Instagram Tests Unskippable Ads

Plus: Facebook Marketing 2025 Playbook Highlights AI Shift

Author

Zihan Lyu
September 11, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

The Paid Social Marketer

Here's what's happening this week in the world of paid social:
- Instagram trials unskippable ad breaks
- Avoiding pitfalls in AI-driven ad campaigns
- Tesla slashes X ad spend; platform signal shifts

Peak isn’t won with a last-minute conversion push. Fospha data proves that the strongest brands plan full-funnel, measure what platforms miss, forecast into channels with headroom, and track daily performance with confidence.

The Peak Playbook 2025 distills five lessons from Fospha data, including how Footasylum unlocked +32% blended revenue YoY last BFCM, so you can enter Peak ready to win.
Swipe through for the highlights.

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

Instagram is testing mid-feed “ad breaks” that force a brief view before users can continue scrolling. If rolled out, this raises ad load and view certainty but risks session drop-offs and negative sentiment—implications for CPMs, time-on-app, and creative built for ultra-short forced views. Media buyers and creative teams should watch holdout tests, frequency, and brand lift closely.

Tesla’s X ad spend is tracking to ~$60K for 2025, down from $400K in 2024, per an SEC filing. The pullback—amid sales pressure and shifting EV dynamics—signals continued advertiser hesitancy on X and potential CPM volatility. Budget allocators should pressure-test X efficiency and brand safety assumptions against alternative reach in Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING & AUTOMATION
Avoiding Pitfalls in AI-Driven Ad Campaigns

Performance Max campaigns have become a default option for advertisers seeking automation, but they often conceal inefficiencies. Weak tracking frameworks and reliance on generic signals can distort results and mask wasted spend. The lesson is not to discard automation, but to guide it—reviewing search terms, segmenting intelligently, and ensuring creative assets remain under brand control. For agencies and in-house teams alike, success lies in treating AI systems as accelerators that still require deliberate structure and ongoing scrutiny.

⚡QUICK READS

Amazon Outlines Full-Funnel Retail Media Strategy: Amazon highlights Prime Video ads, third-party CTV supply and Amazon DSP to connect awareness through conversion, citing a 2.2x awareness lift when combining DSP display and video.(More)

Facebook Marketing 2025 Playbook Highlights AI Shift: Insights underscore Advantage+ automation, Conversions API and short-form video as performance levers, with a caution to balance automation with brand voice.(More)

Netflix Updates ‘Moments’ Clips As CTV Creative Evolves: Netflix is refining its short clips unit, signaling continued CTV shift to bite-size, attention-led formats—plan portable assets across social and streaming.(More)

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