Yandex.Direct: Automation, Video Ads, and Smart Personalization

Yandex is pushing the idea of a “quick start” — minimum setup to launch a campaign. But let’s look deeper. For professionals, other updates matter more:

• A/B tests are out of beta (no more complex Excel sheets for efficiency comparison);

• Updated inheritance of ad elements for easier scaling;

• Full integration into Direct Commander is expected (making data management far easier).

These updates show how Yandex is gradually integrating marketing automation tools that make campaign management more efficient. However, success still depends on expertise — not just pressing a single button.
Experienced specialists note that the Yandex Advertising platform is becoming increasingly flexible and convenient for scaling projects.

The key point here: Yandex is not just simplifying the interface but building an ecosystem where even advanced tools become more accessible. For example, A/B testing once required manual work and complex calculations. Now, it’s a built-in feature with automatic statistical significance evaluation. This also supports smoother social media management and ad synchronization across platforms.

For large projects, “just insert a link and get a campaign” doesn’t work. Why? Here’s an example from practice:
Relying fully on automation often leads to:

• Loss of control over budget distribution across regions;
• Dilution of messaging due to averaged automated creatives;
• Issues with UTM tagging for complex funnels.

That’s why collaboration with specialists in Yandex advertising is becoming more valuable. They know how to balance automation with real market insights.
Of course, for such tasks, in order to reduce the workload on managers, Yandex Direct automation is increasingly used.

Recommendations:

1. Use automation selectively: for routine tasks and basic keyword search.
2. Build a system of rules for bid management that considers regional specifics.
3. Develop custom scripts for working with feeds and generating ads automatically.

This hybrid approach is often applied by a performance marketing agency that measures ROI and scales only the campaigns that bring consistent results.

The updates in analytics are impressive, but proper setup is key. A/B testing is now available in Yandex Direct, yet for large-scale projects segmentation remains crucial — especially when dividing campaigns by region, price segment, or product category. Without this, even advanced tools lose efficiency.

The updated inheritance system allows advertisers to scale campaigns faster, but it demands a clear account structure with consistent naming and hierarchy. Integration with Direct Commander opens new automation opportunities, particularly when managing large product feeds in retail or real estate. This is especially relevant for brands like Emaar Properties in the UAE, which manage multiple product categories across international markets and need flexibility in campaign orchestration.

Yandex advertising solutions have proven to be highly effective for e-commerce and real estate, where dynamic personalization plays a critical role. The real winners will be the teams that implement automatic bid adjustments based on profitability data across regions and product clusters. For many businesses, partnering with a content marketing agency helps align messaging with analytical insights, ensuring long-term consistency and scaling potential.

2025 is shaping up to be the year of video ads in Yandex.Direct. It’s not only about Yandex rolling out video generation through YandexART — the entire market is shifting. More and more brands are abandoning static formats as video delivers deeper audience engagement.

According to a study by Smaato and Liftoff on video ads, video advertisements achieve an average CTR 7.5 times higher than display banners. Similarly, research by Wistia on user engagement shows that visitors spend 40% more time on landing pages that include video content compared to pages without videos. And conversion costs for video ads are also gradually decreasing as competition moves back into traditional formats.

Video formats perform particularly well in Yandex Direct advertising when promoting premium goods and services.

A good example is Emirates Airlines, which actively leverages personalized video ads to promote special offers on flights from Dubai. The creatives adapt by market: in Europe the focus is on comfort and premium service, while in the Gulf the emphasis is on exclusivity and prestige. This strategy allows the airline to lower CPA while boosting loyalty. Nike in the U.S. applies a similar approach, using dynamic video ads to promote limited sneaker drops, personalized by audience segment and buying intent.

In such cases, cooperation with a Yandex advertising agency becomes crucial to combine automation with professional quality standards and regional adaptation. Auto-generated video does not always capture brand identity, so fine-tuning by experts is a major advantage.

Yandex’s Smart Design is more than adaptive ads — it’s a complete personalization system powered by machine learning. It analyzes over 3,000 parameters for every impression: from search history and purchase intent to location, time of day, and device.

The key feature is predictive analytics. The system doesn’t just react to user actions but forecasts conversion probability in advance, automatically adjusting creatives, texts, and bids. This ensures that each user receives the most relevant message at the exact moment when purchase intent peaks.

A strong example is Careem, Dubai’s leading ride-hailing and delivery platform. Their campaigns use dynamic ads adapted to time of day, customer location, and seasonal offers. During peak hours, the system highlights efficient routes; at night, it emphasizes discounts and premium services. This personalization significantly increases CTR and reduces lead cost. Similarly, Amazon in the U.S. personalizes product ads based on browsing and purchase history, which greatly increases average order value.
Many companies note that Yandex Direct personalization allows them to improve the relevance of ads and increase ROI without affecting other elements of campaigns.

For efficient integration, businesses increasingly work with a professional SMM agency, which unifies contextual advertising, social media, and content marketing into one strategy. This ensures data synchronization across channels and builds a seamless brand experience.

So, Yandex.Direct is already laying the foundation for a future where campaigns are simpler, smarter, and more efficient. For many companies, combining contextual advertising with data driven marketing remains the most reliable way to scale profitably.