Paid Media News (Week 15)
Paid Media News (Week 15)
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.
PMax Asset Group Theming is now live for Mother's Day
Following the Easter rollout, Google's seasonal Asset Group Theming is now live for Mother's Day. The feature duplicates an existing asset group, applies AI-generated themed images and updated copy, and leaves the original asset group untouched: all changes require approval before publication.
Read this update in detail →"Copy and edit with AI" beta button appears in PMax asset groups
Thomas Eccel has spotted a new Beta button in Performance Max asset groups labelled "Copy and edit with AI." The feature duplicates an entire asset group in one click and connects to Google's creative editing tools: Nano Banana 2 for image generation and editing, and Veo 3 for video variations: allowing AI-remixed creative variants to be produced without leaving the Google Ads interface.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads removes the "No Conversion Value" option from the conversion setup
Natasha Kaurra has identified that the "Do not assign a value" option has been removed from the Google Ads conversion setup flow. Advertisers must now choose either a fixed value per conversion or dynamic values.
Read this update in detail →Consent Mode card added to Conversion Summary Diagnostics
Thomas Eccel has flagged a new dedicated Consent Mode card in the Conversion Summary Diagnostics tab (Goals → Conversions → Summary → Diagnostics), sitting alongside the Enhanced Conversions overview. The card shows whether web Consent Mode is rated Excellent, Good, or Needs Attention, with a "View details" link to inspect modelling uplift and domain-by-country breakdowns.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads Text Guidelines are now copyable across campaigns
Arpan Banerjee has spotted that Text Guidelines (Beta): the brand rule system constraining AI-generated ad copy: can now be copied from an existing campaign to a new one in a single click, enabling consistent brand tone and messaging rules to be applied across an account without manual re-entry.
Read this update in detail →Recommendations "Results" tab shows the incremental impact of applied suggestions
Arpan Banerjee and Thomas Eccel have both identified a new Results tab inside Google Ads Recommendations, showing the actual incremental impact of bid and budget recommendations that have already been applied: enabling advertisers to see whether Google's suggestions moved metrics in the stated direction rather than acting on blind faith.
Read this update in detail →Merchant API coming to Google Ads Scripts on April 22
The Merchant API will be available as an Advanced API in the Google Ads Scripts editor from April 22, 2026. The API is modular: sub-APIs cover Product Studio, Reviews, Notifications, and expanded data-source management, including supplemental, local, regional, and promotional data.
Read this update in detail →Data Manager API gets dedicated Discord channels
Google has added dedicated channels for the Data Manager API to its Google Advertising and Measurement Community Discord server: #data-manager-api for questions and feedback, and #announce-data-manager-api for product news. Google's Developer Relations team will be actively present on both channels.
Read this update in detail →Google Ad Grants ads stop serving on Google Maps after February 3
Jason King has flagged that Google Ad Grants campaigns stopped serving ads on Google Maps after February 3, 2026, with no official explanation from Google to date. The issue affects all Ad Grants accounts running map-based placements.
Read this update in detail →Google Shopping image overlays are now being approved, with CTR uplifts observed
Ruben Runneboom has reported that Shopping image overlays: long prohibited under Google's product image policies: are now being approved and serving without issue across multiple ecommerce accounts. His colleague tested overlays extensively after noticing they no longer triggered disapprovals and observed strong CTR uplifts on images with subtle additional contrast, context, or urgency.
Read this update in detail →MCC phishing scam wave targets agency Google Ads accounts
Jeremy Young has flagged a growing wave of phishing attacks targeting agency Google Ads Manager accounts. The scam involves fraudulent audit invites followed by a phishing email mimicking a read-only MCC access invite.
Read this update in detail →Google product ratings now appearing on YouTube Shorts
Arpan Banerjee has spotted Google product rating annotations surfacing directly on YouTube Shorts placements. The star rating overlay brings Shopping-style social proof to the Shorts format, providing products with an additional trust signal when a viewer engages with a short-form video ad.
Read this update in detail →Healthcare & Medicines Policy updated to permit certified online pharmacies in India.
Google will update its Healthcare and Medicines policy in April 2026 to allow certified online pharmacies to promote prescription drug services in India. Advertisers need LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification and must apply directly to Google when the policy takes effect.
