📰 LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads and Amazon Ads news

Amazon's ad revenue growth slowed to 11% in the third quarter due to the Prime Day timing shift, though it expects high-teens growth to return in Q4.

At the unBoxed 2026 event, Amazon Ads unveiled a major restructuring that merges its DSP and console into Amazon Ads Agent, alongside Full-Funnel Campaigns, DVA+ and conversational shopping ads.

LinkedIn and Google announced that LinkedIn's CTV Ads are now available through Display & Video 360 for US-targeted campaigns, extending B2B professional targeting into connected TV.

TikTok confirmed on October 18 that it restored Bleecker Street's ad account after mistakenly blocking promotion of the 'Musk' documentary, allowing policy-compliant ads to resume.

LinkedIn introduced In-Stream Ads, a pre-roll video format running across eligible creator and publisher content without individual deals, alongside expanded Creator Marketplace search tools.

TikTok unveiled Buy Direct, Shopping Assistant, Agentic Leads, Smart+ for search ads, and the expansion of its TikTok Ad Network (formerly Pangle) to US advertisers, reaching nearly 400,000 apps.

LinkedIn began testing In-Stream Ads with select US creators and advertisers, while also opening Advice Sessions to Business Premium subscribers and launching a new creator dashboard.

LinkedIn and Amazon Ads announced that advertisers can now buy LinkedIn's CTV ads through Amazon DSP for US targeting, activating LinkedIn professional audience data such as job title, industry and seniority for streaming TV campaigns.

LinkedIn announced new tools for professionals running side hustles and confirmed it is testing In-Stream Ads with select partners in the US, alongside a possible new Network feed and digital business cards for mobile.

At its unBoxed 2026 event, Amazon introduced Amazon Ads Agent, merging the ad console and DSP into a single agentic AI-powered platform, along with Full-Funnel Campaigns and DVA+ for display, video and audio.

Amazon's AI campaign intelligence dashboard, which recommends targeting, bid and budget actions, is reaching all US sponsored ads advertisers during October 2026.

TikTok split its Partner Program into Agency Partner and Premier Agency Partner tiers so agencies can better showcase their areas of expertise on the platform.

TikTok announced AI-driven automation tools including Smart+ campaigns for search ads, Smart+ Creative Selection, a conversational lead system called Agentic Leads, and updates to GMV Max.

TikTok introduced Buy Direct, a one-click checkout feature right in the For You feed, alongside a Shopping Assistant that answers sizing and shipping questions before purchase.

TikTok opened its Ad Network to US advertisers inside Ads Manager, extending campaigns off-platform to nearly 400,000 apps, plus adding one-click Buy Direct checkout in the feed.

At Advertising Week New York, TikTok announced Buy Direct in-app checkout, a Shopping Assistant, Agentic Leads, Smart+ for search ads, and the expansion of its TikTok Ad Network to US advertisers.

Amazon Ads announced Amazon Marketing Stream v2, replacing hourly JSON data delivery with Apache Parquet files updated every 15 minutes, alongside Ads Data Manager to unify first-party data within AMC.

At Advertising Week New York, TikTok opened the TikTok Ad Network (TTAN), its nearly 400,000 third-party app network formerly known as Pangle, to US advertisers, alongside launching Buy Direct, an AI shopping assistant and Agentic Leads.

TikTok updated GMV Max to include affiliate commissions, coupons and referral fees in TikTok Shop optimization, aiming to reflect a truer return on investment for sellers.

At Advertising Week New York, TikTok introduced a suite of AI tools including in-feed checkout, a conversational shopping assistant and a lead agent for direct messages, available through selective eligibility tests.

At Advertising Week New York, TikTok introduced in-app checkout Buy Direct, an AI Shopping Assistant, the Agentic Leads agent, Smart+ for search, and opened its TikTok Ad Network (nearly 400,000 apps) to US advertisers.

At Advertising Week NY, TikTok announced opening the TikTok Ad Network to US advertisers, covering nearly 400,000 third-party apps, alongside a new 'Buy Direct' checkout feature and an AI shopping assistant.

At its annual unBoxed conference, Amazon Ads unified Sponsored Ads and Amazon DSP into a single system with three campaign types, including a new Display, Video & Audio (DVA) format that can be AI-optimized automatically.

