I recently came across OpenAI’s testing of a new ChatGPT Ads Manager interface, which heralds a promising shift towards a more scalable and self-directed advertising platform.
Advertisers are buzzing about their experiences with the new Ads Manager interface for ChatGPT. It’s a leap forward, offering a mature advertising platform where we can manage campaigns in real time. This is a significant improvement over what we’ve had so far in terms of reporting and controls, as shared by digital marketers Juozas Kaziukėnas and Glenn Gabe through their detailed images.
What’s New: The Ads Manager is essentially a dashboard that allows me to run, monitor, and optimize campaigns in real-time—a significant advancement from the limited reporting we’ve seen previously. Juozas Kaziukėnas and Glenn Gabe shared some fascinating insights through images of this evolving interface.
Why It Matters: Up to now, ChatGPT ads have been in the nascent stages, with advertisers relying on basic tools like weekly CSV reports. The introduction of a comprehensive Ads Manager indicates OpenAI’s efforts to construct an infrastructure analogous to what we see in platforms like Google Ads or Meta.
Zoom In: I’m noticing more ads popping up inside ChatGPT, with brands such as Best Buy and Expedia being visible in early tests. The increase in ad inventory, combined with a sophisticated management interface, suggests a swift expansion in monetization endeavors.
What to Watch: As the Ads Manager continues to evolve, I’m looking forward to more refined targeting, reporting, and automation features. Initial feedback indicates there’s still room for growth here, especially concerning ChatGPT ads.
First Seen: Glenn Gabe was among the first to share glimpses of the ChatGPT ads manager interface on X.
For years, I’ve been told to stick to a set of guidelines: always use top-notch creatives, maintain a polished brand, follow scripts, and adhere to platform-recommended formats.
Lately, while navigating ad accounts or simply scrolling through feeds, I’ve noticed something intriguing. The ads that grab my attention often defy these rules. They’re less polished, scrappier, and sometimes referred to as ‘ugly ads.’ What’s fascinating is that they’re outperforming the traditional, polished ones.
More brands are deliberately breaking so-called best practices to stand out. It’s important to remember that these practices represent an average of what worked for others in the past. By the time a strategy becomes a platform-recommended rule, it might have already lost its edge.
This is why defying best practices can lead to success — but only if you understand the reasons behind them.
Why Breaking Best Practices Enhances Ad Performance
Before diving into what to change, it’s crucial to understand the rationale behind existing rules. Platforms like Meta and TikTok have dual objectives:
They aim for you to spend money on ads.
They want to keep users engaged on their platforms.
The best practices they promote are designed to ensure a seamless experience, encouraging ads to resemble others. The issue is that familiarity eventually breeds invisibility. When I adhere too closely to the rules, my ads risk blending into the background noise, overlooked by users.
Highly-produced ads often scream ‘this is an ad,’ prompting users to skip them before my message hits home. In contrast, when my ad resembles something a friend might share, users’ defenses remain down longer, potentially transforming a scroll into a conversion.
This is why many top-performing ads today don’t appear traditionally polished or on-brand. They break patterns instead. Consider:
Grainy phone footage.
Notes app screenshots.
Green-screened reactions or commentary videos.
Other lo-fi formats that outperform studio-quality creatives.
To implement this, I started intentionally reducing my production value and experimented with formats like point-of-view (POV) shots tailored to various personas.
Many brands have adopted guidelines that make them seem faceless and untouchable. They refrain from showing a messy office, an unpolished founder, or anything that challenges their corporate script. However, others are discarding that playbook, embracing founder-led ads that deviate from the polished executive version.
There’s a catch.
Breaking the rules works only when it’s genuine. I’ve learned that faking authenticity is easy to spot and can backfire. This was evident in a viral series of videos where McDonald’s CEO appeared to present a new burger, but his execution was criticized for being stiff and unconvincing.
As shown in a Dineline video, his performance appeared staged. Contrarily, Burger King’s president presented their burger with no hesitation, offering a genuine and relatable moment.
The distinction was evident: One was a product pitch, and the other felt authentic.
If my leadership doesn’t genuinely believe in the product, neither will my customers. Rule-breaking should allow us to be real, rather than simply appear unpolished.
You’ve probably encountered video hook best practices like ‘show the product in the first two seconds and state the value prop clearly.’ Sound familiar?
Imagine my ad starting with a screenshot of a negative comment, like one for a skincare product stating, ‘This probably smells like old socks, and does it even work?’ My ad would then show the founder confidently disproving this in an unscripted manner, applying the product.
Though this breaks the positive-association rule, it leverages viewers’ curiosity about digital conflicts. By the time they realize it’s an ad, they might already be engaged.
I learned not to abandon all polished assets just yet.
Rule-breaking is strategic, and often misunderstood when the ’80/20 rule’ is ignored.