Read this update in detail →Gambling & Games: Australia resumes certification applications on April 21
Google will resume certification applications for online gambling advertisers targeting Australia on April 21, 2026, after a pause since August 2025. The update follows Google's March 2026 eligibility changes, which impose stricter account and domain verification standards.
Read this update in detail →Apple Ads' second position data surfaces in Insights, but reporting gaps frustrate practitioners
David Vargas has reported that two weeks after Apple Ads' second-position ad placement launched, the Insights section shows impression share only for the first position, not for all positions combined, with no visibility into second-position appearances or direct performance. Vargas's own data shows that only one keyword gained +10% in impression share from the second placement, with CPA there ($9.41) higher than in the first position ($5.50).
Read this update in detail →Enhanced conversions for web and leads to merge into a single on/off switch from June 2026
Google has announced that enhanced conversions for web and enhanced conversions for leads will be combined into a single feature with a unified on/off toggle, effective June 2026. From April 2026, Google Ads will simultaneously accept user-provided data from website tags, the Data Manager, and API connections: removing the requirement to choose a single implementation method.
Read this update in detail →Meta releases updated official Pixel template for GTM with GA4 dataLayer support
Bram Van der Hallen has flagged that Meta has published an updated version of its official GTM Pixel template: the new version adds native support for the GA4 dataLayer, mapping ecommerce events (Purchase, AddToCart, ViewContent, InitiateCheckout) automatically without duplicate tagging. The update is available as a template update notification in GTM.
Read this update in detail →Looker Studio has been renamed back to Data Studio
Google Cloud has confirmed that Looker Studio will revert to its original name, Data Studio, and will feature a new logo with two connected magnifying glasses. Mehdi Oudjida: a long-standing product advocate: published a detailed response noting that the rename appears to reflect a repositioning of the product's scope relative to Looker and expressing concern that it may signal reduced ambition for the tool's evolution.
Read this update in detail →Looker Self-Service Explores and Visualisation Assistant reach general availability
Sean Zinsmeister has announced that Looker's Self-Service Explores with visual-based modelling and automated LookML generation is now generally available, alongside the Visualisation Assistant (also GA), which uses Gemini to configure charts via natural language. An Expressions Assistant for writing custom calculations is in preview.
Read this update in detail →Microsoft Clarity adds conversion impact tab to heatmaps
Microsoft Clarity has released a Conversion tab in its heatmaps tool, showing the percentage of sessions that converted after interacting with a specific element or section on a page. Previously, heatmaps showed attention and click data but provided no direct link to conversion outcome: making it impossible to determine whether a specific component was contributing to or suppressing sales.
Read this update in detail →BigQuery Graph capabilities launch in Preview, enabling GQL queries without ETL
Axel Thevenot has flagged that Google Cloud has launched BigQuery Graph capabilities in Preview, enabling Graph Query Language (GQL) to be used directly within BigQuery on existing tables with no ETL required. SQL and GQL can be mixed in the same workflow, built-in graph visualisation is included, and the feature is optimised for large-scale analytical queries.
Read this update in detail →The GTM Export Session feature enables shareable debugging files
Jawad Ahmed has highlighted the Export Session feature in Google Tag Manager's Preview mode, which downloads a full debugging session as a JSON file containing Data Layer events, tag firing status, variables, and consent state: enabling reproducible debugging sessions to be shared without requiring live account access.
Read this update in detail →Meta Ads: Threads dynamic URL parameters, Live video ads, WhatsApp Channel Follows metrics, and catalogue image touch-ups
Bram Van der Hallen has identified four new Meta Ads updates.
Read this update in detail →Meta AI can generate an instant form from an existing website lead form
Emirhan Bayutmuş has identified that when creating a Lead campaign in Meta Ads Manager, Meta AI can now read an existing website lead form and automatically generate a corresponding Meta instant form that mirrors its fields and structure.
Read this update in detail →Make becomes an official Meta CAPI partner, free until March 2028
Matias Axel Ramayo has flagged that Make has joined Meta as an official Conversions API partner alongside Zapier. The integration connects CRM data to CAPI via a new contact-creation trigger, available free until March 2028.
