Microsoft Advertising Platform now offers Copilot to all advertisers

Microsoft Advertising this week announced the general availability of Copilot within the Microsoft Advertising Platform. This AI-powered tool aims to be an advertiser's companion, assisting with campaign creation, offering real-time support, and boosting creativity.

Microsoft positions Copilot as a solution for busy marketers seeking to streamline workflows and improve advertising effectiveness. According to the company, early testing demonstrated Copilot's ability to:

• Reduce workload and free up time for strategic decision-making.
• Enhance campaign performance.
• Simplify the learning curve for new advertisers.

Features and benefits of Copilot

The announcement highlights several key functionalities of Copilot within the Microsoft Advertising Platform:

• 24/7 Conversational Support: Copilot offers real-time answers to user queries directly within the platform. This includes synthesizing relevant information and providing links to helpful resources. If needed, Copilot can connect users with human support agents who have full context of the user's inquiry.
• AI-powered Campaign Creation: Copilot can generate recommendations for ad copy and visuals during campaign creation. Simply entering a website URL prompts Copilot to suggest relevant messaging and imagery for ad assets. Users retain complete control and can refine these suggestions with built-in tools or by providing custom prompts. An image creation tool within Copilot allows users to generate high-quality visuals on demand.
• Enhanced Creativity and Experimentation: Copilot facilitates ideation and iteration within the advertising process. Marketers can leverage Copilot to brainstorm new campaign concepts, explore variations on successful campaigns, or personalize ad assets to target audiences more effectively.

Early results and future developments

Microsoft Advertising cites positive results from initial testing of Copilot. Notably, they report a 29% reduction in support tickets associated with the new AI-powered sign-up workflow. Additionally, over half of users who engage with Copilot for ad creative co-creation utilize the AI-generated assets in their campaigns.

The announcement also teases upcoming features, such as:

• Insights and Reporting: Copilot will soon offer functionalities to help users analyze campaign performance directly within the conversational chat interface. This includes summarizing campaign data upon request.
• Refined Image Customization: Advertisers will gain the ability to customize backgrounds of existing image assets using generative AI.
• Display and Video Ad Support: Asset recommendations from Copilot will be expanded to include display and video ads, enabling a more comprehensive multi-format advertising approach.

Conversational search and its implications

The announcement places Copilot within the broader context of Microsoft's conversational search technology. According to Microsoft, user behavior suggests a growing preference for conversational search experiences. This trend presents significant opportunities for advertisers and publishers.

Here are some key takeaways for marketers:

• Evolving Search Landscape: Conversational search is gaining traction, potentially impacting user journeys and search habits.
• Potential for Increased Engagement: Ads displayed within conversational search experiences demonstrate strong engagement compared to traditional search ads.
• Synergy Between Search Experiences: Combining conversational search with traditional search can lead to higher click-through rates, suggesting potential benefits for integrated advertising strategies.
• Understanding User Intent: Conversational search allows for a deeper understanding of user intent, potentially leading to more relevant and valuable ad experiences.

Overall, the introduction of Copilot and the emphasis on conversational search highlight Microsoft Advertising's focus on AI-powered solutions for advertisers. As this technology evolves, marketers should stay informed about its capabilities and potential impact on advertising strategies and user behavior.