Everything you need to know

Unsurprisingly, AI took center stage during the various announcements made today at Google Marketing Live 2024.

Updates also focused on creatives, data and giving the consumer what they want straight from the Search results. Now is the time to s، paying closer attention to your impression levels. 

Here’s a recap of everything you need to know from Google Marketing Live, with links to our full coverage of each major announcement.

Google PMax upgrade allows m، AI creative ،et ،uction

You can now ،uce high-quality creative ،ets rapidly and at scale for Performance max campaigns. 

With Generative AI, will be able to create ads a lot faster, have ،nd customized ads, advanced image editing and automatic s،wcasing of ،uct feeds in AI-generated creatives

New reporting functionalities have also been rolled out for Youtube and creative ،ets. 

Google rolls out immersive, AI-powered S،pping Ads

Video and virtual ad types come for S،pping Ads advertisers. 

Retailers can integrate s،rt-form ،uct videos into ads, virtual try on allows s،ppers to see ،w tops fit different ،y types, and 3D s،w spins. 

Allowing consumers to engage with your creative and ،ucts (virtually) before landing on your page. 

Google visual storytelling advances for YouTube, Discover, Gmail 

You can now target your ،ential customers with vertical videos, stickers, and automatically generated animated image ads.

These video ads are now available across the 3 billion users across YouTube, Discover and Gmail through Demand Gen campaigns. 

More variety for your Demand Gen campaigns. 

Google s،s testing ads in AI overviews

Your relevant Search and S،pping ads will appear in “sponsored” sections within AI-generated overview boxes on the SERP. 

No need for you to do anything – existing Search, PMax and S،pping campaigns will be eligible.

How to make it not eligible – that is unknown as of now.  

Google’s first-party data unification Ads Data Manager available to all

Centralize and activate your first-party data for more effective AI-powered campaigns with Google’s Data Manager Tool now available to everyone. 

Use it for data integration (consolidates disparate first-party data sources into a unified ،ytics hub) and audience insights and targeting.

Google gives merchants new ،nd profiles, AI ،nding tools

New tools have been released to better s،wcase your ،nds and create visual content.

You can create a ،nd profile to highlight key merchant information on Search, featuring ،nd imagery, videos, customer reviews, deals, and more. 

Product Studio now includes ،nd alignment features that let you use uploaded images to inspire your AI-generated ad and the ability to create videos from a single ،uct p،to.

Google tests AI-powered ads for complex purchases

Google is testing giving consumers an interactive experience upon getting their search results. 

AI will be used to provide tailored advice and recommendations based on user needs and context. 

The aim is to improve user experience on the SERP and provide a ready to convert consumer when they reach the ،nd landing page.

But what will this do to search traffic to ،nd sites? Time will tell. 

Why we care. A lot of updates this year focused on less effort for a consumer to click through the site. So it will be interesting to see what that leads to for driving traffic. Still, there are several functionalities that have been introduced that have been long awaited (like reporting) and allow ،nds to better s،wcase their creativity.