Switching completely to shaky phone footage isn’t wise. Keeping 80% of the budget in traditional ads while using 20% for testing unconventional ones can be effective.
Next testing campaign, I plan to try:
The silent test: Running a silent ad with bold captions to stand out in a noisy feed.
The UI ghost: Using static images resembling platform notifications to pause scrolling.
The algorithmic trust fall: Disabling auto-optimizations in a campaign to test creative performance without constraints.
Don’t Follow the Rules; Understand Them
Best practices are a guide, not a strategy. To move beyond them, I do it systematically.
I start by questioning the rule’s existence, evaluating its current relevance, and testing its opposite in a structured manner. Comparing traditional and lo-fi approaches helps me understand user engagement better.
In an environment where brands play it safe, those who understand and strategically break the rules will capture attention and conversions. My goal is to learn faster than the competition, skipping guesswork.
I’ve discovered that Google has enhanced the Google Ads call campaign measurement with a new AI-qualified call leads feature. This upgrade focuses on boosting lead quality, moving beyond just measuring call length.
What’s new. Through machine learning, AI-qualified call leads analyze calls to determine if they represent valuable business opportunities. The system seamlessly integrates this data into bidding and reporting for improved results.
Zoom in. As an advertiser, I now receive AI-generated call summaries and tags, providing clearer visibility into each interaction. This transparency allows smart bidding to prioritize leads of higher value instead of relying solely on call duration.
Why I care. Call campaigns have traditionally depended on call duration to gauge value. With this update, I can shift the focus to actual lead quality, filtering out low-value interactions, including spam and robocalls. This change means better ROI, reduced wasted spend, and a clearer understanding of which calls really make a difference.
How it works. Recording calls is a default feature for most advertisers, allowing AI to evaluate call quality effectively. However, sectors like healthcare and financial services are exceptions. Advertisers, including myself, can adjust call length thresholds or opt to disable recording in account settings.
The fine print. Currently, this feature is available only for calls within the U.S. and Canada.
Ever since learning about Google’s latest update to its YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements, I’ve been intrigued by the clarification on election-related ads. This change, effective April 2026, doesn’t alter enforcement but provides much-needed transparency.
Why it matters. As someone navigating the complex landscape of YouTube and Discover ad placements, I understand how tightly regulated these spaces are. Historically, election ads have been surrounded by ambiguity. Now, the update helps clear up that confusion without imposing additional restrictions.
What’s new (and what’s not). It’s interesting to note that election ads are now clearly exempt from specific YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements. However, no changes in enforcement mean that if compliance was achieved before, there’s no need for advertisers to shift gears.
Why we care. With this update, I’ve noticed how Google aims to eliminate the haze surrounding election ads on YouTube and Discover. Although these ads don’t need to meet placement-specific requirements, adherence to Google Ads policies remains essential, offering clearer guidance and more predictable campaign launches.
Zoom in. For election ad campaigns, this exemption is beneficial since these ads aren’t required to comply with the targeted YouTube and Discover Feed ad guidelines. However, advertisers must pass the Election Ads verification within the ad’s targeted region.
Between the lines. It’s vital to recognize this as a documentation clarification rather than a policy change. Google is distinguishing between the unique requirements for YouTube and Discover ads and its overarching ads policy framework.
What advertisers should do. If you’re running political campaigns, it’s crucial to maintain your verification status and continue adhering to Google Ads policies. Despite the exemption, keeping up with regulations is necessary for a smooth advertising process.
Search advertising continued to lead the pack in 2025, although its growth took a slight dip as digital advertising landscape evolved. What really struck me was how U.S. search ad revenue soared to $114.2 billion.
Despite being the largest ad channel, growth slowed down a bit, indicating a shift towards exciting AI-driven ad formats. It’s fascinating to see how advertisers are reallocating budgets towards these new trends.
Throughout 2025, the digital advertising market in the U.S. climbed to a phenomenal $294.6 billion, even without major cyclical events like elections or the Olympics driving it. The final quarter alone brought in a whopping $85 billion.
When I delve into the growth figures, video, social, and programmatic formats emerged as the fastest-growing sectors. Digital video revenue jumped by an impressive 25.4%, reaching $78 billion, while social platforms saw a 32.6% increase to $117.7 billion.
The influence of AI is undeniably reshaping the advertising landscape. It’s not just a tool anymore; it’s transforming how we discover, purchase, and measure ads across various platforms.
What truly captured my attention is the concentration of market control. The top 10 players now hold 84.1% of the market share, leveraging AI and large-scale data to assert dominance.
For anyone involved in digital advertising, it’s crucial to adapt to these shifts. With search as a somewhat stable force, emerging formats like video and social offer more exciting opportunities backed by automation and AI.
