⚖️ Measurable GPT.
OpenAI drops some vital new ChatGPT Ads features, Meta wants to make Reels the default, and more.
In this issue
Happy hump day.
We're almost at the middle of the week. How are you hanging in? Us, we're holding steady somewhere between a new skill we're building and a to-do list that keeps building itself.
Either way, Wednesday's here, the coffee's hot, and nobody's asked us to present anything.
We'll take it.
ChatGPT ads get visual and measurable
You’re used to ChatGPT ads being just text and a logo.
They can be pictures now. OpenAI just released a bunch of updates, including a visual ad format in the US, shown while Free and Go users wait for an image to generate.
The ads are labeled and kept separate from the image being created. What's still unclear is how they'll be targeted, and whether someone making an image is in a buying mood.
And you can finally get some real assessment. OpenAI's measurement expansion connects to the tools you already run, and the partner list is long:
- Conversion data via Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp.
- Attribution via AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Northbeam, Adjust and more.
- Geo incrementality tests with Haus, Measured and WorkMagic.
WeightWatchers is the first proof point. According to DV Rockerbox, its CPA came in 15.3% below its blended paid-search benchmark.
Brand safety also gets a new control. Qualifying advertisers can now add Negative Phrases to keep ads away from topics their own policies rule out. Nice.
And organic products are getting badges. ChatGPT is testing superlative labels, with a green "best all-rounder" tag and grey ones like "best for beginners" or "best cushioning."
Plus, the ad slot is testing a friendlier intro: a new heading that reads "This might also interest you." It frames sponsored placements as suggestions.
There's no performance data for these ads. Yet. But better measurement means we should have some info on that soon as well.
Shopping agents, Reels-first apps and AI salon plans hit your social feeds
In Monopoly, the winner owns the squares everyone lands on.
TikTok just bought a few more, and Meta is rebuilding two apps to look more like TikTok.
Checkout moves into the For You feed. TikTok's Advertising Week updates include Buy Direct, one-click buying straight from the feed. Also new:
- Shopping Assistant: an AI chat that answers sizing, shipping, and stock questions.
- Agentic Leads: an AI agent that qualifies leads in DMs and on your website's lead forms.
- MCP connector: you can now plan, launch, and manage TikTok campaigns from Claude, Perplexity, or Replit.
And your TikTok targeting can now leave TikTok. US advertisers can run ads on the TikTok Ad Network (formerly Pangle), which covers nearly 400,000 third-party apps.
Agency buyers aren't rushing in. They want app-level allow lists and proof that the extra reach drives results.
Over at Meta, they want you to watch Reels first:
- Facebook is testing a Reels-first app in India that opens into full-screen video and moves the classic feed to a second tab.
- Instagram is trialing a setting that opens straight to Reels, where people already spend over half their app time.
If these tests stick, vertical video becomes the default way people see your brand on Meta, while static feed creative becomes the side dish.
Finally, Pinterest is turning mood boards into salon briefs. Its new Beauty Guides translate hair and nail Pins into stylist terms like "balayage," plus time, price range and upkeep.
Salons get clients who show up already knowing the rough price.
Common thread? TikTok, Meta, and Pinterest all want people to stay in the app and act there.
Find creators in seconds. UGC for Q4 delivered in 14 days.
Finding the right creators usually means stacking a dozen filters, scrolling through profiles and chasing DMs.
Insense skips that part.
Type who you're looking for in plain English, like "male nurses in the US" or "interior designers in Berlin" and AI search matches you with vetted creators from 115,000+ across 57+ countries - in seconds.
5,000+ consumer brands, mobile apps and agencies use Insense to:
- Find niche creators who actually fit. Matches are based on 9 years of Insense data from brand videos, deals and screening questions, not just a category tag.
- The right creators apply to you in hours, or invite creators in seconds.
- Work only with vetted talent. Just 2 in 10 applicants pass Insense's manual vetting.
- Lock in terms before your product ships. Deliverables, deadlines and usage rights are agreed upfront, and payment is released only when you approve the content.
- Go from seeding to Meta Partnership Ads. Brief creators for organic posts, UGC ad creative or both, then amplify the best ones as partnership ads.
And if a creator goes quiet, Insense’s moderation steps in, so you're not the one chasing them.
Want to learn more? Book a free strategy call by October 16th and receive $200 for your first campaign.
Meta Ads for local businesses: fewer tweaks, better ads
Local businesses get a rough deal on Meta.
Small audiences, tight budgets, and a goal that’s actually… foot traffic. Hardly any business can track that.
