Amazon Ads is coming to ChatGPT

Today’s Social Media advertising rates are picking apples in 80-degree weather:

↗️ META: $11.34 | ↗️ TIKTOK: $2.25 | ↘️ SNAPCHAT: $13.16

In this week’s edition: 

• ♾️ Meta launches one-click Creator Hub

• The 3 keys to LinkedIn thought leader ads 💼

• ⏰ An inside look at TikTok’s Top Search position

But first…

📦 Amazon Ads is coming to ChatGPT

A new OpenAI partnership will bring Amazon Ads directly beneath ChatGPT responses on Free and Go tiers.

The partnership creates the potential for Amazon’s consumer insights and shopping signals to inform how advertisers reach users within ChatGPT, though the specific data available for targeting has not been fully disclosed. The program is currently in a closed pilot.

The Inside Scoop🍦: Now trending in performance media

♾️ Meta is overhauling Audience Network ad formats to improve overall performance, but warns that CTRs will likely rise while conversion rate drops because of higher click volume. Audience Network may also start taking a larger share of overall campaign delivery. The rollout completes September 30 and includes:

• A redesigned carousel on Android

• A direct app-store call to action and fewer steps between the ad and store listing for Interstitial and Rewarded Video on Android

• End cards are expanding to App ads on Android

👍 The Page Likes performance goal is planned to be deprecated from Ads Manager in Q4 2026. For new campaigns focused on growing a page audience, Meta recommends using Profile Visit + Follow under the Engagement objective. Page Likes reporting will remain available for existing campaigns for up to two years.

🤝 Meta launched its new Creator Marketing Hub, bringing its creator discovery and outreach tools under one roof. Predictive search filters and integrated DMs are designed to make finding the right match easier.

• Once connected, ad creation becomes a one-click process, with tools to automatically scrub copyrighted music and stickers. Brands can now directly sponsor Instagram Live streams, while new content-level permissions and expanded API access support third-party tools.

💳 Meta also rolled out Meta One, a new tiered business subscription that paywalls advanced analytics and AI tools.

• Ranging from $14.99 to $499 a month, the add-on unlocks deeper competitive insights for Instagram, custom audience data for Facebook, extended data histories, and native content scheduling.

• Brands can also deploy a custom, 24/7 AI-powered chatbot to handle customer responses.

• The packages build on Meta’s existing consumer subscription options, offering businesses paid access to stronger analytics and automated community management.

📊 Google Ads is rolling out a new Spend Benchmarks report on the account Overview page, letting advertisers see how their weekly budget and click volume compare with similar businesses.

🧹 Google is helping media buyers identify cluttered web placements with four new experimental metrics in the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). Chrome will track Ad Count, Ad Density, and the data and CPU weight of the ads loading on a page. For advertisers, the new measurements provide needed visibility into sites that may be bogging down users, making it easier to steer media spend toward higher-quality environments and away from ad fatigue.

🎙️ Google is rolling out Gemini 3.8 Live and Extended 3.8 models to power real-time “Search Live” conversations on the Google app. The update adds mid-conversation language switching, on-screen links during audio chats for quick source checking, and easy toggling between text and voice. Transcripts now save automatically to users’ history.

🔗 Google is making it easier to pipe—and prove the value of—first-party data with new data integration tools across Data Manager.

• The platform now syncs directly with Google Analytics and Display & Video 360 (DV360), backed by expanded API options for custom data sources.

• To help media buyers justify their data strategy, Google Ads also added a “Data Strength Uplift Metric” to isolate conversions tied to first-party data sources, alongside updates to its Meridian Marketing Mix Modeling portal.

▶️ YouTube published new research on the “modern mainstream,” arguing that while internet subcultures are thriving, mass cultural moments haven’t vanished; they’ve shifted to creators.

• Shared content is on the rise: 63% of users say they follow creators or watch content that “everyone they know” is also tuning into.

• Creators rival legacy media. YouTube creators have 77% awareness and memes 78%, compared with Hollywood celebrities at 79% and the Super Bowl at 83%.

⏰ TikTok’s new TopSearch offering is a hybrid of its reservation-only Branded Search Hub product and standard auction search ads. The auction-based, high-visibility branded placement appears at the top of search results.

• TopSearch is designed around a “win to top” experience: when the ad wins, it appears in the top position; if it does not win that position, it does not downgrade into a lower search-ad slot.

• It is best suited to high-priority moments, including promotional or seasonal events, or times when users are actively searching or exploring.

• It is already generally available in the U.S., Canada, EU, and LATAM, with no hard minimum spend.

• The self-serve product appears under the Reach objective and does not require an allowlist.

• TikTok recommends using at least 20 highly relevant keywords with a combined monthly search volume of at least 200,000, using broad match when possible and keywords that are as relevant as possible.

🌐 TikTok is expanding its off-platform reach, giving advertisers access to placements across Lemon8 and the TikTok Ad Network, a network of more than 400,000 third-party apps currently in U.S. beta.

• Rather than requiring advertisers to manage placements manually, TikTok’s delivery system uses early performance signals such as CTR and CVR to automatically shift budget toward the placement yielding the lowest CPA.

👻 Snapchat launched a new Commerce Power Pack designed to help retail brands drive lower-funnel performance.

• Dynamic Product Ads are expanding into Sponsored Snaps, allowing catalog ads directly inside user DMs.

• Snap is beta testing value optimization, third-party web signals, and a unified omnichannel objective to help performance marketers target high-value shoppers across web and app.

👉 Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel’s pitch to win back media budgets boils down to more AI and influencer partnerships. To address its direct-response challenges, Snap is doubling down on machine learning and generative AI to automate campaign setup and vertical-video production. 

• At the same time, the platform is pitching its pool of more than 300,000 brand-eligible creators as an antidote to traditional ad fatigue. Spiegel said creator-led ads are played 25% longer and generate 16% more active attention than standard brand creative.

💼 LinkedIn is sharing new guidance on Thought Leader Ads, noting that sponsored posts from real people deliver a 2x higher CTR than standard corporate creative. Its recommendations:

• Prioritize low-fi video: Authentic, creator-led videos consistently outperform high-production video and static graphics.

• Keep creative fresh: Boost posts published within the last 30 days and rotate in new ads every four to six weeks.

• Lead with strong perspectives: Skip generic brand updates in favor of distinct, timely takes on industry trends.

👽 Reddit says shoppers are bypassing AI-generated summaries in favor of real human consensus. Its new platform insights show:

• Consumers are skipping AI search to seek real-world product reviews directly on Reddit.

• Active Reddit user numbers continue to climb despite shifts in AI referral traffic.

• Buyers favor community recommendations over algorithmic advice when pulling the trigger on purchases.

📺 Amazon Ads is expanding dedicated local Prime Video VOD ad inventory from the top 20 U.S. DMAs to all 210 DMAs nationwide, giving local advertisers access to Prime Video supply without competing against national budgets.

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back next week to fill your inbox with more tips, tricks, and treats from the addressable universe.

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This week’s edition of the Thread was created by Jess Dashner, Anoushka Madan, Kayleigh McDonald, Kiara Quigley, Lara Spijkerman, Liana Giacobbe, Mariya Samardzhieva, and Carly Carioli.