the original newsletter for its full context, contributor credits and reporting links.
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