Digital Digest
Marketing Intelligence Weekly
Weekly updates on the digital marketing news you need to know, including data reform, AI, cookie deprecation and platform updates.
Platforms
Google Ads Search Terms Report includes more PMax data
- Google Ads has updated its Search Terms Report to include data from Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, enhancing transparency for advertisers. Key points:
- Enhanced Visibility: Advertisers can now view specific search terms triggering their PMax ads, offering deeper insights into campaign performance.
- Negative Keywords Integration: The update incorporates negative keyword terms, allowing for more refined ad targeting and reduced irrelevant traffic.
- Gradual Rollout: While many users are experiencing these features, the rollout is ongoing, so availability may vary across accounts.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Claude can now search the web
- Claude's New Web Search Feature: Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, now offers web search capabilities for paid users in the US, providing up-to-date information with source citations.
- Enhanced Information Accuracy: By integrating web search, Claude aims to deliver more accurate and current responses, addressing previous limitations due to knowledge cutoffs.
- User Demand and Implementation: The addition of web search addresses user demand for real-time information access, following earlier user-created workarounds to provide internet connectivity to the AI.
- Competitive Edge in AI Market: This update positions Claude more competitively against other AI models like ChatGPT, which have already incorporated web search functionalities.
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AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Platforms
Key takeaways from Google’s Search Central Live event
- Google recently hosted the Search Central Live event in New York City, offering insights and updates for SEOs, content creators, and marketers. Here are the key takeaways:
- Emphasis on EEAT: Google underscored the importance of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) in content. However, they cautioned that merely attempting to 'sprinkle' EEAT onto a site isn't effective; genuine application is essential.
- Web Spam Statistics: A notable point was the revelation that approximately 50% of the content on the web is considered spam, highlighting the ongoing challenges in maintaining content quality.
- Site Reputation Abuse: Google addressed concerns about site reputation abuse penalties, clarifying that there isn't a specific list of freelancers or contributors that could lead to such penalties.
- AI Content and Scaled Abuse: Discussions around AI-generated content emphasized that issues of scaled content abuse aren't exclusive to AI. The focus remains on the quality and intent behind content creation.
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AI in digital
Data privacy
Marketing by numbers
IAB reports 70% of agencies, brands and publishers have not fully scaled AI across marketing
- AI Integration Progress: While 70% of agencies, brands, and publishers haven't fully scaled AI across media planning, activation, and analysis, over half anticipate achieving full-scale deployment by 2026. Publishers lead this trend, with 37% reporting full deployment.
- Challenges in Adoption: The main hurdles include the complexity of setup and maintenance, along with data security concerns, each cited by 62% of respondents. To address these, 49% are developing strategic AI roadmaps and defining approved use cases.
- Primary AI Applications: Identifying and segmenting audiences stands out as the top AI use case, highlighted by 51% of agencies and 36% of brands. Other significant applications involve predictive real-time bid adjustments and automated data integration.
- Evolving Use Cases: Agencies are experimenting with AI for real-time budget allocation and advanced measurement techniques, while brands focus on enhancing targeting strategies and automating campaign documentation.
- Performance Expectations: A strong majority (76%) of agencies, brands, and publishers report that AI meets or exceeds expectations in improving efficiency, leading to notable time and cost savings.
- These insights underscore the growing reliance on AI in marketing, balanced by the need to navigate its complexities effectively.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Meta rolling out more AI tools for advertisers across Facebook and Instagram
- Meta is rolling out a suite of AI-powered advertising tools for Facebook and Instagram to enhance campaign performance.
- The company is investing in AI models like Andromeda, which analyse millions of ads to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
- New tools and placements are being introduced within the AI-powered Advantage+ sales campaigns to maximise performance.
- These advancements aim to help advertisers optimise their campaigns more effectively, leveraging AI to improve targeting and engagement.
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Platforms
Google’s March 2025 Core Update Is Now Rolling Out
- Google has initiated its March 2025 core update, aiming to enhance search results by prioritising relevant and satisfying content from various websites.
- The update is expected to fully deploy over a two-week period, potentially affecting website rankings during this time.
- While no specific actions are advised, focusing on creating high-quality, user-centric content remains crucial. Aligning with Google's content guidelines is advisable.
