Google brings new artificial intelligence-powered updates to advertisements

Tech giant Google launched new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help merchants better market brands and products at a Google Marketing Live event on Tuesday.

The tools for retailers include a new profile option for e-commerce brands, generative AI features for more effective product imagery, and new immersive ad formats.
 

“Businesses need to be on every surface with creative assets that capture people's attention. Until now, it has felt impossible to do this at scale, but that’s changing with generative AI. This technology is helping us better meet advertisers’ needs and unlock new possibilities across the marketing process, from new immersive ads experiences to high-performing creative assets,” said Vidhya Srinivasan, vice president and general manager, Ads.

In the new update, advertisers will soon be able to enhance their shopping ads with immersive visuals, including virtual try-on and AI-generated 3D spinning ads. Later this year, the company plans to introduce a feature that lets shoppers see product videos, summaries, and similar products provided by the advertiser.

In addition, the company will also allow advertisers to generate new asset variations by sharing their font and colour guidelines, as well as by providing image reference points.

“We're introducing new image editing capabilities so advertisers can try adding new objects, extending backgrounds, and cropping to adapt to any format, size, and orientation,” said the company.

Google will also start testing search and shopping ads in AI overviews for users in the United States. “Advertisers will have the opportunity to appear within the AI overview in a section clearly labelled as ‘sponsored’ when they’re relevant to both the query and the information in the AI overview,” said the company.

The firm is also introducing new advertising formats for brands and retailers. One such feature, which is initially launching for retailers as a closed beta later this year, will allow brands to connect their short-form product videos, or videos from creators, to their advertisements on Google.

Further, Product Studio will also give brands the ability to generate videos from just one photo, where with just the click of a button, brands will be able to animate components of still product images to create short videos or playful product GIFs for social media.