Read this update in detail →Amazon shifts ad billing to deduct from retail proceeds starting April 15
Vanessa Hung has flagged that Amazon has begun notifying a subset of seller accounts that, as of April 15, 2026, advertising costs will be automatically deducted from retail proceeds, with the backup payment method charged if proceeds are insufficient. No official public announcement accompanied the email rollout.
Read this update in detail →Amazon Rufus Auto Buy turns discount history into stored purchase intent
Vanessa Hung has published an analysis of how Amazon's Rufus Auto Buy: live for all US Prime members since November 2025: changes the strategic implications of promotional pricing. Auto Buy lets shoppers set a price target; Rufus checks every 30 minutes and executes automatically when the price hits that number.
Read this update in detail →Amazon SIPP programme extends to MCF and Buy with Prime, removing overbox by default
From April 1, 2026, Amazon aligned Multi-Channel Fulfilment and Buy with Prime packaging with standard FBA: ASINs certified under the SIPP programme now ship without an Amazon overbox by default, and SIPP-certified MCF and Buy with Prime shipments receive a discount. Packing slips are also no longer included by default.
Read this update in detail →Amazon launches "Discover Unmet Demand" in Product Opportunity Explorer
Hadia Arif has identified a new feature in Amazon's Product Opportunity Explorer called "Discover Unmet Demand." Rather than tracking individual keywords, the feature clusters similar customer search terms and shows where conversion falls below the benchmark for a given product type and price range: with the benchmark specific to category and price point, making the signal reliable rather than noise from single-keyword spikes.
Read this update in detail →Amazon tests AI-generated product summary on the PDP
Prem Gupta has identified that Amazon is testing an AI-generated product summary appearing below the listing on the product detail page, automatically generated from existing listing content, including title, bullet points, description, and structured attributes.
Read this update in detail →Amazon launches Customer Service Insights dashboard in beta for seller-fulfilled orders
Prem Gupta has described a new Customer Service Insights dashboard in Seller Central, currently in beta for seller-fulfilled orders, covering three metrics benchmarked against average and top-performing sellers: Buyer Contact Rate, Average Contact Response Time, and Buyer Dissatisfaction Rate. The dashboard is integrated with Feedback Manager and is currently informational rather than directly impacting account health.
Read this update in detail →Amazon rolls out 1-hour and 2-hour delivery to 2,000 US cities
Eric Pong has reported that Amazon has expanded 1-hour and 2-hour delivery to 2,000 cities across the US. Pong frames the development as a structural rewiring of ecommerce logistics: the network operates entirely outside the traditional 3PL/fulfilment industry, and as same-day delivery becomes the baseline expectation for Prime members, the competitive threshold for non-Amazon fulfilment continues to rise.
Read this update in detail →ChatGPT's browsable product catalog now permanent at the bottom of every shopping conversation
Juozas Kaziukėnas has reported that ChatGPT's browsable product catalogue: a block of four products with a "Browse All" expansion button: is now appearing at the bottom of all shopping conversations. Kaziukėnas draws a direct parallel to Amazon's "Frequently bought together" section, noting that those slots are now entirely sponsored products, and raises the question of how long ChatGPT will hold off from monetising this placement as it scales ad revenue.
Read this update in detail →JD Group completes its first month in Europe
Mike Ryan has published a month-one analysis of JD Group's European entry: available at Smarter Ecommerce: examining how the Chinese retail giant has positioned itself across European markets and what its early presence signals for competitive dynamics in Google Shopping auctions.
Read this update in detail →Criteo €40M GDPR fine confirmed by French Conseil d'État
David Pombar Lourido has flagged that the €40 million GDPR fine against Criteo has been confirmed by the French Conseil d'État: the highest administrative court in France: making it final and no longer subject to appeal. The fine reflects data collected and used without a proper legal basis across thousands of marketing stacks where Criteo is deeply embedded.
Read this update in detail →Greece bans social media for under-15s, effective January 2027
Luiza Jarovsky has reported that Greece has announced it will ban social media access for users under 15, effective January 2027, following Australia's under-16 ban. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cited rising anxiety, sleep disruption, and addictive platform design as the primary drivers, and explicitly stated Greece intends to push the EU to adopt a similar framework across member states.
