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And the caution isn’t confined to large language models or flashy generative tools. It bubbles up just as clearly in decisions about agentic workflows.

Dick's Sporting Goods is boosting its creator roster as it looks to play a bigger role in culture, events and social-media trends.

Across industries, marketing teams are navigating a brutal equation: shrinking budgets, leaner teams and rising performance pressure. In this environment, platforms like Meta and Google dominate the ecosystem. Their unrivaled scale and AI-powered technology make them safe bets for marketing and user acquisition. But as these leaders push further into automation, they’ve reduced the manual […] The post Why Smart Marketers Look Beyond The Leading Platforms To Deliver Outcomes appeared first on AdExchanger.

Amid a federal immigration crackdown that’s produced widespread allegations of law enforcement misconduct and resulted in the high-profile deaths of two US citizens, the state of a local news publisher’s advertising business can seem inconsequential.  But the Minnesota Star Tribune has to deal with how its duty to keep the public informed impacts its monetization […] The post How The Minnesota Star Tribune Protects Advertisers While Covering ICE Crackdowns appeared first on AdExchanger.

Perplexity AI announced the launch of its new advertising platform that allows publishers to monetize content through AI-generated answers. The platform introduces sponsored follow-up questions and contextual ads within AI responses, marking a significant shift in how AI search engines approach advertising.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has launched a formal investigation into Google's dominance in the ad tech supply chain. The probe focuses on potential anti-competitive practices in display advertising and could result in significant regulatory action.

Walmart's advertising business, Walmart Connect, has exceeded $4 billion in annual revenue, growing 30% year-over-year. The retail media network has expanded its off-site advertising capabilities and introduced new measurement tools for advertisers.

TikTok has launched Smart Performance Campaign, an AI-powered advertising product similar to Google's Performance Max that automates creative, targeting, and bidding. The product aims to simplify campaign management for small and medium-sized businesses.

Adobe has acquired video collaboration platform Frame.io for $1.3 billion to strengthen its creative workflow tools. The acquisition will enable better collaboration for creative teams producing advertising content and integrate with Adobe's existing ad tech partnerships.

Instacart's advertising platform has grown to 8,000 active advertisers, up from 6,000 in 2024. The company has expanded its shoppable video ads and introduced new attribution capabilities that link ad exposure to in-store and online purchases.

Microsoft Advertising has introduced an AI-powered Campaign Builder that creates complete search campaigns from a single URL or business description. The tool generates ad copy, keywords, and audience targeting recommendations using large language models.

The European Data Protection Board has released comprehensive guidelines clarifying how targeted advertising must comply with GDPR requirements. The guidelines address consent mechanisms, legitimate interest claims, and data minimization principles for ad tech companies.

Snap has announced a partnership with Amazon that allows Snapchat users to purchase products directly within the app through Amazon integration. The partnership introduces new ad formats that enable seamless shopping experiences without leaving Snapchat.

Walmart Connect launched a new self-service creative studio allowing advertisers to build display and video ads directly within the platform. The tool uses AI to help brands create on-brand creative assets optimized for Walmart's retail media network without requiring external agency support.

Snapchat introduced new augmented reality shopping ad formats that allow users to virtually try on makeup, eyewear, and accessories before purchasing. Early partners include L'Oréal, Warby Parker, and Sephora, with the ads driving 3x higher conversion rates than standard product ads.

Adobe completed its acquisition of Frame.io's parent company to enhance its creative collaboration capabilities for advertising and marketing teams. The deal integrates video review and approval workflows directly into Adobe's Creative Cloud, streamlining the ad production process for agencies and brands.

TikTok launched Smart Performance Campaigns, an automated campaign type similar to Google's Performance Max that uses machine learning to optimize ad creative, targeting, and bidding across TikTok's inventory. Beta tests show 40% improvement in cost-per-acquisition for e-commerce advertisers.

Instacart's advertising business crossed $1 billion in annual revenue, making it one of the fastest-growing retail media networks. The company reported that 90% of CPG brands on its platform now use its advertising products, with particular strength in sponsored product placements.

A coalition of European publishers filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging Amazon uses its dominant position to favor its own advertising services and disadvantage third-party ad tech providers. The complaint focuses on Amazon's control of both the supply and demand sides of advertising on its platform.

Roku introduced interactive shoppable ad units that allow viewers to purchase products directly through their TV remote with saved payment information. The company partnered with Shopify to enable seamless checkout, with initial advertisers including Nike, Wayfair, and Home Depot reporting conversion rates 5x higher than QR code-based approaches.

Microsoft Advertising launched native ChatGPT integration that automatically generates search ad copy, headlines, and descriptions based on landing page content and campaign objectives. The feature is available to all Microsoft Advertising customers and includes brand voice customization and A/B testing recommendations.

Mediaocean announced the acquisition of ad serving and creative technology company Flashtalking for an undisclosed sum. The deal combines Mediaocean's media buying and financial reconciliation systems with Flashtalking's creative personalization and measurement capabilities, creating an end-to-end advertising workflow platform serving over 3,000 advertisers.

Google is adding hover link pop-ups on desktop in AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus more prominent link icons within responses across desktop and mobile. The post Google Says Links Will Be More Visible In AI Overviews appeared first on Search Engine Journal.