Accelerating Ad Efficiency
Perion Launches Ask Perion App to Boost Omnichannel Marketing Efficiency and Execution
Perion Network (NASDAQ: PERI) launched Ask Perion on June 18, 2026, a new AI-powered self-serve tool built into its Perion One platform and mobile app. The debut comes at Cannes Lions, where CEO Tal Jacobson called it "a collaborative partner" that lets brands "move at the speed of culture, not the speed of manual spreadsheets." Financial Post reported the announcement.
The app processes 1.2 billion data points across four ad channels — CTV, Search, Social, and Digital Out-of-Home — and produces an optimized media plan in under 30 seconds, according to Fort McMurray Today. PERI stock jumped 4.2% in pre-market trading after the news broke.
Two AI Agents Replace Spreadsheets and Manual Planning
Ask Perion combines two tools in one app. The first is the Insights Agent, which answers questions about how a campaign is performing. The second is the Planning Agent, which builds a full cross-channel media budget in seconds. Together, they cut out the manual back-and-forth that slows down ad campaigns, according to The Sudbury Star.
Perion projects a 25% reduction in operational costs per campaign by Q4 2026. The company also expects campaign launch times to drop by up to 70%. Chief Technology Officer Dror Erez said the goal was to eliminate "click-fatigue" in complex ad-buying environments, as reported by Toronto Sun.
Perion Bets on Self-Serve to Rebuild After 2024 Struggles
This launch is no accident. In early 2024, Perion took a hard hit when its search ad deal with Microsoft Bing fell apart. The company then pushed hard into omnichannel advertising — running ads across TV, social, outdoor screens, and search all at once. But managing all those channels required a lot of human work and drove up costs, according to Montreal Gazette.
Perion One, the unified platform that ties all these channels together, now manages over $500 million in annualized ad spend. Ask Perion aims to grow that figure by 15% by making it faster and cheaper to launch campaigns. Analysts at Oppenheimer & Co. noted the self-serve model could boost EBITDA margins by shrinking account management teams.
Agencies and Privacy Advocates Push Back on AI Planning Tool
Not everyone is cheering. Large agency holding companies like WPP and Publicis may see Ask Perion as a rival, not a partner. If the Planning Agent can do the work of a junior media planner in seconds, agencies could lose business they currently charge retainers for, according to Ontario Farmer.
Privacy advocates also raised flags. The Insights Agent digs into deep campaign data to answer questions. Critics say the guardrails around brand data and consumer privacy must be "impeccable to avoid the 'black box' pitfalls of previous AI iterations." Some data scientists also warn that agentic AI can "hallucinate" media trends if it lacks real-time inventory data to work from, according to Daily Herald Tribune.
Mobile-First Design Targets On-the-Go CMOs at Live Events
The mobile app is built for speed and flexibility. Perion designed it so a chief marketing officer can build and approve a cross-channel media plan from a phone — even mid-event. The use case fits moments like the Super Bowl or the Olympics, where ad budgets shift fast and desk-bound planning is too slow, according to Mitchell Advocate.
General availability for all Perion One enterprise clients is projected for July 2026. The company frames Ask Perion as a step toward highly scalable revenue — growing the business without hiring more people to manage each new client. Whether the tool's accuracy holds up under real campaign conditions will become clear when post-campaign reports land in August 2026.
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