Paid Media News (Week 14)
Paid Media News (Week 14)
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.
Google Shopping Ads expand to 15 new European markets in two phases
Google has announced that Shopping Ads are expanding into 15 new European markets across two waves. The first phase, timed for Back to School, covers Cyprus, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Macedonia, Malta, and Liechtenstein.
Read this update in detail →Google Merchant Centre loyalty programme expands to 14 countries, and AI Mode surfaces
Google has extended its loyalty programme features in Merchant Centre to 14 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Read this update in detail →Vehicle ads expand to Spain, Italy, and Germany
Google has made vehicle ads available to all vehicle advertisers in Spain, Italy, and Germany, with further country expansion planned. The format allows automotive advertisers to promote their full inventory to shoppers on Google.com, displaying vehicle image, make, model, price, kilometres, and advertiser name.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads Advisor now surfaces contextual AI prompts directly on the performance graph
Thomas Eccel has identified that Google Ads is now displaying AI-generated analysis prompts directly below the performance chart in the account overview: with clickable suggestions such as "Compare top campaigns performance," "Brainstorm ideas to improve results," and "How to improve conversions." Clicking any prompt opens Ads Advisor, Google's Gemini-powered AI agent, which gathers campaign data, browses the web, and scans the advertiser's website before delivering a contextual analysis.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads experiments add auto-apply setting, enabled by default
Bob Meijer has flagged that Google Ads experiments now include an auto-apply setting: enabled by default: that automatically applies experiment results to live campaigns. The setting offers configurable confidence thresholds: directional results (default), or statistical significance at 80%, 85%, or 95%.
Read this update in detail →Ads Advisor chat button appears directly inside the campaign setup flow
Arpan Banerjee has discovered that Google Ads now offers a direct "Open chat" button inside the campaign setup interface, allowing advertisers to chat with Ads Advisor while building a campaign. The placement surfaces Ads Advisor at the moment of campaign creation rather than requiring a separate navigation step.
Read this update in detail →PMax gains native channel performance over time view
Axel Falck has spotted a new native view in Performance Max called "Channel performance over time," displaying how each channel (Search, YouTube, Display, etc.) contributes to results as a stacked time-series graph, with a filter to toggle between performance metrics and investment. The view was previously only available via custom scripts.
Read this update in detail →Google updates Help Centre articles for nine ad policy categories
Google has updated Help Centre articles for nine advertising policy areas: Cryptocurrencies, Editorial, Financial products and services, Healthcare and medicines, Limited ad serving, Other restricted businesses, Sexual content, Sexual health and wellness, and related policies: for improved organisation and readability. Google has confirmed that the updates do not change policy enforcement; they are content and structure improvements only.
Read this update in detail →Microsoft Advertising Merchant Centre allows store name and domain updates
Navah Hopkins has flagged a new self-serve capability in Microsoft Advertising Merchant Centre: advertisers can now update their store name and domain directly from the platform, without requiring support intervention. Store name changes require editorial review before going live, with ads continuing to serve under the existing name during review.
Read this update in detail →Microsoft Advertising sets REST API transition deadline for October 1, 2026
Microsoft Advertising has announced that its SOAP API will be deprecated on January 31, 2027, with all new features and enhancements available only through the REST API from October 1, 2026 onwards: giving developers six months to complete migration. Existing SOAP integrations continue to run during the transition window without immediate impact.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads support emails are now AI-generated
Vojtěch Audy has identified that Google Ads support email responses are now generated by AI, with the email signature explicitly disclosing "Google Ads Support using AI from Google" and a disclaimer that the content is AI-generated, that account details may not always be accurate, and that user activity may be used to improve the system. The disclosure raises questions about the reliability of responses for complex policy or account-specific issues.
Read this update in detail →Multi-location GBP assets showing review figures and a swipeable carousel in tests
Anthony Higman has spotted Google testing two new multi-location Google Business Profile asset formats in Google Ads: one variant shows GBP review figures alongside additional information for each location, and the other shows locations in a swipeable carousel. Higman noted the carousel version appeared partially glitched in his observations, suggesting the feature is still in development.
Read this update in detail →Google Shopping ads now appear in the Images tab on mobile
Matteo Braghetta has spotted sponsored product ads appearing directly inside Google's Images tab on mobile search results, displayed as sponsored image and text units clearly labelled as "Sponsored." The placement is distinct from standard Search and Shopping placements, reaching users in discovery mode rather than transactional intent.
Read this update in detail →Bing tests double-row product ad carousel and near-transparent sponsored labels
Sachin Patel has spotted two simultaneous Microsoft Advertising display tests on Bing. The first shows a significantly enlarged sponsored product section in a double-row carousel alongside organic results: a substantial increase in ad inventory density on the Shopping SERP.
Read this update in detail →Google confirms Search Console impressions inflated since May 2025 due to a logging error
Google has admitted that a logging error has been preventing Search Console from accurately reporting impressions since May 13, 2025. The error involved third-party scrapers: including tools such as SerpApi used by AI systems to scrape Google organic results: being incorrectly logged as impressions.
