AI search ads expand as Google tests targeting with Gmail and Photos data

Google and OpenAI expanded advertising inside AI search and chat, while Google tested personalization using connected Gmail and Photos data. Falling search referrals at Reddit and new publisher controls sharpened the divide between appearing in AI answers and receiving traffic from them.

Key developments

Connected personal data enters ad targeting

Google is testing AI Mode ads informed by connected Gmail and Photos accounts. Its privacy policy now includes an exception for ad personalization.

Connecting personal apps can now affect which ads users see in AI search.

Oct 27–29 · Search Engine Journal

Google expands AI Mode ads

Google is expanding AI Mode ads to 10 more countries, including Canada, India and Australia, with Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom announced for Q4. Its Q3 results showed ad revenue growth of 10.5% to about $82 billion, paid-click growth of 8% and a 4% increase in cost per click, while lower AI Mode monetization weighed on search growth.

Advertisers gain AI search placements in more markets while click costs rise.

Oct 28–29 · Google Ads & Commerce Blog · Search Engine Roundtable · Search Engine Roundtable

ChatGPT broadens advertising access

OpenAI expanded ChatGPT Ads to 26 more countries, introduced a wider standard format and opened multi-image ads to all advertisers in beta. Creative enhancements are enabled by default, and Shopify integration is available internationally.

More advertisers can reach ChatGPT users, with automatic changes to campaign creative switched on by default.

Oct 30 · Search Engine Journal · Search Engine Roundtable

DoorDash agrees to buy Instacart

DoorDash agreed to acquire Instacart for about $17 billion, combining delivery and advertising platforms. Instacart shareholders would receive $65 a share, at least 75% in cash, and closing could take until 2028.

The proposed deal would bring two retail advertising platforms under one owner if it clears regulatory review.

Oct 29 · Adweek · PPC Land

Reddit loses search referrals

Reddit says search referrals are falling, with its CEO pointing to Google's AI Overviews and saying AI Mode does not drive traffic.

Visibility in Google's AI answers is not replacing lost website visits for Reddit.

Oct 30 · Search Engine Journal

Publishers gain separate AI controls

Google, Microsoft and OpenAI plan to honor a shared robots.txt control for AI training preferences, although their approaches differ. Microsoft also announced Bing controls separating AI training from search grounding while preserving eligibility for Bing search results.

Publishers can express different preferences for model training and search use rather than treating both as one permission.

Oct 30–Nov 1 · Google Search Central Blog · Search Engine Roundtable · Search Engine Journal

Fnac fined over ignored consent

CNIL fined Fnac €7 million after its app continued sending tracking data despite users refusing consent. Fnac has one month to comply or faces a €10,000 daily penalty.

A consent refusal that does not stop tracking exposes app operators to fines and continuing penalties.

Oct 29 · PPC Land

Shopify adds agent commissions

Shopify's catalog now returns a commission alongside promoted products' prices and reviews. Whether an AI shopping agent uses that information depends on its developer.

Merchant commissions create a potential financial influence on which products shopping agents recommend.

Oct 30 · Search Engine Journal

Holiday tracking audit finds missing orders

An audit covering eight ecommerce brands found that GA4 missed two-thirds of one retailer's holiday orders. The shortfall applies to that retailer, not the entire sample.

Missing orders can make successful campaigns look less profitable during peak trading.

Oct 28 · Search Engine Journal

HubSpot grows despite traffic losses

HubSpot lost 80% of its traffic while revenue continued growing, according to CMO Kipp Bodnar. He highlighted revenue per visit, AI referral conversions and audiences beyond Google.

Falling visit counts alone can give a misleading picture of acquisition performance.

Oct 29 · Search Engine Journal

Also this week

Advertising platforms

• Pinterest's new programmatic buying deal will make its ads available through third-party exchanges including Yahoo, Amazon and Google. Social Media Today - Latest News · Social Media Today - Latest News

• Meta added an Ads Manager Breakdown feature showing performance insights for individual promotional elements, with reporting limitations. Social Media Today - Latest News

• Walmart opened more than 3,300 shopper-data audience segments to advertisers on Vibe's connected-TV platform. Adweek

• Amazon's Q3 advertising growth slowed following Prime Day's move to June and a lack of NBA content, while the company said external AI agents were not hurting its ad business. Marketing Dive · Adweek

• Pinterest added more than 20 million users since Q2, including 17 million outside its core markets. Social Media Today - Latest News

Search and discovery

• An analysis of three years of US and France data found uneven organic traffic losses, growing paid search and AI referrals still accounting for a small share of visits. Growth Memo

• Google turned off a Discover AI summary experiment after a bug disabled source clicks. Search Engine Journal

• OpenAI data showed information lookup now accounts for about as large a share of consumer ChatGPT messages as writing, with a smaller increase than earlier data indicated. Search Engine Journal

• Google opened a preview of its Connected Apps Platform, allowing developers to bring app capabilities directly into Search and Gemini. Search Engine Roundtable

• Google Business Profile now lets restaurants disable individual third-party ordering providers directly in the dashboard. Search Engine Journal · Search Engine Roundtable

• Discord plans web pages for its most public servers that may include AI summaries and messages search engines can display. Search Engine Journal

• TikTok added Must Eat, a US in-app restaurant guide featuring community-sourced dining spots. Social Media Today - Latest News

• Google updated its spam guidance with indexing advice for pages made for sharing. Search Engine Journal

• An experiment tracking three ChatGPT shopping conversations found that the first search introduced an unasked concern in two of them. AI (Artificial Intelligence) Insights fr

Audience formats

• Instagram began a limited US test of new long-form video formats. Social Media Today - Latest News

• A US survey found that more than half of adults get news through social media, with the share rising sharply over four years. Social Media Today - Latest News

• YouTube added microdrama subscriptions and serialized publishing tools, saying the format generated more than 6.5 billion views in the first half of 2026. YouTube Official Blog · Social Media Today - Latest News

• Reddit introduced a personalized For You feed with algorithm-defined recommendations and discovery updates. Social Media Today - Latest News

Growth and leadership

• P.F. Chang's moved from 22nd to third in same-store sales growth among its competitive set a year into its turnaround. Marketing Dive

• Trinny London expanded its direct-mail experiments after reporting an “amazing conversion rate.” Marketing Week

• Coca-Cola's quarterly growth came more from volume than pricing, while CEO Henrique Braun defended its brands' ability to price with inflation. Marketing Week

• B&M appointed former Matalan marketing director Charlotte Dewhurst to its newly created customer and marketing director role. Marketing Week

Brand campaigns

• Warner Bros.' Cat in the Hat campaign combines a mobile minigame and Alexa integration with placements across Twitch, Prime Video and IMDb. Marketing Dive

• Ulta Beauty's holiday campaign features Selena Gomez and Tate McRae, whose brands are sold by the retailer. Adweek

• Sainsbury's is moving more Christmas spending away from TV while retaining its BFG asset and plans to rework its marketing department in 2027. Marketing Week

• Argos is emphasizing nostalgia, product range and distinctive brand assets in its Christmas campaign after attracting more customers for products beyond toys. Marketing Week

• Tesco launched a three-minute Christmas film starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Roisin Conaty about a chance reconnection. Marketing Week

What to watch

• Watch for AI Mode ads to reach Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom during Q4.

• Watch whether Fnac brings its app tracking into compliance within the one-month deadline; failure would trigger a €10,000 daily penalty.

• Watch regulatory clearance and closing conditions for DoorDash's proposed Instacart acquisition; completion could take until 2028.