Jon Loomer has a short answer: stop overthinking it.
He says to chase the conversion. If you can.
You can optimize for a purchase or lead? Do it. That puts you ahead of most local shops, because Meta can prioritize the action you care about.
If not, fall back to reach, ad recall lift, ThruPlay views, or interactions. None is ideal, but the job is simple: get seen locally.
Also, cheap engagement attracts the wrong crowd. Top-of-funnel goals make it easy for Meta to find someone, anyone, to react.
The algorithm takes your goal literally and can pour budget into an irrelevant demographic.
If breakdowns confirm that, use value rules to lower bids instead of excluding the group. Jon only removes demographics when the law requires it.
The Crew's tip: Pull a breakdown before you touch any setting. Fix a proven problem, not a hunch.
Don't fence out your own customers: Target a sensible radius and skip exclusions for everyone outside it.
Meta only targets or excludes people who live in or recently visited an area, so an exclusion also kicks out locals who travel.
And uncheck the box Meta auto-ticks for people interested in your area, unless tourists pay your bills.
What we think: That auto-checked box is the sneakiest budget leak here. A dentist is unlikely to get patients from tourists.
Trim placements with a reason: Remove placements or use value rules, your call. Just name a specific delivery problem first, because every placement you cut makes the rest pricier.
Settings don't sell, ads do: Your ads and offer do the heavy lifting: hit your ideal customer's pain points and position your product as the fix.
Local businesses aren't special here, and that's good news. The playbook that works for everyone works for the bakery down the street too.
What you can learn from 15 months of out-of-home transaction data
Want to see where top advertisers are spending out-of-home budget?
Drawing on 15 months of transaction data from the world's largest independent ecosystem, the Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home Trends Report reveals how leading teams build full-funnel reach.
Inside, you will discover:
- How buyers balance their venue mix across outdoor, retail, and transit.
- Why 10s and 15s video spots capture 71% of video spend.
- How to scale digital campaigns seamlessly into real-world environments.
And more.
Search is slipping, but email is sticking
Getting attention online keeps looking more and more like that distracted boyfriend meme.
We came across this survey by Orbit Media where they asked content marketers about which parts of the job are getting tougher. And one channel is holding up much better than the rest.
- Most (57%) find it hard to drive visitors from search.
- Even when people show up, getting them to stay is hard, according to 56%.
- 44% say it’s hard to attract visitors from social, which puts it in the middle.
- Only 26% say the same about email.
The difference comes down to who controls the channel.
Search and social depend on platforms that keep changing their rules. With email, you own the list and you choose when to send.
AI answers and zero-click results keep people on the search page, and social algorithms limit how far your posts reach.
Email avoids both problems, since nothing stands between you and your subscribers' inboxes.
Turn rented traffic into an owned audience. Add clear email sign-ups to your best search and social content. Then reward subscribers with content they can't get anywhere else.
AI EDUCATION: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney… So many names, but what’s actually useful for you in your work? There’s a newsletter called The Deep View that exists to sift through all the noise and get you up to speed on what’s actionable with AI products, and it’s free. Join 512,000+ subscribers with one click and let AI empower you.*
OPENAI: Invisible text watermarks are rolling out to ChatGPT and Codex output in the EU only, with opt-in watermarking for API customers worldwide. Detection is shaky, though: swapping just 10% of words for synonyms drops accuracy from 92% to 66%. Edit your drafts accordingly.
GOOGLE ADS: Your breakeven Target ROAS is now a calculator away. Enter your average profit margin, excluding ad spend, and it returns a target, so a 15% margin means 667%. Before applying it, confirm your conversion value is true revenue and that one average isn't hiding thin-margin products, shipping, or returns.
YOUTUBE: Running several upper-funnel Video and Demand Gen campaigns at once? A Google Ads beta, Video Campaign Groups, lets you bundle them and either deduplicate audiences for more reach or set one shared frequency target. Watch whether it cuts repeat impressions and adds incremental reach, or just gives you a tidier report of the overlap.
GOOGLE: Some site owners are now getting Search Console emails showing how many users picked them as a Preferred Source, alongside tips for a new JavaScript button. Searchers have starred over 600,000 sources, and Google says followers are twice as likely to click, so add the button and ask loyal readers to star you.
MICROSOFT ADS: Car dealers advertising in the U.S. face updated pricing rules on the platform. The vehicle price in your ad must accurately reflect the offer available to buyers. If you manage large inventories, check prices and discounts across your creative, vehicle feeds, and campaign processes before a violation disrupts delivery.
*This is a sponsored post.
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