Read this update in detail →Google quietly opens up AdSpace Agent, connecting the full Google ad stack
Benjamin W. has flagged that the Google Marketing Solutions team has published AdSpace Agent as an open-source agentic marketing assistant on GitHub. The agent connects to Google Ads (via GAQL), DV360, Campaign Manager 360, YouTube, Merchant Centre, BigQuery, and Search Ads 360, with proper OAuth flows and a modular toolset architecture.
Read this update in detail →Claude Managed Agents launches in public beta on the Claude Platform
Anthropic has launched Claude Managed Agents in public beta, providing a suite of composable APIs for building and deploying production agents at scale. The announcement addresses the infrastructure overhead that has historically slowed agent deployment: state management, permissioning, and agent loop reworking with each model upgrade are handled by Anthropic's infrastructure, with the stated goal of reducing time from prototype to production to days rather than months.
Read this update in detail →Claude adds Microsoft 365 connectors across all plans
Anthropic has launched Microsoft 365 connectors across all Claude plans, enabling users to connect Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint directly to Claude conversations, bringing email, documents, and files into context without manual attachment.
Read this update in detail →Claude Managed Agents launch in Notion in private alpha
Anthropic has announced that Claude Managed Agents are now available inside Notion in private alpha. Claude picks up tasks from a team board, pulls context from PRDs and connected documents, completes work, and surfaces outputs for human review and approval: all inside Notion's interface.
Read this update in detail →Claude for Word launches in beta with tracked changes and cross-app context
Anthropic has launched Claude for Word in beta for Team and Enterprise plans, integrating Claude directly into the Word sidebar. Edits appear as tracked changes for human review rather than overwriting content directly.
Read this update in detail →Shopify AI Toolkit connects Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and Codex directly to Shopify stores
Awais Nabi has reported that Shopify has launched the Shopify AI Toolkit, which connects AI agents: including Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, VS Code, and OpenAI Codex: directly to a merchant's store via a 2-minute installation. The toolkit enables natural-language instructions to execute store changes: product description updates, conversion funnel analysis, pricing adjustments, inventory management, and collection restructuring: through the agent rather than the admin interface.
Read this update in detail →Austin Lau (Anthropic) builds a Google Ads MCP management system using Claude Cowork
Austin Lau, a performance marketing PM at Anthropic, has published a detailed account of building a custom Claude Cowork plugin to manage Google Ads via local MCP: encoding his personal search-term review methodology as a reusable skill that connects to the Google Ads API. The plugin outputs a bulk-upload-ready CSV for Google Ads Editor with a reasoning column for each negative keyword recommendation.
Read this update in detail →Ginny Marvin: Ads Decoded on feed optimisation for agentic commerce
Ginny Marvin has published a new edition of the Ads Decoded newsletter, focused on Google Merchant Centre data quality as the foundation for modern retail campaigns. It covers feed enrichment for AI Mode and conversational shopping, shoppable ad enablement in Demand Gen and PMax, advanced measurement, and practical agentic commerce-readiness steps.
Read this update in detail →UCP Merchant Centre onboarding guide published
Google has published the official onboarding guide for the Universal Commerce Protocol in Merchant Centre. UCP enables a native checkout button on eligible product listings in AI Mode and on Gemini.
Read this update in detail →Google launches Advertising and Measurement Developers Hub
Google has launched a unified hub at developers.google.com/ads that consolidates documentation, community resources, and developer tools across the full Google advertising and measurement product stack: including the Google Ads API, Analytics APIs, AdMob, Ad Manager, and tagging products. The hub introduces a products directory browsable by category, a streamlined Discord and support connect page, and a media and podcast section hosting the Ads DevCast playlist.
Read this update in detail →Google Search Central: median mobile homepage now 2.3MB: triple its 2015 size
Google Search Central has flagged that the median mobile homepage has reached 2.3MB: three times its 2015 size. A new podcast episode covers HTML bloat and its implications for the 2MB Googlebot fetch limit, identifying hidden bloat sources including JSON-LD and inline SVGs, and noting that faster networks do not resolve the processing overhead large pages impose on crawling and rendering.
Read this update in detail →IAB measurement survey: MMM at 61%, ghost bids at 46%, MTA declining to 40%
Luca Fiaschi has published an analysis of a recent IAB measurement survey: MMM at 61%, ghost bids at 46%, multi-touch attribution at 40%, geo-tests at 26%, with only 4% using nothing. The numbers exceed 100% because brands are stacking methods by necessity.
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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