- - Paid Ads – Visibility – Artificial Intelligence - Paid Ads – Visibility – Artificial Intelligence - Paid Ads – Visibility – Artificial Intelligence
PPC ISN’T DEAD. IT’S JUST GETTING SMARTER. AND RISKIER.
Every platform now promises “hands-free” campaigns. Google wants you to press the PMax button and walk away. LinkedIn says it can find your next buyer while you sleep. And half of LinkedIn seems convinced ChatGPT can write your ad strategy before lunch.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: AI will happily spend your money. It won’t care if it’s wasted. Performance marketing is evolving fast, but strategy hasn’t been automated. Yet.
AUTOMATION ISN’T NEW. IT’S TABLE STAKES
Smart Bidding, responsive search ads, audience modelling… We’ve been using these for years. They’re efficient, reliable and boring (that’s a compliment).
- Smart Bidding optimises auction-time bids.
- Responsive Ads mix and match headlines.
- Audience signals feed algorithms the right context.
- Performance Max scales reach across Google inventory.
These are basics now, not innovation. Skip them and you’re just paying more for the same clicks. But here’s the catch: they still need guardrails. A bad ROAS target or sloppy negative list can burn thousands before lunch.
THE NEW AI WAVE: GENERATIVE, PREDICTIVE, STILL MATURING
What’s new isn’t automation. It’s generation and prediction. AI tools can now draft ad copy, create visuals, forecast lifetime value, and even hint at where your audience might be next. That’s exciting, but it’s early days.
AI Copy Tools
Generative copy tools are excellent for speed and idea generation, but still need human editing to ensure on-brand voice, accurate claims and compliance.
Dynamic Creative Testing
Dynamic creative testing can spin up endless variants. Human review keeps them relevant and brand-safe.
Cross-channel discovery
Some third-party AI marketing platforms suggest new platforms or placements (e.g., testing TikTok or Reddit alongside your paid search). These insights can be useful, but they still need validation before spend.
Think of AI like autopilot: superb for the heavy lifting, but it doesn’t know your destination or risk tolerance without a human setting the flight plan.
WHY HUMANS STILL MATTERS
OncAI wins at scale and speed. Humans win at context and intent.
- We know the real business metrics (margin, LTV, pipeline quality).
- We understand seasonality, brand nuance, and risk appetite.
- We see when the algorithm is chasing junk conversions or irrelevant placements.
When humans step out, campaigns drift towards cheap vanity metrics. Great for platform dashboards, terrible for actual ROI.
DATA: YOUR NEW COMPETITIVE EDGE
Privacy changes killed lazy tracking. Third-party cookies are almost gone. Now, first-party data and clean measurement are king.
- Set up Consent Mode and server-side tagging.
- Keep lists accurate, dedupe events, expire old users.
- Track business outcomes, not just form fills.
Bad data doesn’t just waste spend. It teaches the algorithm bad behaviour. And it won’t apologise.
CREATIVE: THE ONE THING MACHINES STILL CAN’T NAIL
Automation makes targeting easy, so creative is the battleground. If your ads look like stock photos and your copy reads like a briefing doc, AI will just amplify mediocrity.
- Feed strong, on-brand creative.
- Test hooks and angles with intent, not randomness.
- Refresh quarterly based on insights, not boredom.
Generative tools can help ideate, but someone has to curate and sharpen.
THE SMART PLAYBOOK (WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO)
At TIDAL, we run PPC like this:
Audit and Objectives
Define real business goals, not just clicks.
Measurement First
Consent Mode, server-side, events deduped.
Structured Automation
Use smart bidding, responsive ads, Pmax, but with exclusions and control.
Human QA
Daily spend checks, weekly creative reviews, monthly strategy resets.
Creative Sprints
Quarterly refresh informed by data, not trends.
Next Gen Testing
Carefully test generative tools; keep what works, kill what doesn’t.
Machines scale. Humans keep them honest.
DON’T FALL FOR THESE TRAPS
Set and forget
It’s not “passive income”; it’s passive waste.
All-in PMax
Zero visibility = zero control.
Over-targeting
Fifty audiences saying the same thing. Simplify.
Auto-apply everything
Recommendations are sales pitches, not gospel.
THE BOTTOM LINE
AI isn’t coming for your job. It’s coming for your budget.
Use it as leverage, not autopilot. Build clean data, smart measurement, and brave creative. Review relentlessly.
That’s how we run PPC at TIDAL.
LET’S TALK.
If you’re tired of donating ad spend to Google’s learning phase, talk to us. We’ll keep the machines working for you, not against you.
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