paid-ads

Pop-art collage of an AI chat thread with sponsored product placements and a price tag flipping from $60 CPM to CPC, illustrating AdMarketplace's pricing pitch.

AdMarketplace Priced AI Chat Ads at CPC While ChatGPT Was Charging $60 CPMs

AdMarketplace, an independent search ad network founded in 2000, ran more than 2 million sponsored placements through roughly 700,000 AI chat queries during a six-month alpha and is now expanding the beta into Dupe and Sezzle alongside Opera's Aria assistant. Pricing is CPC only, no CPM minimums.

Snap Put Brand AI Agents in the Same Inbox as Your Friends

Snap announced AI Sponsored Snaps on April 28, 2026, an ad format that drops brand-built AI agents into the Chat tab where 900 million Snapchat users send 950 billion messages a quarter. The brand agent answers questions before the click-out, so advertisers now compete for replies in the same inbox

Pop-art illustration of an Albertsons grocery cart pumping shopper data through a glowing pipe into a YouTube play button on a TV, with a retail loyalty card overlay.

Albertsons Routed 50M Loyalty Shoppers Into YouTube via DV360

On April 27, 2026, Albertsons Media Collective integrated its first-party shopper data into Google's Commerce Media Suite, opening more than 50 million loyalty members and 36 million weekly shoppers to advertisers buying on YouTube and Display & Video 360. The launch ships with 175+ purchase-based audience segments and

Pop-art comic illustration of three suited holding company executives walking away from a Trade Desk Koa Agent terminal while a Stagwell exec signs a contract at it

Stagwell Volunteered for Trade Desk's Koa Beta. Three Holdcos Already Quit.

Stagwell announced on April 21, 2026 that it will become the first global marketing network to adopt Koa Agents, The Trade Desk's new agentic AI for media planning and buying. The announcement landed roughly two months after WPP and Dentsu quietly exited Trade Desk's OpenPath product,

Pinterest Just Made 600M Pinners Targetable on CTV Inventory It Doesn't Own

Pinterest launched tvScientific by Pinterest on April 27, 2026, opening its 600 million monthly active users to third-party connected TV inventory through what Pinterest calls "all the major SSPs." It is the first time Pinterest audiences are retargetable off-platform. Early tests showed a 27% outcome lift per $100

Pop-art collage of a PayPal verified checkmark stamp, dollar bills morphing into transparent ad ID cards, and a free price tag on a glowing digital identity badge

PayPal Wrapped 400M Verified Buyers Into an Ad ID and Priced It at Zero

PayPal launched PayPal Ads ID on April 27, 2026, a deterministic advertising identifier built on 400 million verified PayPal and Venmo accounts and over 25 billion transactions. The ID is free to all PayPal Ads commercial partners, with no software fees and no CPM uplift. Launch partners are Magnite, PubMatic,

Pop art mobile Google search results page with a small 'AI' badge highlighted on a sponsored ad and a flat YoY chart drifting in the corner

Google's New 'AI' Label on Search Ads Will Quietly Drift Your YoY Benchmarks

Google is testing an "AI" label on some mobile search ads, spotted April 26, 2026 by SEO consultant Brodie Clark. Two variants are running: a rounded pill and an "AI" text with an info icon. Clicking either does nothing. Paid teams should start segmenting AI-surface impressions