The insights come from the IAB/PwC’s comprehensive study of U.S. internet advertising revenue, giving us a look into the future of digital marketing.
As I delve into the latest updates from Google, I discovered that they’ll be retiring Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) in favor of their newer AI Max toolset. This transition will begin in September, and it’s bound to impact those using DSA, automatically created assets (ACA), and campaign-level broad match settings.
It’s fascinating to learn that Google announced AI Max for Search campaigns will exit beta, with “hundreds of thousands” of advertisers already onboard globally. I find this shift intriguing as it hints at the increasing reliance on AI-powered tools in digital advertising.
Starting September, my eligible campaigns utilizing DSA, ACA, or broad match will automatically be migrated to AI Max. This means Google will no longer support the creation of new DSA campaigns through their various platforms.
Why does this matter to us? Embracing AI Max beforehand allows us better control over campaign settings. Google mentions this change could potentially lead to an average 7% improvement in conversions or conversion value while maintaining the same efficiency.
According to Google, AI Max offers more conversions or conversion value at a similar cost per acquisition (CPA) or return on ad spend (ROAS) for non-retail sectors. It achieves this by using comprehensive features like search term matching, text customization, and URL expansion.
A Brief History: DSA has been a valuable tool for capturing traffic beyond keyword-focused campaigns, thanks to its dynamic headline generation and landing page redirection. However, changes in consumer search behavior have prompted Google to innovate further.
AI Max aims to enhance search campaigns by integrating broad real-time intent data beyond traditional landing page signals. It’s designed to adapt to the increasingly complex search landscape we navigate today.
Understanding AI Max: This feature maximizes reach, personalizes ad content, and provides more control over brand, location, and text settings.
So, what should we do now? Google encourages us to make the switch before September to ensure smoother transitions and continuity in our campaigns.
Phase 1: Voluntary Upgrades is happening now. DSA users like me can leverage new tools to smoothly migrate campaign data and settings. Meanwhile, ACA and broad match users will find prompts nudging them toward AI Max.
Phase 2: Automatic Upgrades begins in September, converting dynamic ad groups in DSA campaigns to standard ones while preserving significant settings. ACA and broad match campaigns will migrate with essential features enabled by default.
The Bottom Line: Google’s move to make AI Max the standard signifies a shift towards AI-driven strategies. By acting now, I can test different settings and fine-tune results before the mandatory switch.
As I dive into the latest developments, it seems advertisers are preparing for a bold move to reclaim billions from Google through mass arbitration, sparked by illegal monopoly rulings against the tech giant.
Google’s current situation is quite precarious. Its legal troubles concerning its search and ad tech sectors have reached a turning point, potentially leading to massive payouts to advertisers who are seeking monetary compensation after U.S. courts found the company guilty of illegally monopolizing key digital ad markets.
Driving the news
A growing coalition of advertisers is gearing up to file mass arbitration claims against Google. Attorney Ashley Keller has indicated that the first series of filings are expected imminently.
I learned that Keller has already secured commitment from a significant number of advertisers, estimating potential claims related to online search and display advertising could surpass $218 billion, based on an economic analysis commissioned by his firm.
These mass arbitration cases typically take between 12 to 24 months to resolve, marking a crucial period ahead.
Catch up quick
The year 2024 witnessed several antitrust verdicts dealt against Google. A federal court in Washington, D.C. found that Google had unlawfully monopolized online search, while another court determined that it had also monopolized parts of the ad tech infrastructure connecting advertisers with publishers. Google is currently appealing both decisions.
Why we care
For advertisers like us, this case holds the promise of recovering funds we overpaid for search and display ads due to Google’s alleged monopoly power. Mass arbitration not only empowers us but also might pressure Google into settlements, propelling a stronger stance for businesses than individual claims.
The situation highlights a growing legal scrutiny of the digital ad market, potentially paving the way for increased competition and reduced costs for advertisers.
Why arbitration matters
Most of us cannot take Google to court directly since our contracts mandate arbitration for disputes. Traditionally, this favors gigantic firms when claims are processed individually. However, mass arbitration, which amalgamates 25 or more similar claims, shifts the advantage toward us, the claimants.
Such a strategy increases settlement pressure, reduces legal costs for smaller enterprises, and empowers companies with modest individual claims to seek damages collectively.
What’s new
This case could pioneer new territory as mass arbitrations have largely involved consumers or employees, and not major corporations. A collective advertiser action against Google would be one of the initial significant attempts to employ this strategy for business-to-business disputes.
What Google says
In its recent submissions, Google acknowledged facing private damages claims linked to global antitrust cases, though it is reportedly unable to estimate potential losses yet. The company maintains that it has “strong arguments” and intends to defend itself forcefully.