- Monitor website performance metrics closely to identify any changes in traffic or rankings resulting from this update.
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Platforms
Google Ads Introduces WhatsApp Messaging for Performance Max Campaigns
- Google Ads now allows advertisers to incorporate WhatsApp messaging within their Performance Max (PMax) campaigns. This feature enables businesses to add WhatsApp numbers as message assets, facilitating direct communication with potential customers.
- Previously, Google Ads supported WhatsApp messaging in other campaign types. The current update extends this functionality to PMax campaigns, offering a more integrated approach to customer engagement.
- By integrating WhatsApp into PMax campaigns, businesses can provide a seamless channel for users to initiate conversations, potentially increasing lead generation and fostering better customer relationships.
- Some advertisers have reported the availability of this feature in their accounts, indicating a rollout phase. Businesses are encouraged to check their Google Ads accounts to utilise this new messaging asset.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Scope3 Enhances Advertiser Control with AI-Powered Brand Safety Tools
- AI-Driven Content Placement: Scope3 has introduced advanced AI tools that empower advertisers to manage their content placements more effectively, ensuring alignment with brand safety standards.
- Addressing AI-Related Brand Safety Concerns: The rise of AI-generated content has heightened brand safety challenges, making tools like Scope3's essential for advertisers seeking to maintain control over their ad environments.
- Transparency and Ethical Advertising: By leveraging Scope3's AI capabilities, brands can achieve greater transparency in their advertising efforts, aligning with ethical standards and consumer expectations.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Google Addresses Publisher Concerns Regarding AI Mode’s Impact on Website Traffic
- Publishers are worried that Google's new AI Mode might reduce user clicks to their websites, as the AI search interface could provide comprehensive answers without encouraging users to visit the original content sources.
- Robby Stein, Google's VP of Product for Search, acknowledged these concerns and stated that the team is focusing on making it easier for users to click through to publisher sites. He mentioned upcoming user interface updates designed to facilitate this and emphasised that AI Mode aims to handle new types of queries, allowing follow-up questions and creating new opportunities for sites to rank.
- Despite Google's assurances, some publishers remain skeptical about AI Mode's ability to drive traffic to their sites, especially in the absence of detailed Search Console reporting.
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AI in digital
How Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is Transforming Advertising
- Enhancing Content Relevance: RAG combines retrieval-based and generative AI models, allowing advertisers to access real-time data and craft contextually accurate content, reducing inaccuracies and aligning with brand messaging.
- Hyper-Personalised Ad Targeting: By retrieving up-to-date customer preferences and behaviors, RAG enables dynamic adjustment of ad content for individual users, leading to increased engagement and conversion rates.
- Real-Time Feedback Integration: RAG incorporates user interactions and performance metrics into a continuous learning loop, refining ad recommendations over time and ensuring they remain relevant and effective.
- Mitigating AI Limitations: By accessing external data sources, RAG reduces the risk of AI-generated inaccuracies, ensuring content aligns with current trends and brand guidelines.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Google introduces experimental ‘AI Mode’ in Search
- Google has introduced an experimental "AI Mode" in its Search platform, enabling users to ask complex, multi-part questions and receive AI-generated responses that facilitate deeper exploration of topics.
- This feature leverages a custom version of Google's Gemini 2.0 model, which enhances advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities, allowing for more nuanced queries and comprehensive answers.
- In addition to AI Mode, Google is expanding its AI Overviews feature, now powered by Gemini 2.0, to handle more complex queries, including coding and advanced math, and making it accessible to a broader user base without requiring sign-in.
- These developments underscore Google's commitment to integrating advanced AI capabilities into its search engine.
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Marketing by numbers
Platforms
Google announced they get 5 Trillion searches per year
- For the first time in 9 years Google has revealed how many searches they get per year. The answer: More than 5 trillion.
- The last time they announced the number of searches was back in 2016, when they got 2 trillion searches a year.
- Rand Fishkin stated: “For the first time in 9 YEARS, Google announced how many searches they receive. Why would they do that after being so secretive for so long? I think they're frustrated by so much media jumping on the "ChatGPT has 3 billion prompts per month!" and felt the need to do some PR control.”
