Microsoft launches open beta for AI-powered native asset generation

Microsoft has announced the launch of an open beta for its new Native Asset Generation feature, designed to streamline the creation of advertising assets through AI-powered automation. The announcement came on September 23, 2024, just over a week ago.

The Native Asset Generation feature leverages artificial intelligence to automate the production of advertising materials, including images and text. According to Microsoft Learn documentation, this new tool aims to enhance efficiency in the creation of native ad assets while ensuring high quality and relevance.

How native asset generation works

The process of Native Asset Generation involves several key steps:

1. Crawling and Rendering: The system retrieves raw HTML from the target webpage and temporarily stores it. A headless browser then renders the page to ensure accurate data retrieval.
2. Image and Text Generation:
   • Images are collected from HTML img tags and supplemented with relevant images from Bing image search using the target domain.
   • A large language model (LLM) generates contextually relevant text assets.
3. UI Integration: The user interface seamlessly incorporates the retrieved images and generated text to form high-quality native ad components.

Benefits for advertisers

Microsoft's Native Asset Generation offers several advantages to advertisers:

• Increased Efficiency: The AI-driven process allows for the creation of advertising assets at scale, reducing the time and effort required to produce content.
• Improved Campaign Management: Advertisers can quickly adapt to market changes and consumer behavior with optimized assets that resonate with target audiences.
• Enhanced Engagement: The system aims to generate diverse and high-quality assets that drive user engagement.

Setting up native asset generation

Advertisers can access the new feature through Microsoft Invest's Creative Manager. The setup process involves:

1. Navigating to the Creative Manager pane
2. Selecting an advertiser to associate with the creative
3. Choosing "Asset Generation" from the New dropdown menu
4. Entering a valid landing page URL to view recommendations
5. Selecting a creative from the recommendations and proceeding with configuration

The system allows for customization of various elements, including titles, body text, and image adjustments. Advertisers can preview different options before finalizing their assets.

Smart image adjustments

One notable feature of Native Asset Generation is the ability to automatically resize main native creatives and icons. Advertisers can choose between two options:

1. Including white bars to fill placement
2. Cropping the image to fit placement

These options provide flexibility in how images are displayed within ad placements.

Availability and cost

Microsoft has made the Native Asset Generation feature available as an open beta. According to the documentation, there are no additional costs associated with using this feature during the beta period.

Technical requirements and limitations

While the new feature offers significant advantages, there are some technical considerations:

• The feature currently supports only specific media types.
• Landing page URLs must use the advertiser's domain name and be valid and secure.
• The initial creative setup may have limitations on icon selection, requiring users to save and re-edit to add icon assets.

Industry impact

The introduction of Native Asset Generation reflects a growing trend in the advertising industry towards AI-powered tools. This move by Microsoft could potentially:

• Accelerate the adoption of AI in advertising workflows
• Increase competition among ad platforms to offer similar AI-driven features
• Raise questions about the balance between automation and human creativity in ad creation

Key Facts

• Launch Date: September 23, 2024
• Feature Name: Native Asset Generation
• Current Status: Open Beta
• Cost: No additional charges during beta
• Primary Function: AI-driven creation of images and text for native ads
• Key Benefits: Increased efficiency, improved campaign management, enhanced engagement
• Availability: Contact Microsoft Advertising Account Representative or support team for access