In early June, performance marketing agency Bonfire hosted AI in Action, an event in collaboration with Google which attracted over 200 of Perth’s top marketers for a detailed presentation of Bonfire hosted AI in Action, an event exploring the future role of AI in marketing.
The event opened with a presentation by Arshad Mirza, Head of AUNZ Partners and Agencies at Google, who traveled from Sydney to share Google’s innovative AI strategies set for 2024. Highlighting that AI is here to stay, Mirza remarked: “AI is not going to do marketing for us. It’s a catalyst. You are in charge and create real value for your customers. He emphasized that while AI will enhance the capabilities of marketers, it will not replace the human element that is essential to understanding audiences and creating impactful campaigns.
Mirza also introduced Google’s AI Business Maturity Pillars, a strategic framework designed to help brands assess their readiness to effectively integrate AI. The pillars focus on critical areas such as the desire for change, desired outcomes, necessary skills and existing technology infrastructure. “Look at these pillars and ask yourself these crucial questions before diving headfirst into AI,” Mirza advised during the Q&A session.
After Mirza’s presentation, Bonfire’s Matthew Elshaw took the stage to dive into Google’s highly anticipated Generative Search Experience (GSE), now known as AI Previews. This feature is expected to revolutionize search marketing by providing AI-generated content summaries directly in search results, potentially changing user behavior and the way marketers measure search marketing success.
Elshaw explained: “Understanding and preparing for AI insights is essential. It’s about evolving our strategies to engage users in AI-generated results, not just drive website traffic.
Elshaw then demonstrated how the new AI Overviews feature integrates content from multiple sources to present a cohesive answer, using structured data and content to determine what information to highlight.
“The first thing you can do is start reading and learning about SGE (AI Overviews), how it works, and understanding it better,” Elshaw stressed, emphasizing the importance of becoming familiar with these new tools.
Those who missed the event can learn more about how AI will affect the future of marketing by Bonfire recap article.