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AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Platforms
Study shows AI Overviews appeared in almost half of search results
- A recent study by Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) reveals that Google's AI Overviews (AIOs) appeared in 42.5% of search results in Q4, marking an 8.83 percentage point increase from the previous quarter.
- This surge in AIOs correlates with a notable decline in click-through rates (CTR) for informational queries, with the top four desktop positions experiencing a combined 7.31 percentage point drop.
- The impact varies across industries; for instance, law and politics sites saw a 7.39 percentage point CTR increase in top desktop positions, while science sites experienced a decline, highlighting the growing importance of industry-specific SEO strategies.
- These findings suggest that while AI Overviews enhance user experience by providing quick answers, they may reduce organic traffic to websites, underscoring the need for marketers to adapt their strategies accordingly.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Microsoft unveils AI ads in Copilot
- Microsoft introduces AI-powered ads in Copilot: At its Advertising Accelerate event, Microsoft announced the integration of AI-driven advertisements within its generative AI chatbot, Copilot, aiming to attract more advertisers to the platform.
- New ad formats enhance user interaction: The rollout includes 'Showroom Ads', offering a split-screen experience where users can interact with brands on one side while engaging with Copilot on the other.
- 'Ad voice' feature adds transparency: Copilot's 'ad voice' explains the relevance of specific ads in response to user queries, enhancing the conversational advertising experience.
- AI agents enable direct brand engagement: Branded AI agents allow companies to interact directly within Copilot's responses, offering personalized customer engagement opportunities.
- Competing in the chatbot advertising space: These features position Microsoft to compete with other chatbot platforms like Amazon's Rufus and Perplexity, aiming to secure a larger share of advertising revenue.
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AI in digital
Marketing by numbers
Nearly half of US consumers use AI tools when researching a purchase
- New survey data from consumer research platform Attest reveals that nearly half (49%) of U.S. consumers now use AI tools when researching a purchase, a six-point increase from its survey from last year.
- ChatGPT (44%) was the most popular Gen AI tool, followed by Google Gemini (31%) and Microsoft Copilot (Bing) (19%).
- Trust in AI tools is growing, as nearly half (45%) of consumers said they would trust the information given to them by an AI chatbot or tool, up from 40% last year.
- Attest polled 4,000 nationally representative working-age consumers based in the U.S. across two surveys for the report.
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Platforms
Google starts serving the same ads three times on a single search page
- Google has been observed serving the same advertiser's ad up to three times on a single search results page, appearing at the top, within the local pack, and at the bottom positions.
- This "triple serving" practice marks a shift from Google's previous policy, which prohibited multiple ad placements from the same advertiser on a single search results page to prevent unfair advantages.
- The change could significantly impact advertisers' visibility and competition, as a single advertiser can now dominate multiple ad slots for the same keyword.
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Cookies
Data privacy
Platforms
Paul breaks down how Google’s new fingerprinting policy impacts advertisers
- Google Now Allows Fingerprinting – As of 16 Feb 2025, Google has reversed its ban on device fingerprinting, shifting compliance responsibility to advertisers. This aligns with its Privacy Sandbox initiative but lacks clarity on implementation details.
- How Fingerprinting Works – Platforms will use probabilistic matching techniques, like WebGL fingerprinting and cryptographic hashing, to track users across devices. Google’s ad stack, third-party ad networks, and Martech platforms will integrate fingerprinting.
- Why Advertisers Are Adopting It – With third-party cookies being phased out, fingerprinting offers better cross-device tracking, improved attribution, and fraud prevention—despite its regulatory risks.
- Regulatory and Compliance Risks – Fingerprinting faces legal uncertainty under GDPR, CCPA, and other global privacy laws. Regulators may require explicit user consent, potentially restricting its adoption.
- Key Actions for Advertisers – Brands must demand transparency from vendors, prioritise first-party data collection, explore privacy-preserving alternatives, and assess legal risks as enforcement tightens.
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Data privacy
Marketing by numbers
Brand building deprioritised and short-termism here to stay
- Demand Generation Tops the Agenda: A recent Dentsu report reveals that 38% of CMOs rank growing demand as their top priority, indicating a focus on immediate market share acquisition over long-term brand building.
