This week: Google won't have to sell Chrome after judge's antitrust ruling but must share search data with competitors, Meta announced wearables coming to their Connect conference, Google Ad Manager is taking steps toward independence, Apple is building its own AI search engine, and TikTok expanded its shopping options to more businesses.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google can keep its Chrome browser but must share search data with competitors and end exclusive search deals that made Google the default search engine on devices like iPhones.
This truth vs platform truth moment creates both challenges and opportunities for advertisers. While Google's core search dominance remains intact, the ruling could eventually lead to more diverse ad spend allocation as competitors gain access to valuable search data and potentially capture more market share through new default search partnerships.
Meta is planning to unveil a new wearable device at its upcoming Connect conference later this month, potentially expanding the company's hardware ecosystem beyond VR/AR headsets.
This breaking through the walled garden move gives advertisers a potential new surface for reaching Meta's audience outside of traditional platforms. Wearables could offer new ad formats, additional targeting signals, and deeper integration with Meta's existing platforms, creating fresh opportunities for omnichannel marketing strategies.
Apple is preparing its own AI search engine, known internally as "World Knowledge Answers," set to launch next spring as part of a Siri overhaul that will transform it into an answer engine similar to Google's AI Overviews.
This is a classic case of solving three steps ahead where advertisers need to prepare for a fundamentally changed search landscape. Apple's entrance into AI search with its massive device ecosystem means brands will need to optimize not just for Google but also for how Apple's AI systems surface and summarize content across Siri, Safari, and iOS.
Google has been working to make Google Ad Manager (GAM) more self-sufficient, with staff attempting to entice ad agencies with new tools that create direct relationships with buyers.
This shift could help advertisers escape the platform pixel politics that often complicate ad measurement. A more independent GAM might offer greater transparency, better direct relationships with publishers, and potentially more competitive pricing as Google prepares for possible regulatory requirements to separate parts of its ad tech business.
TikTok has expanded its in-app shopping features to more businesses, creating new opportunities for brands to sell products directly within the platform.
For advertisers drowning in data about attribution, this creates a more direct path from discovery to purchase. The expanded shopping capabilities allow advertisers to reduce friction in the conversion process, create more seamless shopping experiences, and better track performance from impression to purchase all within the TikTok ecosystem.