The bottom line
Google’s antitrust setbacks are evolving from regulatory challenges into a direct financial threat. With advertisers now exploring whether mass arbitration can transform monopoly rulings into tangible payouts, the dynamic is set to shift significantly, possibly altering the digital advertising landscape.
I’ve recently noticed YouTube inching closer to traditional TV-style ads, marking a significant transition that might just alter how we enjoy videos — and draw in bigger brand investments.
What’s happening. For some TV viewers, ads are being stretched up to 90 seconds before they can skip, a major change from the recently introduced 30-second unskippable formats.
How it works. These extended ad blocks are mostly appearing on TV devices, sometimes lasting over 90 seconds, with the option to skip only available after this initial period.
Why we care. YouTube is tapping into more premium, TV-like ad inventory that facilitates longer, more engaging storytelling on our screens. This transformation creates opportunities for brands to run campaigns akin to those on traditional TV, but with the advantage of digital targeting and measurement. As Google dives deeper into connected TV, I foresee a potential shift in budgets towards YouTube as an essential channel for reach and brand prominence.
Zoom in. Initial reports indicate that this format is not tethered to the length of the video, appearing on both shorter and longer content, and currently, it’s only affecting TV audiences, not mobile or desktop users.
User reaction. The feedback I’ve come across has been mostly negative, with viewers lamenting these lengthy interruptions and considering alternatives such as ad blockers or third-party apps.
Context. This test stems from YouTube’s recent aggressive monetization efforts, including the introduction of new ad formats and the launch of a lighter subscription tier that reduces ads.
What to watch. I’m curious to see if YouTube will expand this format beyond TV and how they’ll manage the delicate balance between ad load and user retention.
I’ve recently discovered some exciting news from Google that’s perfect for those of us who rely on their ad tools and measurement resources. Google has just launched a developer hub that’s set to make our tech-driven advertising tasks a lot smoother.
The new Developer Hub centralizes everything into one easy-to-navigate destination, which promises to simplify our experience when building, automating, and scaling ad campaigns.
What’s Happening. Google is introducing the Advertising and Measurement Developers Hub. This centralized site is designed to give us seamless access to an array of tools and resources across their ad ecosystem. Say goodbye to hunting for documentation in multiple places!
The Hub organizes resources for products like the Google Ads API, Google Analytics, and publisher tools such as AdMob and Google Ad Manager into convenient categories including advertising, tagging, and measurement.
How It Works. It features a streamlined homepage where I can quickly access documentation, blog updates, and community channels. Plus, there are dedicated sections to explore products, connect with support, and engage with Google’s developer relations team.
Why We Care. For anyone deep into using Google’s tools, like me, this is a game-changer. The ease of access to advanced tools for automation, tracking, and optimizing campaigns can really boost efficiency. This new hub makes it nearly effortless to take advantage of Google’s robust ad tech ecosystem.
The Big Picture. As our advertising efforts increasingly lean on automation and APIs, Google is bolstering the infrastructure to support developers and technical users managing complex integrations.
Zoom In. New features I think are worth noting include a ‘meet the team’ section, a centralized support page with links to Discord and GitHub resources, and a media hub featuring content like Ads DevCast.
What to Watch. It’ll be interesting to see if this hub becomes the go-to entry point for developers across Google’s ad products, especially as more AI and measurement tools roll out.
Bottom Line. Google is betting big on developer support with this hub, anticipating that it will drive innovation and adoption within its ad tech ecosystem.
As someone who manages ad campaigns across various platforms, I’m thrilled to share that Meta has launched a new template for Google Tag Manager! This makes setting up the Pixel incredibly simple, ensuring smoother cross-platform tracking with more consistency for advertisers like us.
Meta Platforms is committed to reducing the technical challenges we face, especially when juggling campaigns on different platforms. This new update is a step towards minimizing those hurdles.
What’s happening. Meta has unveiled an official Pixel template within Google Tag Manager. This effectively replaces the need to rely on third-party or community-generated solutions.
How it works. This template takes advantage of our existing GA4 dataLayer, allowing us to utilize pre-configured events for Google Analytics 4 without needing to rebuild our tracking systems. It also makes mapping enhanced e-commerce events automatic, such as purchases and add-to-cart actions, which means we don’t have to worry about redundant tagging.
Why we care. The simplified setup reduces the time we spend implementing these systems while lowering the risk of tracking errors. This ensures our campaigns run smoothly across Google and Meta platforms.
What to watch. I’m curious to see if this user-friendly setup encourages more advertisers to adopt Meta Pixel tracking and whether it will lead to similar integrations in the future.
Bottom line. By removing one of the biggest pain points in ad tracking, Meta is making it quicker and simpler for us to gain reliable insights across various platforms.
First seen. This update was discovered by Paid Media expert Thomas Eccel, who highlighted it on LinkedIn.