At New York Advertising Week, TikTok unveiled the expansion of its global mobile ad network (TikTok Ad Network) to US-based advertisers, reaching almost 400,000 third-party publisher apps, along with a new conversational AI Shopping Assistant.

LinkedIn's October 2026 update introduced a new logo that now covers roughly the top 15 percent of mobile videos, requiring advertisers to adjust caption and text placement in video creatives.

LinkedIn is testing a feature letting verified members confirm the work and education experience of their connections, awarding a verification badge after enough confirmations; LinkedIn says verified members get roughly 50% more post views.

At Advertising Week New York, TikTok unveiled Buy Direct for one-click checkout, an AI-powered Shopping Assistant, and opened TikTok Ad Network (TTAN) to US advertisers for the first time, extending reach to nearly 400,000 third-party apps.

At Advertising Week New York 2026, TikTok revealed new AI tools including the 'Buy Direct' checkout, a lead-generation agent, and access to TikTok Ads Network (TTAN) for US advertisers, with no confirmed launch dates yet.

TikTok announced Buy Direct (one-click checkout from the feed), Shopping Assistant, Agentic Leads and the opening of TikTok Ad Network to US advertisers, alongside an MCP connector and Smart+/GMV Max updates.

LinkedIn announced on September 15 that private feedback on generic AI content will appear in post analytics once enough reports are received.

TikTok is giving advertisers expanded capacity to use artificial intelligence to generate video ads with the help of ByteDance's latest AI model, Dreamina Seedance 2.5.

Amazon Ads added pre-built brand penetration indices to Geographic Insights and Activation (GIA), letting advertisers in nine countries visualize where their brand over- or under-indexes versus its category and activate geographic optimization without building an AMC model.

Google is testing making the sponsored products search results block or grid look more like the organic products/shopping grid.

TikTok updated its gambling and games advertising policies in Brazil to prohibit all forms of online gambling ads, including online casinos and sports betting, as well as related information services.

Amazon renamed its unified ad platform Ads Agent, combining Sponsored Ads and Amazon DSP into one place manageable via natural language, while introducing new Full-Funnel Campaigns and DVA+ combining display, video and audio.

On August 31, the FTC and attorneys general from 22 states sued Amazon, alleging that for more than seven years it used an 'invented bidder' to inflate prices paid by over a million brands and sellers across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display.

At unBoxed 2026, Amazon announced Amazon Ads Agent, a unified platform with agentic AI combining the former Ads Console and Amazon DSP, along with new Full-Funnel Campaigns and DVA+.

Amazon announced Sponsored Services to connect shoppers with local service providers (with Yelp as the anchor partner) and generative AI creative tools built directly into the Amazon Ads Agent conversational experience.

Full-Funnel Campaigns combines sponsored ads, display, video and streaming TV into a single AI-managed campaign, and is now available to all US advertisers selling on Amazon.

The FTC and 22 state attorneys general are suing Amazon, alleging it secretly overcharged advertisers in its search ad auctions for more than seven years, rising from 30-40% of auctions in 2021 to about 80% by 2024.

Amazon and OpenAI launched a managed-service pilot placing Amazon DSP ads inside ChatGPT responses, with product feed ads auto-generated from Amazon catalogs, US-only at launch.

Amazon Ads introduced a new tier of tools on its Ads MCP Server allowing third-party AI agents to access specialized capabilities; the first, the AMC SQL Generator, translates natural-language requests into validated Amazon Marketing Cloud SQL queries and is now in closed beta in the US.

Amazon Ads unveiled its new "Amazon Ads Agent" platform at unBoxed 2026, replacing the former Ads Console and Amazon DSP with three campaign types: Sponsored Ads, Display, Video and Audio+ (DVA+), and Full-Funnel Campaigns, all powered by AI with a natural-language chat experience.

For the first time, advertisers can see the overall health status of their campaigns directly in TikTok Ads Manager, labeled Good, Fair, or Poor, with clear guidance to improve and qualify for available coupons and incentives.

TikTok evolved its Agency Badging Program with a new two-tier model to highlight best-in-class agency performance.

TikTok updated its advertising policy for alcohol-related establishments to require approval and certification from local regulating authorities, and explicitly prohibited certain surgeries, including weight loss and aesthetic genital surgeries, in ads.

