Paid Media News & Opinion #147

TikTok upgrades Smart+ ads and analytics tools

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> What’s happening

TikTok has announced a series of updates to its Smart+ ad system and performance measurement tools, designed to give advertisers a balance of automation, control, and deeper insights.

TikTok’s Smart+ campaigns are powered by the platform’s AI engine, and are gaining new customisation options:

• Targeting: Define audiences manually or let Smart+ dynamically target high-intent users based on in-stream engagement signals.

• Budget: Set precise allocations or allow TikTok’s AI to auto-distribute spend where performance is strongest.

• Creative: Upload assets manually or let AI build and optimize combinations for you.

This flexibility means brands can either take full control, or trust the algorithm and let TikTok’s system self-optimise using conversion and engagement data.

TikTok is also upgrading its Smart+ measurement tools, allowing advertisers to run customised split tests at a granular level. This gives brands more insight into which variables drive differences in performance.

The Smart+ platform is being integrated with TikTok’s Symphony AI creative tools, unlocking new capabilities to automatically enhance ad content:

• Recommended creatives: Suggests top-performing historical videos or AI-generated assets based on predicted campaign success.

• Automatic enhancements: Uses generative AI to improve existing ads. Resizing, refreshing soundtracks, adding translations or dubs, and enhancing video quality for stronger performance across placements.

Rounding out the updates, TikTok is improving conversion measurement and third-party tracking integration:

• Third-Party optimisation: TikTok ads can now feed performance data directly into Google Analytics, offering a clearer view of TikTok’s role in multi-channel campaigns.

• Assisted conversions: A new metric that tracks conversions that occur after exposure to a TikTok ad, even if the user converts via another channel later that day. This helps advertisers understand TikTok’s true contribution to upper-funnel influence and brand-driven demand.

> Why we care

Many advertisers have embraced TikTok’s Smart+ campaigns for their efficiency, but hesitated over the lack of visibility and flexibility. The new manual override options let brands use automation levels to their comfort, maintaining control while still benefiting from TikTok’s machine learning optimization.

This shift is positive for performance-focused marketers who want data-backed oversight rather than a fully “black box” AI system.

Integrating Symphony’s generative AI tools within Smart+ allows advertisers to refresh or enhance creatives quickly and easily. AI-assisted translation, dubbing, and resizing makes scaling campaign assets easier.

The Assisted Conversions and Google Analytics integrations help advertisers prove impact beyond last-click results. By linking top-funnel engagement to downstream actions, brands can now make more confident budget decisions, redistributing spend toward placements and creatives that drive actual incremental conversions.

By refining its Smart+ automation and analytics stack, TikTok is closing the gap with established ad platforms like Meta and Google.

Spotify ad inventory now available via Amazon DSP

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> What’s happening

Spotify have announced a new partnership with Amazon DSP, and also Yahoo DSP, making ad inventory is available across North America, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Brazil.

Additionally, Spotify are partnering with ID5 and their Adaptive Identity technology to support accurate targeting through programmatic buys.

This will open up a large audio and video ad inventory to be combined with advanced audience targeting and 1st party data signals from the DSPs.

> Why we care

For advertisers, this is a huge opportunity given the wealth of data Amazon has – often able to construct accurate demographic and psychographic targeting from shopping behaviour alone – and access to the ~40% of Spotify’s nearly 700M monthly active users who are on a free plan (Business of Apps, February 2025).

In testing, we’ve found Amazon DSP to be more effective and much cheaper than competitor DSPs, while Spotify Ads sometimes lacks the targeting capabilities needed. However, Spotify remains a high-quality placement, so the combination of the two is something we’re excited about this partnership.

Recently, Amazon DSP also announced partnerships with Netflix and Channel 4 (UK) from Q4, so they are clearly expanding by ramping up inventory and partnerships in multiple areas.

Meta to use AI conversations to enhance ad targeting precision

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> What’s happening

Meta has announced that it will begin using conversations with its AI assistant across Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp as an additional signal for ad targeting and content recommendations from December 16th 2025. Non-sensitive chat topics like hobbies or products will inform personalisation for ad targeting, while sensitive subjects such as health or politics will be excluded.

> Why we care

This gives Meta a new, real-time source of intent data that could make ad targeting more context-aware. A lot of research is now done using AI tools as a guide, so there’s a lot of potential “in-market” data and signals that can be tapped into, in order to provide highly relevant ads delivered to users.

There’s a question mark over how much Meta’s AI is used for this kind of discussion, although Meta themselves claim that over 1bn people every month use it, so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on ad performance on Meta.

What else we've been talking about:

• Microsoft taps Amazon DSP as preferred partner

• Campaign Type added to Google Ads Channel Performance report

• ChatGPT Shopping is here – and it’s changing ecommerce SEO rules

• Google to phase out Call-Only Ads by 2027

• Microsoft to end nonprofit ad grant program in December

• Instacart announces first end-to-end retail media solution on TikTok