Paid Media News & Opinion #116
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Today’s highlights:
?? YouTube revamp mid-roll ad placement
???Google announces enhanced AI-powered clothing and beauty shopping features
?? Google tests channel reporting for Performance Max campaigns
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YouTube revamps mid-roll ad placement
>?What’s happening
YouTube is updating how mid-roll ads are placed in videos, aiming to enhance the viewer experience while increasing creator revenue. Starting May 12, ads will be positioned more naturally at transitions and pauses.
Creators will still be able to manually insert ad breaks, or allow YouTube to auto-place them. The new system will refine automatic ad detection, prioritizing natural breakpoints while allowing a mix of manual and automatic placements.
YouTube’s algorithm may override manual ad placements if it identifies a better spot, and a new feature will flag "interruptive" manual ad slots, enabling creators to adjust them for a smoother experience.
>?Why we care
YouTube is doubling down on automated ad detection, encouraging creators to embrace auto-placement for a more seamless experience, and potentially higher revenue.
This update aims to reduce viewer drop-offs by preventing ads from interrupting sentences or key action moments. Mid-rolls can frustrate viewers or see them as an annoying interruption to their content, with click-through rates lower than post-roll ads, so improvements in placement could benefit creators, users, and advertisers.
Since it's an additional setting rather than a replacement, creators should test and adjust their approach to find what works best for their content and audience.
Google announces enhanced AI-powered clothing and beauty shopping features
>?What’s happening
Google has introduced and enhanced new AI-driven features to improve the online shopping experience for fashion and beauty products. Users are now able to describe the clothing items they’re looking for, with AI generating visual suggestions through the "vision match" feature.
Additionally, the platform offers virtual makeup try-ons using augmented reality and has expanded virtual clothing try-ons to include trousers and skirts from various brands, viewable on diverse body types.
>?Why we care
These updates aim to make online shopping more interactive and personalized, assisting consumers in making confident purchase decisions. The hope is that this will indirectly impact the performance of Google Shopping campaigns, as a stronger shopping experience with a personal touch could improve click-through rate and ultimately conversion rate, which is beneficial to advertisers.
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Google tests channel reporting for Performance Max campaigns
>?What’s happening
Google is reportedly testing channel reporting functionality for Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, potentially addressing long-standing advertiser concerns about the platform's "black box" nature.
Kirk Williams, Founder of Zato, highlighted documentation referencing channel reporting for Performance Max, with a Google Search Lead tagged in the discussion on X. Additionally, a screenshot from the Google Think event in Amsterdam, shared by Arjan Schoorl on LinkedIn, appeared to show channel-specific performance breakdowns.
Google has yet to comment on the potential rollout, suggesting the feature may still be in testing. There is speculation that Google might be exploring this functionality to reassure advertisers concerned about non-Shopping traffic allocation.
>?Why we care
Since its launch in 2021, PMax has faced criticism for consolidating multiple Google channels without providing advertisers with visibility into individual channel performance. If Google moves forward with this reporting feature, it could offer greater transparency, allowing advertisers to optimize budgets more effectively.
If widely implemented, channel reporting would represent a significant shift in Google’s approach, offering advertisers deeper insights into budget distribution across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and other Google properties.
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What else we've been talking about:
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