Advertising Technology Blog

Click-only remarketing misses view-through impact, fraud hides in siloed data, and partners double-count conversions. Fix requires independent, cross-channel, fraud-protected signals. Without it, efficiency erodes.

Web-to-app leaks occur when customer intent is lost during handoff from mobile web to app. Fixing routing continuity with unified deep linking boosts conversions, as shown by AirAsia, Tata CLiQ, and Apartment List.

ChatGPT uninstalls surged 295% DoD after partnering with the Department of War. Claude gained users by refusing, outpacing ChatGPT in US downloads on March 2.

Top grossing mobile games in Feb 2026 include Last War, Game for Peace, and Whiteout Survival, leveraging Valentine's and Lunar New Year events. Global spending hit $6.55B. Block Blast! led downloads, while Pokémon GO and Wuthering Waves saw strong revenue growth.

In 2025, APAC publishers drove a historic digital shift: non-game app revenue surpassed gaming, with Short Drama and AI growing 278% and 148%. Awards highlight top apps like Asken, Blinkit, and DeepSeek, showcasing mobile as daily life infrastructure.

Google expands text guidelines for AI Max and Performance Max to all advertisers globally, allowing brand-specific terms and concepts to be excluded using natural language, ensuring on-brand creatives.

Mobile dominates downloads but shifts to monetization, while PC/Console thrives with premium games. Strategy leads mobile revenue growth, and Battlefield 6 tops 2025 PC/Console sales. Indie co-op games like R.E.P.O. leverage content creators for viral success.

AI dominates Q4 2025 app economy with GenAI downloads up 89% YoY and IAP revenue up 212%. Gaming market plateaus, non-gaming apps drive growth. YouTube surpasses Google in web visits globally. AI referral traffic grows over 124% YoY.

In January 2026, total ad spend held at $12B, but categories shifted: Gaming surged 42% YoY, edging out Food & Dining. Health & Fitness grew 6% RPD.

Learna and Pengu succeed by applying proven engagement mechanics to new contexts. Learna uses streaks for AI tutoring; Pengu uses co-op gamification for social networking. Both show that breakout growth often comes from reapplying familiar systems to untapped categories.

New Google Search ad updates balance user and advertiser needs, emphasizing rigorous testing for new formats, user agency for trust, and focusing on asset breadth over individual performance.

Adopting at least 3 of 4 Demand Gen best practices can boost conversions by 40%. Use optimized targeting, tCPA/tROAS, excellent ad strength, and sitewide tagging to maximize performance.

Incrementality testing uses machine learning to measure whether budget changes cause real growth or just shift demand. InSight provides statistically validated lift or cannibalization, helping marketers make confident budget decisions.

Scenario Planner bridges the gap between MMM outputs and business decisions, allowing marketers to experiment with budgets and see real-time ROI estimates without coding.

The report highlights key mobile app trends for 2026, including rising ATT opt-in rates, increased finance and e-commerce app sessions, and diversification of acquisition channels.

AI eliminates the trade-off between speed and certainty in shopping. YouTube, Search, and agentic commerce evolve to make buying fluid, assistive, and personal. Businesses gain tools like Gemini 3 for creativity and performance, while trust remains foundational.

Google Ads podcast discusses simplifying campaign structures for AI era. Granularity may hinder performance. Focus on early-stage search intent. New controls and curiosity mindset for strategic success.

SpendWorks unifies ad spend from multiple sources, automates data collection, and aligns spend with performance. It supports various collection methods, including API integrations, scheduling, and web-to-mobile tracking, enabling smarter budget decisions and improved ROAS.

TikTok iOS campaigns now leverage AppsFlyer's real-time signals for optimization, replacing delayed SKAdNetwork data. This enables faster bid, creative, and targeting adjustments, improving campaign performance and visibility.

TikTok and Ebiquity research shows marketing leaders face measurement uncertainty. Brands should avoid the efficiency trap, use premium formats for impact, leverage context, optimize creative quality, and track granular data for accurate ROI.