Today, Google introduced new creative tools and ad experiences at its annual Google Marketing Live event, held in New York. Here’s what marketers can expect from Google, now or in the coming months.
Advertising experience on the Search Network. Among the more inventive improvements to search is a new ad experience currently being tested and expected to be more widely available later this year. This experience helps guide users through complex purchasing decisions based on additional information voluntarily provided by the user. For example, if the user is looking for storage space nearby, the engine can recommend a storage option with the right dimensions based on the property photos the user uploads.
To trigger this experience, a search result will provide a sponsored ad clearly marked with a blue button that takes the user to a separate page where images or other information can be uploaded and recommendations can be made to the buyer.
Brand profiles. Google announced new brand profiles available in search. Profiles are created from information provided by merchants in Google Merchant Center. The profiles were inspired by business profiles that users find in search and on Google Maps.
According to the company, more than 40% of shopping queries in searches mention a brand or retailer.
Orders for Performance Max creations. Soon, advertisers will be able to upload their brand guidelines, including font, colors and image reference points, to automatically generate new asset variations that stay true to the brand.
Advanced Gemini AI models were announced in February. Performance Max campaigns can be used across all of Google’s advertising inventory.
Image editing. Retailers advertising through Google Merchant Center will have new tools for editing images. They will be able to experiment and add new objects in ads, as well as expand the background to fit any size and format with the help of Google’s AI.
These features are intended to help marketers add new products to existing creatives or improve existing creatives in other ways by adding eye-catching backgrounds and other elements to these assets. The new assets can be used by the brand across all digital channels that support images, not just Google channels.
Shopping advertising experiences. New immersive experiences will soon be available on Shopping ads. These include 3D rotating advertisements and virtual try-ons. For example, ads featuring shoes will support a 360-degree rotation of the product. Virtual try-on will support clothing brands, where customers of all body shapes can try on tops like shirts and sweaters virtually.
Additionally, later in the year, an even better user experience will allow advertisers to include product videos, summaries and recommendations of similar products in the ad format.
Some of these features were previously available in organic search, but are now coming to ads.
Ads in the AI overview. Google announced that it will begin testing search ads and shopping ads in AI Overview.
Insights into Gemini-powered AI in Search were announced this month. The experiences are currently rolling out in the United States and will soon be available in other countries.
According to a blog post by Vidhya Srinivasan, vice president and general manager of advertising, the result of AI insights is that users visit a broader mix of more diverse websites. Users are doing more searches now that AI previews are available and are happier with the results, Srinivasan said.
Dig Deeper: Google rolls out AI Overview for more complex searches
Why we care. With these new tools and features, Google offers approaches to at least two major ways in which generative AI promises to reinvent our digital lives. First, genAI Answers in AI Overview will change the way users search for information. They will ask longer questions and have more two-way conversations to try to get the answers they need. Where applicable, relevant advertisements (clearly marked “sponsored”) will appear.
Second, genAI will help creatives evolve content by generating new ad iterations that adhere to the brand playbook. And these assets will appear at the touchpoint that makes the most sense for consumers, with the goal of improving ad campaign performance. GenAI will also make measurement more intuitive, allowing marketers to ask natural language questions of Google Analytics and get the insights they need to improve their campaigns.