- Adoption of Modern Media Strategies: Over half of CMOs are developing entirely new media strategies tailored to contemporary audiences, with significant budget allocations towards short-form content, social commerce, influencers, and retail media networks.
- Anticipated Budget Increases: A substantial 86% of APAC CMOs expect their marketing budgets to rise this year, reflecting optimism and a readiness to invest in growth initiatives.
- Challenges in Data Privacy and Measurement: CMOs face ongoing challenges with data privacy concerns, measuring the effectiveness of connected TV consumption, and obtaining transparent measurement from walled gardens, which are crucial for understanding returns on spend.
- These insights underscore a trend among CMOs towards prioritising immediate growth tactics, leveraging modern media channels, and navigating evolving challenges in data and measurement.
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AI in digital
Platforms
New creative capabilities in Google Ads
- Google has introduced new creative capabilities in Google Ads to enhance advertisers' ability to generate lifestyle imagery. Key updates include:
- Generative AI for Image Creation: Advertisers can now use text prompts to generate images featuring adult individuals, allowing for the creation of compelling lifestyle visuals tailored to specific audiences.
- Asset Audience Recommendations: Google Ads now provides suggestions on themes and elements that resonate with top audiences, such as "nature" or "ocean" scenes, helping advertisers optimise their creative assets.
- Asset Testing for Performance Max Campaigns: A new beta feature enables retailers to test the impact of adding various creative assets—including those generated with AI—to their campaigns, facilitating data-driven optimisation.
- These enhancements aim to empower advertisers to produce more engaging and effective campaigns, ultimately driving better results.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Perplexity ventures into web browser market with AI browser, Comet
- Perplexity AI is venturing into the web browser market with its upcoming AI-driven browser, Comet, described as an "agentic search" experience.
- Backed by investors like Jeff Bezos, Perplexity has raised over $500 million, achieving a valuation of $9 billion.
- Comet aims to integrate AI-powered search directly into the browsing interface, potentially allowing users to access information without traditional search results.
- The browser will compete with established players like Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge, each deeply embedded in their respective ecosystems.
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AI in digital
Platforms
OpenAI unveils GPT-4.5 its most advanced AI model
- OpenAI has unveiled GPT-4.5, its most advanced AI model to date, boasting enhanced capabilities and reduced hallucination rates. Key highlights include:
- Improved Accuracy: GPT-4.5 exhibits a hallucination rate of 37%, a significant improvement from GPT-4o's nearly 60%, ensuring more reliable outputs.
- Enhanced Understanding: The model possesses broader knowledge and a deeper comprehension of various topics, leading to more accurate and contextually appropriate responses.
- Natural Interaction: Users have reported that engaging with GPT-4.5 feels akin to conversing with an attentive human, thanks to its advanced language processing capabilities.
- Selective Access: Due to high operational costs, OpenAI is currently offering GPT-4.5 access to a limited group of developers and ChatGPT Pro subscribers, with future availability under evaluation.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Google’s AI Overviews significantly impact site traffic
- A recent study by Terakeet reveals that Google's AI Overviews significantly impact webpage traffic:
- Inclusion Benefits: Webpages featured in AI Overviews experience increased traffic, irrespective of their original ranking.
- Exclusion Consequences: Pages not included in AI Overviews see a notable decrease in clicks, highlighting the importance of being featured.
- Query Intent Matters: For informational queries, AI Overviews tend to divert traffic from top-ranked pages but boost clicks for those ranked lower. In transactional queries, inclusion in AI Overviews benefits pages across all positions.
- Strategic Implications: Marketers should focus on optimising content to align with AI Overview criteria, ensuring visibility and maintaining traffic flow.
- In light of these findings, it's crucial to adapt SEO strategies to accommodate the evolving landscape shaped by AI Overviews.
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Data privacy
Platforms
Google backpedals and allows advertisers to use fingerprinting
- Google reverses privacy stance: As of February 16th, Google now permits advertisers to use fingerprinting techniques to track users across websites and devices, a practice it had banned in 2019.
