TikTok Releases New AI Advertising Guide Featuring Smart+, GMV Max, and Symphony

Overview

• TikTok has published new guidance highlighting how advertisers can utilise AI tools such as Smart+, GMV Max, and Symphony for stronger performance across the marketing funnel.
• The update reinforces TikTok’s growing focus on AI-driven automation and creative scalability in performance marketing.
• House of Marketers, insights into how marketers and brands can integrate TikTok’s latest tools and features into full-funnel campaigns that convert from awareness to purchase.

 

TikTok’s Latest AI Guidance for Advertisers

TikTok has published new guidance highlighting how advertisers can utilise AI tools such as Smart+, GMV Max, and Symphony for stronger performance across the marketing funnel.

The update reinforces TikTok’s growing focus on AI-driven automation and creative scalability in performance marketing.

As TikTok puts it, “With full-funnel automation on TikTok, they’re building systems that link creative, media, and measurement into a single adaptive loop that actually reflects the realities of modern marketing.”
This statement underlines TikTok’s direction towards building an ecosystem that learns, adapts, and delivers performance holistically.

Smart+

TikTok’s Smart+ system introduces a fully automated campaign type that optimises across audience, budget, and creative delivery. Designed for performance marketers, it analyses real-time signals to serve the most effective combination of ads across placements.

Smart+ simplifies setup while maintaining precision, helping brands scale efficiently without manual adjustments.

Furthermore, TikTok reports that one DTC brand, PHLUR, achieved a 28 % higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and a 14 % lower cost per acquisition (CPA) after switching to Smart+ and intent-based Search campaigns — a clear example of how unified automation can strengthen performance outcomes.

GMV Max

For commerce brands, GMV Max (Gross Merchandise Value Max) is TikTok’s AI-driven bidding solution that focuses on maximising total sales value instead of only clicks or conversions.

Additionally, it allows advertisers to optimise toward revenue outcomes, making it especially useful for e-commerce and TikTok Shop campaigns aiming to drive measurable business growth.

Symphony

TikTok Symphony is the platform’s generative AI suite that helps marketers produce high-performing creative faster. Using scripts, text prompts, or existing video assets, Symphony can generate and adapt content for different audiences and ad objectives.

For global teams managing multiple campaigns, this means greater creative variety, faster iteration, and lower production costs. By integrating creative + media + measurement within a single system, campaigns can evolve continuously based on real-time learning and audience response.

How Marketers can Utilise TikTok Automation Feature

TikTok’s automation push signals a deeper shift in how performance marketing is evolving from manual optimisation. Tools like Smart+, GMV Max, and Symphony reflect TikTok’s goal of unifying creative, targeting, and measurement into one adaptive ecosystem that learns and iterates in real time.

For marketers, this means the role of strategy and creative planning becomes even more critical. As automation handles the delivery mechanics, the advantage now lies in feeding the system with the right creative inputs, audience signals, and brand narratives. The brands that win will be those that pair AI-driven optimisation with strong, human-led storytelling.

At House of Marketers, we see this as a key moment for advertisers to rethink their campaign architecture. Instead of siloed ad sets and fragmented creative tests, automation tools allow for continuous feedback loops where data informs creative, and creative strengthens performance.

Our recommendation for 2025 and beyond:

• Use Smart+ for testing multiple creatives within unified campaign goals.
• Integrate Symphony to speed up content production while maintaining brand voice.
• Leverage GMV Max for commerce campaigns that prioritise total sales value, not just engagement metrics.

Conclusion

TikTok’s latest updates show that the platform is rapidly maturing into a complete performance ecosystem,  one where creative production and optimisation finally work in sync.

For marketers, this shift marks a new phase of control and clarity. Campaigns can move from idea to execution in record time, with AI fine-tuning every step along the way.

Less guesswork. More growth clarity.

When brands align clear objectives with a strong creative framework, TikTok’s full-funnel ecosystem becomes a genuine growth engine. Not just a platform for reach, but for real business impact.

At House of Marketers, we help brands harness these tools to design smarter full-funnel TikTok campaigns that blend creativity with measurable performance. Whether you are scaling a brand or driving global awareness, our team can help you turn TikTok’s automation capabilities into real business results.