Media Tuesday

Google Marketing Live 2024: Everything You Need to Know

By Rhiannon Slack, Situation Digital Media Buyer

Google held their annual conference last week, and as expected, AI was at the center of most conversations. From creative updates, to new reporting tools, here’s what we can expect to see from Google in the coming months.

• PMax update allows mass AI creative asset production: With Generative AI, you can now produce high quality creative assets at a rapid pace, have brand customized ads, advanced image editing, and automatic showcasing of product feeds.
• Immersive, AI-Powered Shopping Ads: Retailers can integrate short-form product videos into ads. Virtual try-on allows shoppers to digitally test products to see how well the product will look on them. This new feature will allow customers to engage with your ads and products before landing on your page.

• Google Visual Storytelling Advances: You can now target customers with virtual stickers, videos and automatically generated animated ads, adding more variety to your demand gen campaigns. 
• Google Starts Testing Ads in AI Overviews: Your relevant Search and Shopping ads will appear in “sponsored” sections within AI-generated overview boxes on the SERP. Existing Search, PMax and Shopping campaigns will be eligible, however there is no news on how to opt out just yet.
• 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. Use this for consolidating disparate first-party data sources into a unified analytics hub.
• New Brand Profiles for Merchants: Create a brand profile to highlight key merchant information on Search, featuring brand imagery, videos, customer reviews, deals and more. 

To learn more about the new features announced last Tuesday, click here. 

Google Tests AI-Powered Ads for Complex Purchases

By Drea Gonzalez, Situation Paid Search Manager

This year's Google Marketing Live unveiled numerous generative AI developments for advertisers, including a new ad experience in Search designed to help consumers navigate complex buying decisions by offering personalized recommendations. This feature allows users to input details such as photos and budgets, which Google's generative AI would analyze to recommend the most appropriate solutions. The personalized experience would then direct users to the advertiser's website to complete their transaction. While still in its early phases, this move could extend Google’s dominance in search advertising into a new era.

Read a roundup of new search features presented at Google Marketing Live 2024 here. 

Exploring The Benefit of Digital Out-of-Home

By Noelle Khan, Situation UK Digital Media Planner

As we navigate the post-pandemic media landscape, the value of out-of-home (OOH) advertising in reaching broad audiences and maximizing client exposure has become evident. Yet, relying solely on traditional outdoor advertising, may limit advertisers, hindering real-time creative adjustments and strategic placements that optimize visibility at key times and locations. 

Moreover, given the shifting consumer sentiment towards digital out-of-home (DOOH), investing in this tactic proves to be a worthwhile strategic move. For example, a recent survey revealed that a significant 55% of respondents acknowledged that DOOH ads provided them with all necessary information to facilitate their purchasing decisions. DOOH is not only valuable for raising awareness but also plays a crucial role in driving lower-funnel metrics by encouraging users to explore products or services further and even complete a purchase. 

The growing prominence of digital out-of-home (DOOH) in the UK, expected to account for 75% of the OOH market within the next three years, underscores the increasing recognition among advertisers of the advantages offered by this media tactic. 

The UK Media Team recently met with DAX Outdoor, a media partner we have proposed for West End clients aiming to target both domestic and international tourists visiting London this summer. Through DAX, we can efficiently reach these audiences on a large scale using DOOH placements in key areas like airports and major railway stations across London. Leveraging DAX's integration with The Trade Desk enables real-time bidding and access to premium inventory, facilitating engagement with these audiences through dynamic digital formats precisely during peak times like daily commutes, thereby optimizing visibility for our clients.