Microsoft Advertising has officially clarified how auctions are resolved when campaign types overlap. Exact match keywords in Search campaigns receive absolute priority, serving over Performance Max, Audience, and other campaigns regardless of Ad Rank.
If no exact match keyword is found, the winner is chosen by Ad Rank, which considers bid, CTR, relevance, extensions, and competition. This behavior applies across Bing, Edge, and AI-powered Copilot surfaces.
Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins explained that while exact match can technically serve on Copilot, the conversational nature of queries makes it unlikely. She also advised advertisers to optimize Ad Rank via bids, conversions, and landing page quality.
Search advertisers now have clear control over high-intent keywords, unlike Google’s broader match behavior.