- Fingerprinting explained: This method gathers various data points—such as IP addresses, operating system details, and screen resolutions—to create unique user profiles, enabling advertisers to monitor online activities without explicit user consent.
- Privacy concerns raised: The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has criticised Google's policy change, stating that fingerprinting undermines user choice and control over personal information, as it operates without users' explicit consent.
- Implications for marketers: While this shift offers more precise ad targeting opportunities, it also heightens the risk of regulatory scrutiny and potential backlash from consumers concerned about privacy violations.
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AI in digital
Platforms
AI enhancements rolled out to Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)
- Google has rolled out AI-driven enhancements to Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), aiming to boost ad flexibility and performance. Key updates include:
- Dynamic asset assembly: Google's AI now dynamically combines headlines, descriptions, and other assets, and may omit certain elements, like descriptions, if it predicts better engagement.
- Repurposing unused headlines: Headlines not utilised in RSAs can now appear as sitelinks, with up to two RSA headlines serving in spaces previously reserved for sitelinks, linking directly to the final URL.
- These changes aim to enhance engagement and relevance, providing marketers with more adaptable and effective ad solutions.
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Marketing by numbers
India emerges as advertising power-house in APAC
- India's digital advertising market is on a remarkable upward trajectory, offering exciting opportunities for marketers looking to tap into this dynamic and expanding market.
- India's digital ad spending surged by 21.4% in 2024, hitting $5.20 billion, and is projected to double to $10.22 billion by 2028.
- Display advertising is leading the charge, with a 22% increase in 2024 to $3.15 billion, and expectations to reach $6.22 billion by 2028.
- This growth underscores India's rapid digitalisation and its rising prominence in the Asia-Pacific advertising landscape.
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Platforms
Google Merchant Center introduced AI-generated summaries
- Google Merchant Center has introduced AI-generated summaries to help merchants understand their performance on Google Search.
- These summaries, labeled as "experimental" and "AI-generated," provide insights into metrics like traffic growth and click surges.
- For example, a summary might suggest optimising product titles by highlighting key details at the beginning to better match search queries.
- Merchants have reported receiving various AI-powered suggestions, such as optimising sale pricing, over the past few months.
- Google notes that this feature is experimental, and its quality and accuracy may vary.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Baidu’s Ernie Bot will be free starting April 1
- Starting April 1, Baidu will offer its AI chatbot, Ernie Bot, free of charge on both desktop and mobile platforms, thanks to technological advancements and reduced operational costs.
- On the same date, Baidu plans to launch a complimentary advanced search function with enhanced reasoning capabilities and tool integration, aiming to provide expert-level responses.
- This move comes as Baidu contends with rivals like DeepSeek, a startup offering free AI chatbot services that claim performance on par with leading systems at a lower cost.
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AI in digital
Platforms
91% of AI news responses show issues
- A recent BBC study reveals that leading AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity, frequently provide inaccurate or misleading information when responding to news-related queries.
- The investigation found that 51% of the AI-generated answers contained “significant issues”, such as factual errors, misquoted sources, and outdated information.
- Specific instances include chatbots incorrectly stating that Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon were still in office and providing erroneous NHS advice about vaping.
- BBC's chief executive for news, Deborah Turness, expressed concern that these inaccuracies could undermine public trust in accurate news reporting, highlighting the need for collaboration between AI companies and media organizations to enhance the reliability of AI-generated news content.
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AI in digital
7 million sessions show AI chatbot referrals lead to increased conversions
- A recent study analysing over 7 million sessions reveals that AI chatbot referrals lead to higher user engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional search methods.
- Users arriving via AI chatbots exhibit longer session durations and lower bounce rates, indicating deeper interaction with content.
- Marketers are encouraged to integrate AI chatbots into their digital strategies to capitalise on this trend and boost conversion metrics.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Yahoo Search adds “learn more” links to AI answers
- Yahoo Search has started adding "Learn more" links to its AI-generated answer boxes, providing users with direct access to source content.
- This update enhances transparency and allows users to verify information directly from its origin.
- The inclusion of source links aligns Yahoo Search with other search engines that prioritise source attribution in AI-generated responses.
- Marketers should monitor this development, as it may influence SEO strategies and content visibility on Yahoo's platform.
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