At Cannes Lions 2025, YouTube announced open call within YouTube BrandConnect, allowing brands to discover and partner with creators at scale via the Creator Partnerships Hub. Brands publish a creative brief, and creators in the YouTube Partner Program proactively submit video content. Brands review, approve, and promote these videos as partnership ads, measuring results.
This empowers creators of all sizes to connect with brands, leveraging creator relevance and trust to enhance social strategy. Open call is currently available for select advertisers, with more details coming soon.
Meta launches AI-powered creator discovery and content recommendations for Instagram's Creator Marketplace. Key updates include AI-driven suggestions for top-performing branded content in Ads Manager's Partnership Ads Hub, improved creator matching via affinity-based recommendations and keyword search, and new insights like playable Reels, email contact, partnership badges, and active ad visibility. These tools aim to simplify creator partnerships, enhance ad performance, and drive sales, with 53% of consumers more likely to purchase after creator promotion on Reels and US influencer spend projected over $10B by 2025.
Meta is testing Reels trending ads, allowing brands to run ads after popular creator Reels with brand safety controls. New tools like Trends in Creator Marketplace and a Discovery API help businesses find real-time cultural insights and scale creator partnerships. Ad formats expand with partnership ads featuring one header partner, Facebook Live Partnership ads, and Threads video ads. Video Expansion on Facebook Reels uses AI to optimize video aspect ratios for better performance.
Web-to-app strategies boost conversions by 77% and achieve 13.6% average paying user rate. Brands like adidas saw 2.4x higher ROAS from deep-linked users, while AirAsia improved bookings by 19%. Key challenges include measurement gaps, siloed teams, and onboarding friction. Solutions involve Google Ads Web-to-App Install and Web to App Connect with AppsFlyer Smart Banners and deep linking. Actionable steps: set tracking, import conversions, activate smart bidding, and deep link users.
TikTok's Branded Buzz and Search Hubs enable brands to turn passive discovery into active exploration. Branded Buzz leverages creator content for massive organic reach, while Search Hubs capture high-intent search demand with customizable brand destinations. Keyword Amplifier bridges awareness and search engagement. L'Oréal's campaign achieved 7.5x more organic views, 2.9x uplift in search volume, and 1.9x benchmark for keyword-amplified searches. For ad ops, this bundle drives scalable, measurable mid-funnel performance.
TikTok and System1 research shows creative fatigue diminishes ad effectiveness, but entertaining, emotionally-driven content sustains impact. Key insights: first impressions define success; joy/humor reduce fatigue; early branding boosts recognition and happiness. Creativity outperforms frequency—50% of campaign success relies on creative quality. Brands should iterate core concepts, use early branding, and prioritize emotion to achieve 1.7x higher recall and 2.9x higher association lift. TikTok's tools (TikTok One, Symphony) help scale creative production efficiently.
LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are reshaping mobile app discovery, with traditional search volume expected to decline 25% by 2026. These AI platforms act as answer engines, delivering direct app recommendations to users. For ad ops, this shift requires optimizing for LLM visibility through structured content and reputation management. While native ad formats are in early testing on platforms like Perplexity and Gemini, early adoption can secure high-intent placements. Marketers should track AI-driven traffic and align discovery strategies across ASO, SEO, and LLMs to stay competitive in an AI-first environment.
Messaging Ads on TikTok enable real-time conversations between businesses and customers via Direct Message or third-party apps like WhatsApp and Messenger. Benefits include shorter conversion paths, immediate lead qualification, and enhanced customer experience. Best practices include using Smart+ automation, replying within three minutes, and aligning creative with CTAs. Key results show up to 67% lower cost per conversation and conversion rates up to 22.5%. Available in select markets, these ads help drive measurable business outcomes.
TikTok Market Scope is a full-funnel analytics tool integrating paid, organic, and branded data to map audience journeys from awareness to conversion. Key updates include dual-funnel views for TikTok Shop and web, upgraded Brand Perception with tentpole planning, and IP-level insights for theatrical brands. Data shows consideration audiences drive 1.8x more store visits, 1.5x higher sales response, and 4.2x higher incremental sales than awareness audiences. Actionable for ad ops: leverage Brand Consideration ads to scale mid-funnel audiences and use audience tags for precision targeting.
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Google is testing new AI-powered ad formats in Search using Gemini models. Conversational Discovery ads answer specific ...