Growth of AI in Paid Digital

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10 Dec

At Accord, we've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionising the paid social landscape, transforming both day-to-day platform usage and campaign management.

This blog explores the evolution of AI, focusing on Meta’s Advantage+, Pinterest’s Performance+, and TikTok’s Smart+.

Overview of the three campaign types

Meta Advantage+

Introduced in 2022, Meta’s Advantage+ is a sophisticated AI-powered solution that enhances campaign performance by creating personalised, full-funnel user experiences. Advantage+ can be used as its own campaign type, Advantage+ Shopping, or individually with its suite of automated solutions. Its standout features include:

A+ Audiences
Advantage+ eliminates human bias by exploring new audiences, actively testing, and learning to identify optimal segments without manual intervention.
A+ Creative Enhancements
This feature automatically tests and adjusts creative elements like image overlays, brightness, contrast, text placement, and image expansion to deliver the best results.
A+ Shopping Campaigns
Focused on conversions, Advantage+ Shopping campaigns replace traditional dynamic conversion-focused ads. They effectively showcase relevant products or services, such as items users have browsed or might find appealing, based on their activity. It works very well with a catalogue, showing products/hotels/destinations people have either looked at before or may be interested in based on their activity on Meta platforms.

Pinterest Performance+

Performance+ mirrors the AI-driven simplicity of Meta’s Advantage+. Designed to reduce manual inputs by 50%, Performance+ prioritises automation while offering flexibility for users who prefer more control.

Features include automated targeting, bidding, budget optimisation, and creative enhancements.
Performance+ can function as a fully automated campaign type or as a complementary feature within existing campaigns.

TikTok Smart+

Smart+ campaigns cater to various objectives, including sales (Smart+ Web), app promotion (Smart+ App), and lead generation (Smart+ Lead). TikTok leverages its algorithm to deliver highly relevant ads to users, capitalising on its platform’s engagement potential.

Particularly effective for reaching younger audiences or niche markets, TikTok is becoming a vital platform for brands seeking authentic engagement.

Similarities and Differences

Similarities

Across Meta, Pinterest, and TikTok, AI technologies share commonalities: audience targeting, creative optimisation, and budget management. All prioritise automation, minimising manual input through "all-in-one" campaign options.

Differences

The distinctions lie in platform-specific focuses:

Meta: Conversion optimisation with Advantage+ Shopping.
Pinterest: Visual discovery and personalisation.
TikTok: Viral content and engagement.

Key takeaways - what do these campaign types bring that’s new?

Efficiency
AI-driven campaigns simplify processes, reduce human error, and improve performance by automatically testing and discovering new audiences and placements.
Creative optimisation
By continuously testing variations of creative assets, AI minimises ad fatigue and ensures a more personalised user experience, leading to higher engagement and relevance.
Growth opportunity
AI’s role in paid social is set to grow, with platforms integrating first-party data for better personalisation and consolidating campaign types into unified solutions. As users increasingly rely on social and video platforms for product research, the competition with traditional search engines will intensify.

(https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/introducing-search-ads-campaign)

The rise of AI in paid social campaigns has transformed advertising, enabling greater efficiency, creativity, and performance. As AI evolves, we anticipate even more personalised data-driven strategies that will redefine the digital landscape. It’s exciting times ahead.