From Follo, we followed Google Marketing Live 2023 Dublin with several colleagues. Besides the amazing tap dance show and Google's rehearsed talks, many exciting innovations have been announced for the coming year. Summarized in two letters: AI. So let's look at the highlights.
1. Chat with Google and create your campaign
The first function Google announces during the event is the conversational AI Chat. In the new interface, you can chat with Google to generate your keywords, headlines, descriptions and images. The AI function creates everything you need based on the URL you provide. If you're not satisfied with the items, you just ask for something else and your own personal assistant, the AI chat, takes care of it!
2. Ads that adapt to search queries
Google AI can now generate items based on the search query. We already know this partly from dynamic search ads and automatic items within Performance Max. With this, Google could search through the destination page and automatically create items from different sources using AI.
With this new feature, you can show even more specific ad texts that exactly match the search query. In the past, Google used the
destination page and now Google AI also processes the search query to adapt the ads to the user's intent. You can see this as a modern version of dynamic keyword insertion. Google AI can use content from the
destination page and existing ads to generate a targeted headline.
I hear you thinking: these ads will be ugly or won't match my brand. But Google gives the option to review and remove these generated items.
3. Performance Max + AI = the perfect match
Just like the conversational AI Chat, the next feature is developed to set up campaigns even more easily. Google AI will help you create text items and images specifically for Performance Max. You can do the complete setup within the Google Ads interface.
How it works: you enter your website and answer some questions. Google AI will start learning about your brand and the Pmax campaigns will be filled with items, both text and images.
New goals in Pmax: Google has added some new developments to Performance Max campaigns to make them even better. Check this out:
· A renewed 'new customer acquisition': This goal goes beyond just finding new customers who aren't on our lists yet. It also helps you find the customers who are most valuable to your business in the long term.
· A 're-engagement goal' will come later this year as a beta. This goal helps you stay in touch with your most valuable customers and keep them satisfied.
With these new goals, you can align your Performance Max campaigns even more with your business objectives. Sounds good, right?
4. Demand Gen campaigns for maximum engagement
Want to attract and convince more customers with your visual ads? Then Demand Gen campaigns are for you. The Demand Gen campaign uses AI to reach and activate your target audience with your best performing images and videos. The ads are shown on: YouTube Shorts, YouTube InStream, YouTube in-feed, Discovery and Gmail placements.
But that's not all. With Demand Gen campaigns, you can create look-alike audiences with the help of AI. These are users who resemble your best customers. You can specify how extensive the lookalike audience can be: narrow 2.5%, balanced 5% and broad 10%.
5. 1st-party data integration
Currently, there are many ways to send your data to Google. Often technical actions or different tools are needed for this. But that can be much easier, right? Google thinks so too. That's why Google is working on simplifying the management of first-party data. Soon you'll be able to securely link data sources to make your insights and measurements even more accurate.
6. GA4 audiences within reach
Google makes it possible to create and add Google Analytics 4 audiences directly from the Google Ads interface. This allows you to create audiences faster. Google AI can also find predictive audiences. These are people who are likely to convert. This feature is only available for GA4, so if you haven't switched yet, do it quickly!
Besides the highlights of Google Marketing Live (GML) in Dublin, some innovations were also announced during GML in San Francisco.
7. Google Product Studio for great product photos
During Google Marketing Live Dublin, a video is shown about all the new possibilities with AI. In this, the Product Studio is shown. Although we get little information about this in Dublin, we see that they go deeper into this in San Francisco.
With the new tool, advertisers can edit, enhance or sharpen product images with the help of AI. You can create dynamic backgrounds, remove unattractive backgrounds and sharpen low-resolution images.
8. *Google Ads entered the chat* (SGE)
In San Francisco, Google announces the plans with Google Search Generative Experience. Google is working on integrating Chat AI into search queries. They are experimenting with directly integrating search and shopping ads. It's a seamless experience where ads are shown directly in search results. No more separate ads, everything becomes one whole.
The new ads have a bold 'Sponsored' identification but are mixed with the results in the chat.
9. Say goodbye to Google Merchant Center, hello
Google Merchant Center Next
From 2024, Google Merchant Center will be replaced by a simplified version called Google Merchant Center Next. You no longer need to worry about product feeds, the system simply scans your website and automatically retrieves all information. Getting started with Google Shopping is much easier! Good news: we can continue to edit or completely disable products. Feed optimization remains key for a good Google Shopping campaign.
Additionally, Google announces that important changes are coming to the interface. This will give us more insight and data. From the demo, it appears that Google Merchant Center Next will contain the following tabs:
- Overview
- Products
- Competitive visibility
- Pricing
- Demand
- Store on Search and Maps
- Non-product website results
10. Video view campaigns for maximum views
If you want as many views as possible, this is the campaign for you! Advertisers see an average of 40% more views with this campaign type compared to existing campaigns. With this campaign, you can combine different types of video ads such as: skippable InStream ads, in-feed ads and short ads. This way you can optimize your budget and reach more people with your video.
In short, Google Marketing Live 2023 brought exciting announcements. These innovations promise advertisers new possibilities and a better user experience within Google Ads. We are very excited to see these updates appear.
