Microsoft product teams shed some light on their automation roadmap for the coming year.

Automation features in beta

• Maximize conversions and target CPA bid strategies for DSA campaigns
• Responsive search ads (RSAs)

Automation features coming soon

• Maximize Clicks bid strategy for shopping campaigns
• Option to select which conversions to include for conversion based automated bidding
• Target ROAS bid strategy for search and shopping campaigns
• Smart search campaigns

What role will people play when it’s all automated?

I asked the Microsoft team their thoughts on Smart campaigns and whether these would compete with the services an agency might offer their clients.

Right now their sentiment is that Smart campaigns are intended to help small direct advertisers who don’t know much about PPC and who don’t have the help from an agency or a tool like Optmyzr. It’s a way to bring more advertisers onto the Microsoft Advertising platform and help them see success. Sophisticated advertisers will still want to continue using the traditional campaign types where they have more controls.

Are Smart Display and Smart Shopping coming?

The Smart campaigns that are on the roadmap are only for search right now. Microsoft did not announce a timeline for Smart Display and Smart Shopping campaigns.