Brrrringing You Ice, Cold January Media Updates
Welcome to the fifth edition of our ad ops-themed newsletter! The holiday season may be behind us, but the digital advertising world is still serving up frosty headlines to kick off the new year. From TikTok skating on thin ice with potential bans to Meta giving fact-checking the cold shoulder, and Google Search Max casting a long winter shadow over ad strategies, there’s plenty to thaw out in this chilly start to 2025. So let’s break the ice on this month’s biggest ad ops updates!
In the News
TikTok Ban Updates
A couple of weeks ago, TikTok faced a significant development as President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting the app a 75-day reprieve from a nationwide ban. The executive order proposes that the U.S. government should own half of TikTok's U.S. business, though specifics remain unclear. Despite the extension, TikTok remains unavailable for new downloads on U.S. app stores, as companies like Apple and Google await further legal clarity. Potential buyers, including Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, have been mentioned, but no definitive agreements have been reached. Advertisers should keep a close eye on the situation and prepare for a future without TikTok.
Google Ads Alert: Concerns Over Broad Match Auto-Toggle Feature
Some advertisers are expressing concern after noticing Google has automatically changed their Exact or Phrase match keywords to Broad match after moving to a conversion-based bid strategy. Of course, a change to Broad Match could unknowingly and drastically alter campaign targeting, leading to spikes in irrelevant clicks and increased costs.
After posting their dismay online, one advertiser received a reply from a Google Ads Liaison who insisted this was not an expected behavior within the platform. That said, advertisers should be extra attentive to their campaigns when making a switch to a conversion-based bid strategy. Be sure to audit your match types and revert any unintended changes to Broad match.
Unintended Broad match keywords could lead to a hampered ads strategy and wasted ad spend!
Tag Assistant Lives On!
Google recently walked back its decision to deprecate the popular Tag Assistant Chrome Extension following significant user pushback. Google has merged two versions of the extension —Tag Assistant Legacy and Tag Assistant Companion—into one, unified extension to simplify and streamline tag management and troubleshooting. With this updated extension, users can expect a simpler debugging process with reduced downtime and fewer compatibility issues.?
Meta Replaces Fact Checking with Community Notes
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg announced the company's decision to abandon fact-checking in favor of a community notes system, similar to the one used by X (formerly Twitter), which will depend on the platform’s users to correct misinformation. Zuckerberg also stated that the company is revising its content moderation policies on political topics and reversing earlier changes that had limited the presence of political content in user feeds.
The news has been met with mixed responses; at best, some predict uncertainty, while others are outright fearful of the potential for inaccurate information to spread rampant on the still-popular social media platform. Time will tell what the future of Meta content looks like.
Amazon Extends Advertising Opportunities to Third-Party Retailers
Amazon has announced a new product called Retail Ad Service, an offering that will allow other retailers to use Amazon’s ad tools to run sponsored ads on their own e-commerce sites. Among other things, retailers will have the ability to:
This opens up new opportunities for advertisers to engage highly relevant audiences across diverse retail settings while leveraging Amazon’s ad tech. At the same time, access to a broader range of data would be beneficial for Amazon's ad prediction and recommendation capabilities. Learn more at the links below!
What the #$@! to Do About Your TikTok Shop
As TikTok Shop faces a potential U.S. ban, brands and creators are urgently exploring alternative platforms to sustain engagement and sales. Diversifying across platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and emerging social commerce sites has become essential to reduce reliance on TikTok and ensure business continuity. Beyond social media, enhancing direct-to-consumer strategies, such as robust email marketing campaigns and personalized website experiences, allows brands to maintain more control over customer relationships and data. Industry experts emphasize the importance of preparing for regulatory shifts by staying adaptable and investing in platform-agnostic solutions. By balancing innovation with diversification, businesses can navigate the uncertainties of the evolving digital commerce landscape while protecting long-term growth opportunities.
Vendor Updates
Google Ads Search Max Could Be Coming Soon
Some advertisers have noticed a new match type option appear in their match type reports called “Smart Matching.” The new match type combines search term matching and URL optimization to maximize reach and generate more conversions for advertisers. The potential shift in the Paid Search landscape follows suite with Google’s shift towards automated solutions, like Performance Max.?
There’s very little information at this time and Google has yet to comment on the update, however, this is something advertisers need to prepare for potentially in the near future.
DV360 Updates to YouTube Target Frequency Line Items
DV360 will soon allow advertisers to optimize their YouTube target frequency line items to achieve a monthly frequency target between 4 and 8. Currently such line items allow advertisers to choose weekly target frequency of 2 to 4 only. Allowing a monthly target helps advertisers to maximize user-level brand awareness while minimizing over delivery and wastage.
Microsoft Bolsters Their Retail Media Offering with Two New Products
Microsoft Advertising has launched Curate for Commerce and Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB) to enhance retail media strategies. Curate for Commerce enables retailers to monetize first-party data via non-endemic advertising partnerships, while SPB simplifies campaign management across Microsoft Edge, Bing, and retail sites using a cost-per-sale model. These tools empower advertisers with precise targeting, streamlined operations, and reduced financial risk, positioning Microsoft as a leader in commerce media innovation.
Meta Rolls Out Phone Verification For Lead Ads
Meta has released an update to their lead ad forms in the hopes of reducing low-quality/spammy leads. The update will require users to fill out lead ad forms to verify their phone number before hitting submit. The goal is to filter out any spam or fake leads that advertisers and brands might deal with otherwise.
One thing Advertisers should be mindful of is volume. Users may be less inclined to take this extra step and may abandon the form, resulting in lower leads overall. Lower lead volume is something to consider especially when comparing data before and following this update. However, this change should result in better quality leads, which is the ultimate goal.
Media Tips & Tricks
How To Get The Best Results With Google Ads Automated Bidding
Automated bidding in Google Ads leverages machine learning to optimize bids for specific performance goals, such as maximizing conversions or return on ad spend (ROAS). This approach allows advertisers to set bids that align with their objectives without manual adjustments.?
To achieve the best results with automated bidding, it's essential to select the strategy that aligns with your campaign goals. For instance, the "Maximize Conversions" strategy focuses on increasing the number of conversions, while "Target ROAS" aims to achieve a specific return on ad spend. Additionally, pairing automated bidding with appropriate keyword match types can enhance performance. Broad match keywords, for example, perform significantly better with automated bidding strategies like "Maximize Conversions" because the system can automatically test various keyword variations to identify those with high conversion rates.
Live, laugh, launch campaigns.?
– Arm Candy Ad Ops Team