Be in The Know
▶️ YouTube tests an AI search mode.
👻 Snap launches AI Sponsored Snaps for conversational ads.
💼 LinkedIn expands Event Ads beyond its own platform.
🔋 Meta announces a solar-power project to offset AI initiatives.
🎨 Adobe relies on Firefly to win over creators.
Cheaper Clicks Aren’t Always Better
Rising cost-per-click can actually signal improving campaign quality rather than declining performance.
With smart bidding, we’re no longer paying for clicks indiscriminately, instead bidding on the likelihood of conversion. Algorithms evaluate signals like intent, behavior, and context, and then bid more aggressively for users who are more likely to convert.
As a result, higher CPCs often mean you’re winning auctions for the most valuable prospects, not wasting spend.
Cheap clicks are often cheap because they’re low intent, ignored by competitors, or tied to irrelevant queries.
Here’s what to know:
- High CPC can indicate high intent. You’re paying more to reach users closer to conversion.
- Smart bidding prioritizes value, not volume. Algorithms optimize for outcomes like conversions or revenue.
- Low CPC can signal poor traffic quality. “Leftover” clicks often don’t convert.
- Business economics matter more than click cost. Metrics like CPA and ROAS are more meaningful than CPC alone.
- Context is critical. High CPC is good only if conversion rates and profitability follow.
- And there are limits. High CPC becomes a problem when it exceeds the value of a customer or reflects inefficiencies.
Head to Search Engine Journal for more on the high CPC paradox.
Q for You
How concerned are you about the environmental impact of AI?
Audiense
Audiense is an audience intelligence tool that analyzes large volumes of social data to reveal interests, behaviors, cultural affinities, and even personality traits.
Its segmentation engine groups audiences based on shared characteristics and relationships instead of filters.
Then, these segments are enriched with insights like media consumption, influencer affinities, and online habits.
You translate all of this into personas, targeting strategies, and content decisions.
Now Streaming
✨ Don’t miss the latest episode of The Daily Carnage Show, Nike Runs into Controversy (12:20).
Shannon breaks down the “Walkers Tolerated” Nike controversy, and how competitors Altra, Asics, and Ecco responded with their own inclusive campaigns. Plus, ChatGPT ads move from outrageous CPMs to reasonable CPCs, Facebook wants to dip into your camera roll for inspiration, deviantArt sells its soul, and Starbucks and Little Caesars are taking orders through ChatGPT.
Catch up on Season 2:
- Transgressive OOH (18:45)
- Your Brain on AI (12:33)
- Meta, McDonald’s Mukbang, and The OpenAI Mess (14:41)
- Ethics in the AI Era (18:33)
🎙️ Now streaming on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.
Sponsor The Daily Carnage
“The Daily Carnage was the newsletter that brought us the most meaningful demo clicks and new trials.” — Digital Summit
“Open rate was nearly 50% and CTR was relatively high, especially considering this newsletter’s audience was likely being exposed to our event for the first time.” — Adweek
Hop on our 2026 sponsorship calendar to get your content in front of 25,000 marketers.
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Dark Mode
Plenitude’s “Dark Mode Ads” by LePub is a game-changer for OOH (hopefully).
The campaign focuses on reducing the energy consumption of digital out-of-home advertising without any changes to physical infrastructure.
By redesigning ad creatives with predominantly dark color palettes, Plenitude was able to lower the electricity needed to run LED screens by up to 74%.
And now, they’ve introduced a system that allows other brands to adapt their campaigns to the same format.
r/TheDailyCarnage
Weigh in on The Daily Carnage Subreddit:
- The Daily Carnage Show Ep 2.5 Discussion: “How do you feel about ordering from a chatbot instead of a menu? Would you let ChatGPT customize your order?”
- B2B lead gen and data enrichment tools: “Our team has just had an abysmal experience with Seamless.ai and we’re interested in exploring competitor. Do you have a tool you’d recommend?”
- Using LinkedIn’s Post Inspector to Reset Cached Meta Data and Images: “LinkedIn will sometimes stubbornly associate an out of date featured image with a URL from your website. Here’s a super simple fix.”
Ads from The Past
Jelly Belly, 1993
