Advertising Technology Blog

Three trends for 2026: social features as retention drivers, advanced mechanics like streaks and collections, and AI as embedded utility. Apps integrate connection, competition, and collaboration while marketers shift to use-case messaging.

Demand Gen helps find customers across YouTube and Google surfaces. New AI tools like Veo generate video from images. Creator partnerships boost conversion lift by 30%. Optimize for follow-on views to increase watch time.

Meta introduces AI tools for personalized ads, expands Reels trending ads for cultural moments, and enhances creator partnerships to improve ad performance.

Structured experimentation in performance marketing requires clear hypotheses, controlled tests, and validated outcomes to drive scalable and repeatable gains, moving beyond isolated tactics.

Marketing AI advisors bridge data and decisions, acting as agentic collaborators. Use natural language, ask follow-ups, and let Analytics Advisor uncover hidden insights like traffic spikes and funnel drop-offs.

High volume of form fills can be misleading without quality. Experts Mimi Forsythe and Lydia Azaret discuss ensuring high-quality leads, measuring full customer journey, and leveraging YouTube for performance.

New tools help creators tag products and earn commissions via affiliate partnerships with Amazon, eBay, and Temu. AI enhances shopping with surfacing product info and one-click checkout after ads. Retail media networks get product-level optimizations.

Adjust's PC & Console solution tracks cross-device player journeys, connecting campaign attribution to in-game actions across mobile, PC, console, and web. It addresses fragmented platforms via S2S, Web SDK, and external device IDs, with unified reporting in Datascape to optimize acquisition spend.

Creator marketing is now core to brand strategy. TikTok and BSI's report shows suitability enables creativity, trust, and performance. Clear expectations empower authentic storytelling.

YouTube's sports podcasts had 8.5B views in 2025. 56% of 14-24 year-olds watch athlete podcasts weekly. The new Top Sports Podcast Lineup helps brands reach engaged fans on YouTube Select.

Costco partners with Moloco Commerce Media to power onsite ads on Costco.com, aiming to replicate in-warehouse discovery digitally. The AI-powered platform helps brands drive results while preserving Costco's member-first experience, as highlighted by Mark Williamson, AVP of Retail Media at Costco.

In finance, broken app entry silently loses customers. Deep linking ensures context preservation, turning commitment into completion. Treat app entry as intent continuation, not redirection, to boost engagement and predict outcomes.

You don't need weeks of data for Smart Bidding. This episode debunks myths on learning periods and new campaigns, showing how AI with the right data achieves specific business goals.

Mobile gaming shifts focus from growth to retention in 2026 due to rising acquisition costs. The report provides data on installs, sessions, retention, and costs across subgenres, regions, and countries to help optimize UA strategies.

Apps are economic infrastructure, not just channels. Measurement integrity is vital as AI automates budgets. Incrementality reveals 30% of campaigns are undervalued. Emotional connection in marketing matters.

Unity launches D28 IAP ROAS campaigns and simplified onboarding. D28 captures long-term value beyond Day 7, powered by Vector. Partners saw higher ARPU and retention. New flow enables direct ROAS campaign setup with faster learning phase.

Structured preparation and real-time optimization enable advertisers to scale aggressively during major events like the Super Bowl, maintaining performance stability.

Meta changes click-through attribution to only include link clicks for website/in-store conversions, aligning with third-party tools. Engaged-view attribution is renamed to engage-through, including non-link clicks. Video engaged view reduces from 10 to 5 seconds. Partners with Northbeam and Triple Whale for holistic measurement.

Segment users by geography, acquisition, lifecycle, engagement, revenue, and events. Use Adjust Audiences to build dynamic segments and share them with partners for smarter retargeting, win-back, and personalized campaigns that drive growth.

YouTube Non-Skips are now globally available for CTV, ensuring full message delivery. AI optimizes ad formats for better reach and impact.