All the latest tech updates and product releases that affiliates and marketers should know about.
In our latest tech briefing, Affiliate Leaders rounds up the top product releases from the last month, and why this matters to marketers.
This month we analyse Google’s new ad measurement; GumGum’s Mindset agent; StackAdapt’s launch of an AI platform; Partnerize’s zero-click commerce index; Bauer Media’s new Adshel portfolio; PropellerAds paid social traffic launch; and Blue Frontier’s release of Ampullai.
Google to use IP addresses for ad measurement
Google has notified advertisers it will soon begin to use IP addresses for measurement and personalisation in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland.
This will begin on 3 August, 2026 and will bring the UK and EU up to pace with the rest of the world, where an IP address is already considered regulated personal data.
Going forward, Google will use the IP address information it already collects to deliver ads using customer tags, SDKs, HTTP calls and upload, for identifying devices for measurement and ad personalisation.
As a result, advertisers will get enhanced personal data as an IP address is considered an essential part of ‘fingerprinting’ – building up a profile on a user and device even when cookies are blocked or cleared.
Leaders take
This move by Google seems to be a doubled edged sword. Despite Google’s previous prohibition on ‘fingerprinting’ – which was based on its view that it was a way to subvert user choice – the tech giant has now moved forward with using IP addresses for personalisation. However, it has received some criticism from consumers and industry experts, who claim it is a violation of user privacy.
It also now puts the burden of responsibility for securing the required user consent under GDPR regulations on publishers and advertisers. While they can set up IP exclusion lists for campaigns through Google Ads, which gives greater control, they will ultimately be responsible for any breaches.
GumGum reveals new AI agent
GumGum has introduced new tools within its Mindset Portal, including the Mindset Agent.
The new tools mean that the Mindset Portal now has a suite of AI-powered features, which include predictive attention, context, creative, and performance insights.
GumGum’s engine for understanding audiences, the Mindset Graph, processes billions of contextual, creative, attention, environmental, and historical signals simultaneously.
This uses a ‘vector-based approach to understand the relationship between content, signals, and advertiser objectives.’ The Mindset Agent gives advertisers direct access to the Mindset graph and helps them navigate and understand the data within it.
GumGum is working with The Trade Desk as the launch partner for the Mindset Agent.
Marcus Startzel, chief executive, GumGum, said: “AI should not just automate old targeting models. It should help brands make better decisions about where, when, and how to show up.
“This partnership with The Trade Desk brings that belief to life by making it easier for advertisers to turn strategic intent into custom mindset segments that prioritise receptivity, not just reach. When brands understand mindset, they can deliver advertising that drives results and is more relevant for consumers.”
Leaders take
This is a strategic move from GumGum. The new agentic feature, which coupled with the rest of Mindset Portal’s AI-powered features, could help streamline processes for brands by allowing them to plan and activate in one place.
In addition, the amount of information inside the Mindset Graph could be overwhelming, so an agent to help decipher the signals and understand the meaning behind them will be welcome to many advertisers. Contextual segments have been available for a long time, but this will be enhanced with the introduction of the Mindset Agent.
StackAdapt introduces the Ivy Studio
StackAdapt has launched Ivy Studio, a unified, AI-first advertising hub aimed at boosting marketers capabilities within planning, forecasting, analysis, optimisation, and execution.
Ivy Studio is built directly within the StackAdapt platform, and will serve as a hub for advertisers while leveraging AI agents to direct insights into actions, eliminating the need to switch between tools and workflows.
Vitaly Pecherskiy, co-founder and chief executive of StackAdapt, said: “Ivy Studio changes the paradigm of how marketers use our platform. By moving core capabilities into an AI-first environment, we are enabling teams to accomplish in minutes what previously took hours or even the coordination of multiple teams. We are fundamentally shifting from operating software to driving business growth.”
Leaders take
Ivy Studio enables marketers to define the outcomes they want to achieve, while AI agents grounded in StackAdapt’s advertising intelligence can help uncover insights, identify opportunities, recommend next steps, and move work forward. The move aligns with the adtech company’s evolution into producing AI experiences, designed for the modern marketer. In fact, the firm is leveraging OpenAI’s LLMs as well to develop bespoke AI capabilities for advertisers.
It means that as AI becomes increasingly embedded in marketers’ workflows, Ivy Studio can help focus on strategy, confident decision-making and business outcomes.
Other notable updates
PropellerAds has introduced a new ad format, paid social traffic, to give advertisers a new way to reach social users while eliminating the need for a social ads account. This leverages supply partners in order to deliver highly engaged and active social audiences into the PropellerAds self-serve platform (SSP), without requiring additional accounts, third-party integrations, or new creatives
Blue Frontier has launched Ampullai – a new tool giving decision makers clear and strategic insights from AI platforms. It generates reports which display how LLMs and AI platforms perceive their organisation as well as competitors and brand sentiment – including data from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.
Bauer Media Outdoor has launched a new high-impact proposition with Adshel Live Prime. Bauer has the largest network of digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens outside of London, and the new offering guarantees brand visibility with a one-in-six loop share for two weeks across the best 190 Adshel Live screens.
