Monday 27th October | #59 | Join Free
AI’s moving faster than most brands can keep up. Today’s issue looks at what happens when Meta’s ad system starts “optimising” your creative, why 85% of UK marketers now rely on AI daily, and how ITV’s new GenAI Ads Manager could finally make TV ads affordable for small brands. Plus, the surprise tariff bills hitting US shoppers, and Meta’s next data move that could reshape ad targeting. Let’s dive in 👇 - Mike Callachan (BtB Founder)
In today’s beyond the basket:
👵 What happens when your ad creative meets Meta’s AI
🤖 85% of UK marketing teams now rely on AI
💸 US shoppers hit with surprise tariff bills on overseas orders
📺 ITV launches GenAI Ads Manager for small businesses
🧠 Meta to use AI chat data for ad targeting from December
➕ Plus four deeper reads on how retailers are testing ChatGPT-powered checkout, what the new “prompt economy” means for marketing teams, why niche marketplaces are quietly winning over mass platforms, and how AI personalisation is reshaping online retail in the UK.
FEATURE
👵 What happens when your ad creative meets Meta’s AI
On Friday, Bryan Cano from True Classic shared a before-and-after on X that perfectly captures where AI advertising is heading, and why brands should be nervous.
His top-performing men’s loungewear ad showed a clean product lineup and a model in soft fleece. Meta’s new AI creative system decided to “optimise” it. The result? A smiling elderly woman in a living room wearing the same fleece. Caption unchanged: “The Softest Fleece You’ll Ever Wear.”
While it’s funny, it’s also a warning.
Meta’s new Advantage+ Creative tools can now generate ad variations automatically: swapping backgrounds, models, even entire images based on predicted performance. The system’s goal isn’t brand integrity; it’s click efficiency. When you hand over creative control, you’re effectively letting Meta decide what your brand looks like to each audience.
For performance marketers, that’s a dream. For brand builders, it’s a nightmare.
Because while the algorithm might find new conversions, it can also rewrite your story, turning a men’s basics brand into “AI Grandma” without you ever approving the change.
What to consider: Treat Meta’s AI as an assistant, not an art director.
Lock in brand assets wherever possible.
Keep manual control of your top creatives.
Test AI variants in separate campaigns, not live ad sets.
Review all “auto-generated” assets before they run.
Automation can save time, but hands over control. Meta’s AI might optimise for clicks, but if you’re not watching, it could also optimise your brand right out of itself.
QUICK TIP
Segment VIP buyers early.
Identify your top 10% of spenders and give them early access before the Black Friday rush. A 48-hour head start feels exclusive, smooths demand, and builds loyalty without extra discounting.
MARKETING
🤖 85% of UK marketing teams now rely on AI LINK
TL;DR: HubSpot’s 2025 State of AI in Marketing report found that 84% of top UK marketing teams now use AI tools daily, far above the global 66% average.
Why it Matters: UK marketers aren’t just experimenting with AI; they’re baking it into everyday workflows. From content generation to data analysis, AI now sits at the centre of campaign planning and delivery. Almost all respondents still make manual edits before publishing, proving that “human in the loop” remains essential. For ecommerce brands, this signals a widening gap between teams using AI to scale and those still debating its role.
Your Move: Start small, but start now. Use AI to speed up analysis, streamline workflows, and uncover insights, not to replace creative judgment. The goal isn’t to automate marketing; it’s to make your team faster, sharper, and better informed than the ones still waiting to adapt.
ECOMMERCE
💸 US shoppers hit with surprise tariff bills on overseas orders LINK
TL;DR: US customers are receiving unexpected tariff invoices weeks after overseas orders arrive, following the removal of low-value import exemptions.
Why it Matters: Retailers and carriers are still scrambling to adapt to shifting US tariff rules, and incomplete customs data is creating chaos. Some DTC brands, including Quince, have told customers to ignore the bills while they dispute them, eroding trust on both sides. For UK brands selling into the US, this is a warning: compliance errors can now directly hit your customers with surprise costs, damaging your reputation and conversion rates overnight.
Your Move: If you ship to the US, double-check your customs data. Ensure every SKU includes accurate product values, tariff codes, and origin details. Where possible, display landed costs (duties and taxes) at checkout so customers pay once, not twice. Transparency can now be part of your brand promise in cross-border commerce.
MARKETING
📺 ITV launches GenAI Ads Manager for small businesses LINK
TL;DR: ITV has partnered with Magnite to launch GenAI Ads Manager, a platform that automatically creates TV and streaming ads for small and medium-sized businesses in under 30 seconds.
Why it Matters: Television advertising has long been out of reach for smaller brands because of high production costs. This platform flips that script. By analysing a company’s website and social profiles, it can instantly generate broadcast-compliant ads that meet UK BCAP standards, with human review still required before airtime. For ecommerce and retail brands, this could open up access to TV reach at digital-level entry costs, making brand storytelling on the big screen newly attainable.
Your Move: Treat this as a low-cost way to test TV. Repurpose existing creative assets and see if broadcast reach delivers new customers, before your competitors realise it’s affordable.
MARKETING
🧠 Meta to use AI chat data for ad targeting from December LINK
TL;DR: From 16 December, Meta will start using conversations with its AI tools to inform ad targeting and content recommendations across Facebook and Instagram.
Why it Matters: Meta’s next phase of AI monetisation means every chat with its assistant could shape what ads users see. For brands, this could unlock richer intent data, imagine ads triggered by someone asking Meta AI about hiking or skincare. But it also raises new privacy and trust questions that could draw regulatory attention, especially in Europe.
Your Move: If you advertise on Meta, expect targeting to get sharper, and scrutiny to grow. Use this shift to test more contextual creative, but be mindful of user sentiment. When AI feels intrusive, relevance can quickly backfire.
📚 The Reading List
Curated deep dives, longer reads and analysis shaping the future of eCommerce and digital marketing.
How retail executives will be evaluating ChatGPT Checkout this holiday season
Modern Retail (6 min read) Read here ›
Retail leaders are testing whether AI-powered shopping assistants can actually drive conversion, or just add another layer of complexity during peak season.
The prompt economy has arrived. Now comes the hard part.
PYMNTS (7 min read) Read here ›
As AI becomes infrastructure, businesses face the real challenge: turning prompt engineering and generative output into consistent commercial value.
Why retail growth hinges on specialty marketplaces
Retail Dive (5 min read) Read here ›
Retail’s next growth wave is being driven by niche marketplaces, not mega platforms, offering targeted audiences and higher conversion potential.
Retail’s AI revolution: why personalisation is the game-changer
Ecommerce News UK (4 min read) Read here ›
UK retailers are racing to use AI-driven personalisation to cut through noise and deliver one-to-one shopping experiences at scale.
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