Google is slowly opening its black box — but marketers aren’t so convinced

Google has updated Performance Max with new Channel Performance reporting, in an attempt to address marketers’ frustrations.

July 23, 2025

Google is slowly opening its black box — but marketers aren't so convinced Google has updated Performance Max with new reporting to marketers. The problem: it's on Google's terms, so marketers are still facing more challenges. Additional coverage: Ad buyers feel like CTV inventory is being marked up to too high of a degree — by streaming services and by ad tech intermediaries — and they're backing up those claims. Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad says AI tools like Google's Overviews haven't hurt traffic — yet. But the publisher is dialing up its diversification strategy, aiming to reduce digital ad reliance from 63% to 55% of revenue next year. Digiday's 2025 Influencer Index measures the impact influencers have on consumers' purchasing behaviors. In this first installment, see how influencers are driving engagement on Instagram. Brand safety and media spend is evolving as part of a pendulum swing. Five years ago, brands shied away from advertising in conservative media channels, fearful of backlash. But there's a new status quo: agency partners are navigating partnerships and ad spend with faith-based media. Brainlabs acquired Exverus Media in a bid to flesh out its full-funnel offerings. From sister site, Modern Retail: Sam's Club is looking to its pharmacy to drive growth and retention within its overall membership base, adding new services such as same-day delivery and pet insurance. Other things to know about As movers form new habits — like purchasing new kinds of products, exploring new brands, outfitting their new home and more — advertisers have the opportunity to reach new consumers if they get their targeting right. Sponsored by Realtor.com. The latest contextual ad technology uses AI to understand the intent and emotion behind shopping habits. Neuro-contextual ad targeting makes marketers less reliant on traditional contextual tools like tracking and profiling by mirroring human cognition. Sponsored by Seedtag. For digital channels like email and SMS to deliver high ROI, brands and agencies need to power their efforts with timely, relevant and behavior-driven logic and data. Sponsored by Klaviyo. Top Stories Ivy Liu Marketing on Platforms Google is slowly opening its black box — but marketers aren't so convinced Google has updated Performance Max with new Channel Performance reporting, in an attempt to address marketers’ frustrations. howdy! Business of TV Future of TV Briefing: CTV ad buyers say 'the math isn't mathing' with sell-side shadiness, ad tech fees This week's Future of TV Briefing recaps what brand and agency executives had to say behind closed doors at last week's CTV Advertising Strategies event in New York City. Advertisement Sponsored by TeenVoice What Gen Z shopping habits reveal about Gen Alpha The differences between younger Gen Z (ages 13-14) and older Gen Z (ages 17-18) offer hints about how Gen Alpha may shop in the future. howdy! Zero-click Future To beat the AI squeeze, Newsweek is building revenue beyond traffic Newsweek is aiming to cut its reliance on digital ads from 63% to 55% of revenue next year. Sponsored by Fluent Why non-endemic commerce media is a win-win for merchants and advertisers Non-endemic commerce media allows merchants to tap into premium attention and engagement without disrupting their customers' purchase journeys, while advertisers get smarter targeting backed by first-party data and contextual relevance. Read the explainer guide. howdy! Glossy Digiday+ Research 2025 Influencer Index: Key strategies influencers use to drive engagement on Instagram Digiday's 2025 Influencer Index measures the impact influencers have on consumers' purchasing behaviors. This first installment looks specifically at Instagram. Advertisement Sponsored by Celtra Why creative, not media, is the biggest blocker to marketing performance Advertisers need to implement a connected, end-to-end creative supply chain — a system that supports efficiency, agility, consistency and growth. howdy! Brand Safety Confessions of a comms exec on exploring conservative media partnerships in hyper-partisan era Agencies and brands are cautiously testing conservative media buys, partnerships and messaging as brand safety concerns shift. howdy! Evolving Agencies Brainlabs acquires Exverus Media in a bid to flesh out its full-funnel offerings The thinking behind the acquisition is to round out Brainlabs' offering to be more full-funnel, given Exverus' abilities at the upper end of it. All Latest Stories

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