Read this update in detail →Microsoft Clarity Cloudflare integration is now available without an Enterprise plan
Matteo Zambon has flagged that Microsoft Clarity now supports a Cloudflare integration for AI visibility without requiring a Cloudflare Enterprise plan: previously a barrier for smaller teams. The setup connects via a Cloudflare API token through a guided wizard, enabling Clarity to access Cloudflare-level signals directly from the CDN layer.
Read this update in detail →Ads DevCast episode 2: Data Manager API unifies audience and conversion ingestion
Cory Liseno has published episode 2 of the Ads DevCast podcast, focused on the Data Manager API with Product Manager Melissa Ng. The episode covers how the unified ingestion API enables first-party data to be sent to multiple Google advertising products: Google Ads, DV360, and others: in a single API call, reducing engineering overhead and the need for fragmented pipelines.
Read this update in detail →Meta Marketing Summit 2026: profit optimisation and value rules announced
Bram Van der Hallen has reported two significant Meta Ads updates announced at the Meta Marketing Summit 2026.
Read this update in detail →Meta overhauls creative media selection interface for ad placements
Bram Van der Hallen has identified a significant change to how Meta handles creative media selection for ad placements. Previously, advertisers chose the correct media crop for each placement during upload.
Read this update in detail →Meta Custom Audiences now supplements with Facebook and Instagram shop events
Bram Van der Hallen has identified that Meta is now automatically supplementing website Custom Audiences with equivalent on-platform shop audience data for advertisers with a Facebook or Instagram Shop. When creating audiences based on "All website visitors" or specific events (PageView, ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, Purchase), Meta adds people who viewed or interacted with the same products on-platform.
Read this update in detail →Meta Lead Ads Automated Lead Delivery is now configurable at the ad level
Meta has updated Lead Ads to allow Automated Lead Delivery to be configured directly at the ad level, rather than only at the form level. Advertisers can now send leads straight to Google Sheets or a CRM on a per-ad basis, enabling different delivery configurations for different ads within the same form.
Read this update in detail →Meta Single Image ad format now supports 2–3 images with automatic rotation
Meta has updated the Single Image ad format to support 2–3 images per ad unit. The format is not a carousel: Meta automatically rotates the images and progressively allocates delivery to whichever image performs best.
Read this update in detail →Meta adds a 6-second video view optimisation goal
Meta has introduced a 6-second video view optimisation option, sitting between the existing 2-second continuous view (low intent, cheap) and ThruPlay (high commitment, expensive). The addition reflects a broader platform shift toward attention-quality metrics: TikTok already uses 6-second signals implicitly, and Reddit for Business has explicitly launched 6-second engaged video-view optimisation.
Read this update in detail →Amazon SP and SB Prompts move to general availability with standard CPC billing
Amazon Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands Prompts have moved into the standard CPC bidding and billing framework as the feature becomes generally available across all accounts. During the beta phase, prompts operated as an experimental engagement layer.
Read this update in detail →Amazon adds 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to FBA fees from April 17
Amazon has announced a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applied to FBA fulfilment fees, effective April 17, 2026, with MCF and Buy with Prime following on May 2. The surcharge is calculated on the fulfilment fee, not the product price, averaging approximately $0.17 per unit for standard US FBA.
Read this update in detail →Amazon overhauls strikethrough pricing and typical price validation rules
Amazon has announced two structural changes to how reference prices are validated on listings, effective in late April and May, respectively. From April 23, List Price: the crossed-out price shown next to a sale price: will only be displayed if the product has verifiably sold at that price on Amazon or is currently selling at that price at another retailer.
Read this update in detail →Amazon Prime Day 2026 introduces a 60-day pricing rule and an updated deal fee structure
Amazon has released updated participation rules for Prime Day 2026. The most significant change is a 60-day pricing rule: any promotional price for a Prime Day deal must be the lowest price offered in the previous 60 days, including all prior discounts and coupons, and must represent at least a 5% discount from the lowest price of the last 30 days.
Read this update in detail →Amazon and Winn-Dixie's partnership goes live with fulfilled offers in-app
Destaney Wishon has confirmed that the Amazon and Winn-Dixie fulfilment partnership is live, with Winn-Dixie fulfilled offers now visible and driving conversions in the Amazon app: selected at least once as the fastest available shipping option for a product. The partnership, announced in late 2025, allows Amazon to leverage Winn-Dixie's physical store network for same-day or scheduled delivery without building its own physical infrastructure.
Read this update in detail →Instagram tests paid subscription tier "Instagram Plus" in the Philippines and Mexico
Matt Navarra has reported that Instagram is testing a new paid subscription tier called Instagram Plus in the Philippines (65 PHP/month ≈ , $1.05) and Mexico (39 MXN/month ≈ , $2.00). The feature set mirrors Snapchat+ with exclusive perks, including multiple story audiences, story rewatch insights, extended story expiration, super hearts for stories, and story spotlighting.
