📈 TikTok’s Smart+, Sora’s IP controls & Ads in AI Overviews

TikTok announced upgrades to Smart+, its AI-powered buying flow, letting advertisers fine-tune automation across targeting, budget and creative, and rolled out better attribution and a GMV Max dashboard for Shop sellers. Generative tools will also resize, refresh audio, translate, and quality-boost creatives. The push lands ahead of peak season and tightens TikTok’s “automation by default” strategy for performance. Early coverage highlights module-by-module controls and clearer reporting for creators and merchants.

Why it matters: Expect less toggle-twiddling and more outcome-based setup; teams should test Smart+ levels, creative variants, and GMV Max signals now. 📰 TikTok Newsroom

Following invite-only launch of Sora 2, OpenAI said it will work with studios and artists to block unauthorised character generation and respond to takedowns via a disputes process. Sam Altman signalled monetisation and potential revenue-share options with rightsholders. For now, blanket opt-out isn’t available, but OpenAI says controls are coming. The episode underscores how fast fan-fiction-style AI video is colliding with licensing norms.

Why it matters: Brand safety and IP compliance are now table-stakes for AI video. Marketers should lock usage terms before touching characters, logos, or likenesses. 📰 The Guardian

This week saw noticeable Google Search turbulence, alongside tests that rush users into AI Mode faster and experiments with AI-generated snippets. Google also expanded AI Mode to 35 new languages and 40 countries, and tweaked visual/shopping features. Practically, publishers reported movement while SEOs flagged new SERP behaviours. It’s another nudge toward conversational, multimodal exploration inside Search.

Why it matters: Content discovery is shifting; plan for AEO/AI-Mode answers, structured data, and “ask-me-anything” journeys that surface your brand. 📰 SEO Round Table

Google has confirmed that ads embedded in AI Overviews will roll out to select English-speaking markets outside the US before the end of 2025. The expansion follows months of US-only testing and opens fresh upper-funnel inventory inside summary blocks. Marketers should expect new placements and measurement wrinkles as formats stabilise. For regulated or complex categories, creative clarity will matter more than ever.

Why it matters: Start creative/keyword audits now. Copy, claims, and landing pages must read well when excerpted by AI. 📰 PPC Newsfeed

A SAS/Coleman Parkes survey finds 93% of CMOs and 83% of marketing teams see ROI from GenAI, with EMEA usage at 85%. Beyond chatbots and copy, teams are growing into trend detection, journey mapping, synthetic data, and digital twins. Marketers also cited gains in personalisation, data handling, and cost efficiency. Investment is set to rise through 2026, with caveats around ethics and measurement.

Why it matters: The ROI narrative is here. Budget holders will expect line-of-sight to lift, not just productivity anecdotes. 📰 TechRadar Pro

In response to Sora 2 generating copyrighted characters, OpenAI committed to stronger controls and enforcement. This matters for brand/IP owners experimenting with AI video.

OpenAI’s DevDay (6 Oct) pushed ChatGPT from single app to ecosystem: richer agents, app-like experiences, and broader multimodal models. Commentators argue the “storefront” dynamic changes distribution—brands can build assistant experiences that live where users already are. If agentic commerce and native checkout mature, the funnel collapses from search → site → checkout into “discover → converse → buy” inside chat. For marketers, that reframes conversion design from pages and forms to dialogues and tasks.

Bold new surface, tighter loops
Agents embedded in ChatGPT (and elsewhere) reduce friction - recommendation, configuration, and checkout could happen in one flow. This raises the bar on product data, pricing logic, and guardrails. It also creates a premium for conversational UX and trustworthy retrieval. Expect early-mover advantage in categories with high decision friction.

From channels to intents
If traffic shifts from web sessions to agent sessions, “channel” metrics give way to intent fulfilment metrics (task success, step-drop, clarification turns). Attribution will lean on conversation transcripts and signed events. CRM needs to ingest these signals to power lifecycle automation.

Creative and compliance implications
Agents will generate copy, images, and video variants contextually. Governance must travel with generation: brand rules, claims, and usage rights in-stream. Legal/PR teams should pre-approve on-brand responses and escalation paths for sensitive prompts.

The build vs. partner call
Not every brand should ship its own agent; many will partner with marketplaces or vertical assistants. Evaluate where owning the conversation drives incremental LTV versus where distribution beats control. Pilot narrowly, measure ruthlessly.

Our takeaway: Treat agentic surfaces as new storefronts. Start with one high-value task (e.g., guided product fit or re-order), wire it to inventory/pricing, and A/B against your current funnel. 📖 Read the full article on Venturebeat (see also recap: Trew Knowledge)

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