Instacart today became the first retail media network to integrate directly with TikTok Ads Manager. This will allow CPG advertisers to use Instacart’s first-party retail data to target audiences, measure conversions, and drive shoppable experiences – all without leaving TikTok’s platform. The integration marks a major step in the convergence of retail media and social […]

Microsoft is officially winding down its DSP, Microsoft Invest, and naming Amazon DSP as its preferred transition partner – a move that deepens ties between the two tech giants and reshapes Microsoft’s advertising strategy. Starting Feb. 28, 2026, Microsoft will sunset Microsoft Invest as it shifts focus to its core advertising products: Microsoft Advertising Platform, […]

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into more than a chatbot. The company’s latest update lets users access third-party apps (e.g., Spotify, Canva, Zillow, Expedia) directly inside conversations. Why we care. This shift could make ChatGPT a high-intent marketing channel, reaching 800 million users where they’re already engaging – in chat. How it works. Users can call […]

U.S. consumers are expected to spend a record $253.4 billion online this holiday season, according to Adobe’s annual shopping forecast. That’s a 5.3% year-over-year increase covering the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. Adobe’s analysis, based on over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites and 100 million SKUs across 18 categories, suggests that […]

Meta will stop running all political, electoral, and social issue ads across the European Union starting this week, citing the region’s new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulations that take effect Oct. 10. The details. The law requires platforms to gain explicit, separate consent from each user to use their data for political […]

PPC is getting tougher – and it’s not just because of competition. Click-through rates are falling, costs are rising, and once-steady campaigns are harder to keep profitable. The real shift is structural. Zero-click searches are changing how paid search works. How search moved beyond the blue links For years, PPC operated in the “blue link […]

Google is overhauling its ad blocking controls in AdSense and Ad Manager, replacing the “Ad networks” option with a new “Authorized Buyers” control starting Nov. 6. This move seems designed to give publishers more transparency and control over who can bid on their inventory. The change modernizes Google’s brand safety tools to reflect the current […]

Just 11% of U.S. consumers trust the first tool they use when searching online. That means nearly 9 in 10 Americans double-check or expand their search elsewhere “because they don’t trust the first answer,” according to new survey results from digital presence platform Yext. By the numbers. Discovery is fragmented: Traditional search still leads – […]

Join search expert Will Scott online today – October 7 – from 11:00am – 4:45pm ET for his 5-star Generative Engine Optimization Master Class, part of a series of tactic-rich workshops we’re running this October! Together, you will cover: The fundamentals of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Content optimization strategies for AI platforms Keyword evolution and […]