TikTok introduced a new Agentic Hub that automates reporting, audience management, and budget optimization via AI, alongside a Pulse Mentions feature, though rollout timing to all markets remains unclear.

Starting August 10, Amazon Sponsored Products campaigns began serving inside Amazon Influencer Program creator content with no advertiser action required, sparking controversy over the lack of clear notice about the expansion.

Amazon Ads launched location-based interactive video ads and 'Next Up' ads that appear between episodes on Prime Video, expanding its streaming advertising offering in Australia.

At its 2026 Upfront, Amazon Ads highlighted its authenticated audience graph covering 90% of U.S. households and being named the only leader in omnichannel advertising by Forrester, alongside growth in Prime Video viewership.

Bing is testing a "Top Pick" label on its sponsored result product carousels, highlighting a potential new way for products to stand out in search results. The "Top Pick" label is prominently displayed in the product carousel, potentially drawing more eyes to specific listings. This update was shared.

TikTok unveiled expanded measurement and ad integrity solutions along with new advertiser controls, aiming to build a more transparent, measurable, and trusted advertising ecosystem.

LinkedIn added a 180-day attribution window option for conversion types like Purchase, Lead and Qualified Lead in its Conversions API, alongside richer company intelligence data and CREATIVE_NAME support in dynamic UTM tracking.

Amazon Ads announced that its Amazon Ads MCP Server is now available in open beta, aiming to reduce advertising workflow complexity through AI agent integration.

LinkedIn now allows advertisers to target audiences based on LinkedIn profile data within Search and Audience campaigns, improving B2B targeting precision.

Amazon Ads officially announced that its flagship unBoxed 2026 conference will take place from September 28–30 at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, expected to bring new ad formats, AI capabilities, and measurement tools. The event will gather advertisers, agencies, and developers to learn about upcoming platform innovations.

TikTok continues strengthening requirements for brands and agencies to operate from a verified, official presence on the platform, expanding formal agency recognition based on managed spend.

Amazon Ads confirmed its flagship unBoxed 2026 event will take place September 28-30 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where it will unveil new AI-powered advertising products.

Amazon Ads announced a partnership with OpenAI to enable conversational advertising within ChatGPT, with select U.S. advertisers currently testing the format as part of a pilot.

Amazon Ads announced that Prime Video advertising will be introduced in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Turkey during 2026, expanding its streaming ad inventory in Europe.

LinkedIn announced new ad options including Reserved Ads to maximize impact, ad personalization, and AI-generated ad variants.

Starting August 1, a specific group of Amazon advertisers contacted directly lost the ability to use a credit card as their primary ad payment method, with costs now deducted from seller/vendor account balance or via Pay by Invoice. Amazon clarified the change is narrow and does not affect most advertisers, who were already paying via account balance deduction.

The FTC and 22 state attorneys general filed suit against Amazon alleging it secretly inflated prices in its advertising auctions after 2019 rule changes, potentially costing advertisers more than $20 billion.

TikTok Ads introduced Mini Series, an in-app episodic storytelling feature for brands and marketers, paired with Growth Max to amplify automated ad performance.

TikTok published its ad policy change log updated through September 2026, with accumulated modifications across categories like financial services, alcohol, prediction markets, and adult content.

Amazon Ads invited advertisers to its annual flagship conference, where it will share how AI and new advertising solutions aim to make it easier for brands of every size to drive results.

TikTok introduced Growth Max: Mini Games, a new way to promote games directly within the app, letting users engage without ever leaving TikTok.

TikTok announced an update to its Financial Services ad policy allowing Contracts for Difference (CFD) ads in Canada and the United States, subject to strict compliance and prior approval from a TikTok sales representative.

TikTok announced that SMB advertisers can now choose full, partial, or manual automation control over audience, budget, placements, and catalog within Smart+, with new visual labels in the interface.

LinkedIn confirmed that Marketing API version 202508 will be sunset on August 17, 2026, recommending developers migrate to newer versions to avoid service disruptions.

LinkedIn added AI ad copy generation, a reusable Brand Kit, and multi-variant ad creation to Campaign Manager to speed up testing of BrandLink creatives.