Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

Meta is expanding access to its ‘Opportunity Score’ feature in Ads Manager, aiming to help more advertisers optimise their campaign setup with AI-driven insights. The score – ranging from 0 to 100 – reflects how well your campaign aligns with Meta’s recommendations, covering factors such as ad formatting, missing info, and best practices. As advertisers implement more of these suggestions, their score improves, potentially unlocking better performance. Early tests have shown promising results: a median 5% decrease in cost per result for those following the recommendations. If you’re running ads on Meta, expect to see the new notification soon, and consider testing its insights for your next campaign.

Read more about Meta’s Opportunity Score here.

TikTok is introducing a new option for creators to enable direct messages during live-streams, aimed at boosting real-time engagement and lead generation. The new feature, accessed via the ‘LIVE setup for client acquisition’ menu, allows viewers to send a direct message while watching the stream, encouraging interaction and potential conversions. The move aligns with TikTok’s broader push into live-stream commerce, which has seen major success in China through its sister app Douyin. While Western markets haven’t adopted live commerce to the same extent, interest is growing – particularly around in-stream shopping and event-led sales moments like Black Friday. 

Snap is repositioning its Chat feature as a key space for performance marketing, updating its ad tools to better support lower-funnel goals. Sponsored Snaps can now be purchased via Snapchat’s auction system using goal-based bidding, and sent directly from creator handles to users’ Chat feeds. A new ‘First Snap’ placement also lets brands appear at the top of Chat. The push reflects Snap’s shift toward more “predictable” performance revenue, as seen in its Q1 results – direct response ads made up 75% of total ad revenue, and the number of active advertisers rose 60% YoY.

LinkedIn has unveiled new video advertising features during its first appearance at the NewFronts, reflecting the growing popularity of video on the platform. The professional network reported a 36% year-on-year increase in video watch time, with video content achieving 1.4x more engagement than other formats. Among the updates is “First Impression Ads”, which let brands secure the first video spot seen by their target audience. LinkedIn also spotlighted improvements to its Connected TV placements and the rebranded “BrandLink” format, which places ads alongside vetted publisher and creator content. Event Ads are also getting an upgrade to enhance visibility around LinkedIn-hosted events. 

Google has unveiled ‘AI Max for Search campaigns’, a new tool designed to help advertisers maintain visibility as AI-driven search behaviour evolves. The feature expands keyword matching to related queries and dynamically adapts ad content based on landing pages, keywords, and real-time search trends. Google reports advertisers using AI Max typically see a 14–27% increase in conversions or value at a similar cost. The update also includes text asset optimisation, improved URL targeting, brand and geographic controls, and enhanced reporting features. As search becomes more generative and contextual, AI Max offers marketers a way to keep ads relevant without heavy manual input – though it doesn’t address the broader traffic loss from Google’s AI Overviews.

A new report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reveals that 43% of influencer ads on Instagram and TikTok are either undisclosed or not clearly marked as advertising. One-third had no disclosure at all, while 9% used vague labels like ‘Gifted’ or ‘PR Trip’ that failed to clarify their commercial nature. The findings come from an AI-driven analysis of 50,000 posts by UK-based influencers, highlighting ongoing issues in sectors like travel and fashion. Although this marks a 22-point improvement since 2021, the ASA and industry bodies stress more work is needed to ensure transparency. 

For clear guidance on properly disclosing ads, check out the ASA’s Influencer Guide. 

Five months into ITV’s partnership with YouTube, the broadcaster reports a 2-4% increase in incremental reach without cannibalising existing viewership. This collaboration, which spans full ITV programme episodes on YouTube, is part of ITV’s data-driven strategy to tap into new audiences via niche-focused channels. ITV’s commercial director, Abul Noor, highlighted that YouTube enables ITV to reach digital-first brands like E.l.f. Cosmetics and Carmoola, who were previously outside the TV advertising mix. Despite concerns that reliance on YouTube could harm broadcasters’ business models, ITV maintains full editorial and ad sales control, ensuring it profits directly from its YouTube inventory. The partnership also offers ITV significant international reach, further cementing YouTube’s role in its distribution strategy.

Pinterest’s Q1 2025 report shows strong growth in both users and revenue. The platform added 17 million monthly active users, bringing its total to 570 million, with notable increases across all regions, particularly in ‘Rest of the World’ markets. Despite a slight dip in revenue per user compared to the previous quarter, Pinterest saw a 16% rise in overall revenue, reaching $855 million. Growth was especially strong outside North America, with Europe seeing a 24% increase and other regions, including India and Japan, reporting a 49% jump. Pinterest also announced a new partnership with Magnite, which will become its exclusive supply-side platform, enabling better ad opportunities for brands through enhanced AI-powered tools.

BrightEdge’s latest data highlights differences in how ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews reference brands. While ChatGPT mentions brands in 90% of its responses, Google’s AI mentions brands only 59% of the time. Despite both systems mentioning brands in approximately 60% of cases, they emphasise different attributes. ChatGPT tends to recommend specific brands, such as Ally Bank, while Google AI guides users to review websites like NerdWallet. Both systems share similar positive sentiment but differ in their recommendations, creating both challenges and opportunities for marketers. BrightEdge suggests that brands focus on unified content strategies, review management, and structured data to optimise their visibility across AI platforms.

Apple is reportedly exploring the possibility of incorporating AI-powered search engines, such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, into Safari, marking a potential shift away from its long-standing $20 billion deal with Google. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, recently testified that Safari searches dropped for the first time, with users increasingly turning to AI tools. This move comes amid Google’s ongoing antitrust case, which could lead to changes in their search deal with Apple. While AI search tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT are still evolving, Cue believes they offer better features that could eventually replace traditional search engines.