Paid Media News & Opinion #141

Meta further reduces detailed ad targeting options

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> What’s happening

Advertisers have been receiving a notification in the Meta Ads platform warning that detailed targeting options, such as interests and behaviours, will be removed/consolidated as of January 2026.

This comes in addition to the update since 23rd June, which had already reduced the number of detailed targeting options available.

Any ad sets using the affected detailed targeting options, viewable via CTA button in-platform, will stop delivery as of 26th January 2025.

> Why we care

In Mark Zuckerberg’s Q2 earnings update, he explained that a lot of strong performance was driven by “AI unlocking greater efficiency and gains across our ads system”, indicating that Meta is moving more towards non-manual targeting methods.

While AI and broad targeting has come a long way in recent years, it isn’t perfect, so taking away more options for advertisers could be frustrating.

On the other side, we actually agree that interests/behaviour targeting on Meta works far less effectively than strategies such as retargeting or lookalike audiences. We always recommend top- or mid-funnel prospecting activity to utilise a high-value customer list lookalike where possible.

Meta continues to talk about widening ad targeting for the most effective results, encouraging advertisers to lean into Advantage+ and other AI tools/enhancements, so this update doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

Google adds transparency for Search Partner Network placements

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> What’s happening

Google is introducing more transparent reporting and visibility for Search Partner Network placements. Advertisers can now see site-level impression data for their Search, Shopping, and App campaigns running across the Search Partner Network (SPN).

This is the first time Google has provided granular reporting into SPN placements, addressing one of the longest-standing requests from advertisers:

• Reports now list all SPN sites where ads appeared.

• Impressions are broken down at the site level, letting advertisers analyse performance site by site.

• The reporting functions similarly to placement reports already available in Performance Max campaigns.

The Search Partner Network includes a collection of non-Google sites that partner with Google to display search ads, expanding reach but often with inconsistent quality.

> Why we care

Until now advertisers have been flying blind when it came to SPN performance, with limited ability to evaluate where their ads appeared or whether those placements were delivering meaningful results.

Marketers can now assess whether ads are appearing on sites that align with brand values and take action if placements are misaligned. With impression-level visibility, advertisers can analyse which partner sites are driving performance.

Site-level reporting makes it easier to identify high-value placements within the SPN, as well as underperforming ones that may not justify inclusion. It’s not clear whether this update introduces the ability for advertisers to apply exclusions to campaigns from within the SNP reports, instead exclusions may need to be applied at the account level ‘Content’ section, which applies to the Search Partner Network. This limits the ability to apply those exclusions at a granular campaign level.

While greater transparency is welcome, it doesn’t automatically guarantee performance improvements, but this move finally gives advertisers the data they need to make informed decisions about whether SPN is worth the investment.

Google Ads is removing manual language targeting from search campaigns

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> What’s happening

Google Ads will remove manual language targeting from Search campaigns by the end of 2025, with AI automatically determining the user’s language based on signals such as query terms and device settings.

The change currently won’t affect other campaign types like Display, YouTube, or Shopping, which will continue to support manual language targeting.

> Why we care

In some ways this feels a strange move, because choosing your language of choice is not a long process and is something advertisers may want to specify. The use of AI already exists here, allowing ads to be shown to users where signals suggest that moving beyond the chosen language makes sense, so there’s no significant benefit to advertisers.

Currently it’s been identified as specifically for search campaigns, although we would imagine it will roll out more broadly in time, depending on the success. It will be worth monitoring performance and geographic segments closely once this is rolled out in full, to assess the impact.

What else we've been talking about:

• Google unifies Local Services Ads under new Verified badge

• Google Ads pushes richer conversion imports

• How to build a paid media team in the AI age

• 5 trends shaping social media marketing so far in 2025

• Meta could be set to announce new smart glasses next month