Looking for AI Alternatives to Performance Max and Advantage+

By Yair Yaskerovitch, COO, Zoomd

Today, it seems like everything is running on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While AI technology is enabling marketers to analyze large datasets in real-time in order to optimize marketing performance like never before, it’s important to balance AI with human input and creativity.

Two of the most frequently used AI-driven technologies in online advertising are Google’s Performance Max and Meta’s Advantage+. While both solutions have enabled thousands of marketers to improve Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) by optimizing conversions, this has come at a cost.

First, these solutions operate as black boxes, running campaigns across Google and Meta’s networks without providing marketers with details regarding which ads or placements generated the best performance. Second, these solutions require conversion data and a budget in order to achieve performance. Therefore, most marketers will not be able to ‘test the waters’ with these technologies without making a major commitment.

However, there are other AI-powered solutions that enable marketers to maintain greater control over their data and budgets.

Manage customer data

With privacy legislation and the resulting product changes, marketers are increasingly aggregating first-party data to power their marketing campaigns. That’s why marketers should consider working with a CRM, CDP, or DMP.

Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and Data Management Platforms (DMPs) are built to manage data. Though both categories of products offer great solutions for marketers, I’m going to recommend HubSpot, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM). For a marketer starting their path towards data ownership, HubSpot offers a solution that enables interpreting customer data to generate actionable insights for empowering personalized marketing campaigns. Using AI to automate lead scoring and predict customer behavior, HubSpot is a great tool to strengthen relationships by engaging with customers through relevant and targeting content marketing.

Make it engaging

Another ‘must have’ solution for marketers, particularly those without an in-house studio, is Canva. By providing stock photos, images and templates and easy-to-use editing tools, Canva enables any marketer to run campaigns with strong visuals easily. Canva’s AI capabilities enable creating videos based on text prompts. And adding filters, stickers and other modifications to a Canva-created video are fast and simple to do. Going beyond the company’s AI-powered technology, Canva offers have integrated with a range of external apps and platforms through the company’s app discovery offering.

Open and transparent AI

There are marketing solutions using advanced AI technologies to optimize your marketing campaign, which enable showing marketers exactly how each ad unit and creative performed across leading search and social platforms. One such solution is Albert AI, which takes a marketer’s creative variables, including texts, images and videos, and keywords, and compiles them into ad creative units, which are then targeted and served according to marketer-defined budgets and objectives. When reviewing campaign performance reports, marketers realize how each ad creative performed across all the platforms, enabling them to understand exactly how Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) has improved.

TikTok recently rolled out a new AI-based video offering called the Symphony Creative Studio, which automatically creates TikTok-style video clips using the company’s AI technology. Marketers provide TikTok with a product description or URL with creative assets and data, and multiple video options are generated. TikTok provides multilingual support as well as licensed creative assets. For marketers without a creative studio or those looking for a quick turnaround or to test TikTok’s AI technology, the Symphony Creative Studio is a fast and easy way to check out the platform and its AI technology.

Despite the focus of performance marketers on Google and Meta, there are other large platforms offering AI-powered performance marketing solutions. And if you’re set on working with a solution called Performance Max or PMAX, Microsoft has you covered. The company’s Performance Max solution enables conversion-focused marketers to target prospective users via rich ads across Bing, AOL, Yahoo, MSN, Edge, Outlook, and more. Thanks to Microsoft’s relationship with Chat GPT developer Open AI, marketers can be assured they’re working with sophisticated marketing-focused AI technology.

Now is definitely the time to tap into AI technology to optimize marketing performance. And it makes sense to look beyond the leading platforms to find the AI-powered solutions that most effectively enable growing your business.

Tags: AI