Read this update in detail →Meta launches first prescription-optimised AI glasses with nutrition tracking and WhatsApp AI features
Meta has introduced Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics (Gen 2) and Ray-Ban Meta Scriber Optics (Gen 2): its first AI glasses designed specifically to support nearly all prescriptions, featuring adjustable hinges and optician-adjustable temple tips. Starting at $499, they are available for pre-order in the US from March 31, with availability in optical retailers from April 14.
Read this update in detail →Google tests "Text Message" button in mobile Local Pack listings
Darren Shaw of Whitespark has flagged that Google is testing a new "Text Message" button directly in the mobile Local Pack, allowing users to initiate a text conversation with a business from the search results page. The test surfaces alongside wider reports of phone numbers disappearing from Google Business Profiles, raising questions about whether Google is engineering the shift from direct calls to mediated messaging: and whether this functionality will eventually be restricted to paid placements.
Read this update in detail →Inside Googlebot: 2MB fetch limit and what happens to your bytes
Google's Search Central Blog has published a detailed explainer on Googlebot's crawling infrastructure, clarifying the 2MB fetch limit for HTML pages (64MB for PDFs). If an HTML document exceeds 2MB: including HTTP headers: Googlebot stops fetching at exactly that point, passing only the retrieved bytes to the indexing system and Web Rendering Service.
Read this update in detail →Carrefour becomes the first major European retailer to enable ChatGPT checkout
Carrefour has become the first major European retailer to make products directly purchasable through ChatGPT, targeting France's 26 million ChatGPT users. The integration enables AI-mediated basket building: ChatGPT handles meal planning, dietary filtering, and product selection on behalf of the shopper without a traditional search results page.
Read this update in detail →OpenAI's ChatGPT ads pilot exceeds $100 million in annualised revenue in six weeks
OpenAI has confirmed that its ChatGPT advertising pilot in the United States crossed $100 million in annualised revenue within six weeks of launch, with over 600 advertisers now active on the platform. While roughly 85% of users are currently eligible to see ads, fewer than 20% are shown ads daily: leaving significant headroom to grow monetisation within the existing user base.
Read this update in detail →ChatGPT kills dedicated Shopping Research feature after speed complaints
Juozas Kaziukėnas has reported that OpenAI has quietly removed ChatGPT Shopping Research from the main menu: effectively ending a feature launched only four months ago, which used a version of GPT-5 mini post-trained specifically for shopping tasks. The feature was designed to ask clarifying questions, scrape 10–20× more sources than standard ChatGPT, and produce personalised buyer guides: but typically took two minutes to complete, which OpenAI's new commerce product lead cited as incompatible with user behaviour.
Read this update in detail →OpenAI partners with Smartly for conversational ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI has partnered with Smartly to launch conversational advertising units within ChatGPT. Criteo has separately reported that users referred by LLMs convert at 1.5× the rate of other channels.
Read this update in detail →Google launches Gemma 4, its most capable open-source agentic model
Google has released Gemma 4, a family of fully open-source models under Apache 2.0 built on the same research as Gemini 3. The family spans four sizes: 2B (on-device), a 26B Mixture of Experts model (activating 3.8B parameters during inference), and larger models up to 31B dense: all with native multimodal reasoning across video, images, OCR, and charts.
Read this update in detail →Claude Code gains Computer Use directly from the terminal
Charly Wargnier has flagged that Claude Code now supports Computer Use directly from the terminal, enabling Claude to compile and launch macOS apps (SwiftUI or Electron), click through the UI to verify fixes, and complete tasks that previously required leaving the terminal. The feature is enabled via the /mcp command and requires macOS with a Pro or Max plan.
Read this update in detail →OpenAI launches usage-based Codex seats for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise
OpenAI has introduced Codex-only seats on ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans with usage-based pricing billed on token consumption: removing the requirement for a fixed monthly seat cost to access Codex. To encourage adoption, OpenAI is offering $100 in credits for every Codex-only seat added, capped at $500 per workspace for eligible Business accounts.
Read this update in detail →Chrome DevTools now explains Google Ads disapprovals and console errors with Gemini AI
Thomas Eccel has highlighted that Google Chrome DevTools now includes built-in Gemini AI features accessible via Settings → AI Innovations. The tooling includes an "Understand this error" button that breaks down console errors in plain language, AI-generated explanations for failed requests and warnings, code suggestions inside the Sources panel, and AI assistance for CSS styles, network requests, and performance issues.
Read this update in detail →Frederick Vallaeys publishes The AI-Amplified Marketer
Frederick Vallaeys: Google's first AdWords Evangelist and CEO of Optmyzr: has published The AI-Amplified Marketer: Digital Marketing in a GenAI World. The book is framed around closing the gap between AI hype and practical leverage for PPC practitioners, covering how to use generative AI as a force multiplier for existing expertise, how to build AI-powered workflows without a technical background, and how to maintain control as platforms become more automated.
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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