At this year’s Google Marketing Live, the focus was clear: AI isn’t just a buzzword - it’s now the foundation of performance marketing. From the evolution of search to creative generation and measurement, Google revealed a massive wave of updates that will directly impact how we build, optimize, and scale campaigns.
We’ve broken down the key takeaways - and more importantly, what they mean for marketers navigating the fast-changing landscape of Google Ads.
Google is reimagining search with its Gemini-powered AI Overviews. Users can now interact in a back-and-forth, multimodal way - asking nuanced questions, getting intelligent summaries, and taking action - all without leaving the results page.
🧠 Behaviour Take: This fundamentally changes the role of ads. Keywords are no longer the sole driver - intent prediction is. Brands will need richer content, well-structured product feeds, and SEM strategies that align with this conversational, AI-enhanced discovery process.
📌 Tip: Optimize for “micro-moments.” Think beyond keywords to answer the why behind the search.
Forget the linear funnel. Consumers are bouncing between YouTube, Search, Shorts, Shopping, and social at lightning speed. Google confirmed that over 83% of users interact with Search or YouTube daily, creating real-time, cross-channel journeys.
📺 YouTube is now the No.1 streaming platform on TVs globally, and Shorts is driving a 20%+ YoY engagement lift.
🧠 Behaviour Take: Marketers must plan full-funnel media - not just upper or lower. Use Performance Max to hit multiple intent stages, but pair it with tailored creative per channel.
📌 Tip: Treat YouTube Shorts and Connected TV as prospecting engines - especially when synced with search retargeting.
Google doubled down on PMax with key upgrades:
🧠 Behaviour Take: This is great news for performance marketers who love automation but hate opacity. Finally, PMax is becoming more controllable and insightful - without sacrificing efficiency.
📌 Tip: Sync your CRM with Google Ads to supercharge bidding with true customer value, not just clicks.
One of the most game-changing launches? Asset Studio. Marketers can now generate high-quality images and videos inside Google Ads - pulling from Merchant Center, describing the style, and instantly generating ad-ready content.
Even video assets can be auto-resized, extended with AI outpainting, and tailored for formats like Shorts and CTV.
🧠 Behaviour Take: This will be a lifesaver for lean teams. Visual consistency meets performance at scale - without paying a production house.
📌 Tip: Pair AI-generated creatives with A/B testing to avoid brand fatigue and double down on winning visuals.
Shopping got supercharged:
🧠 Behaviour Take: This creates a real-time product assistant experience. Advertisers must now ensure their product feed is flawless, rich in attributes, and updated frequently.
📌 Tip: Optimise titles, descriptions, and product types in your Merchant Center to appear in AI-curated results.
Google introduced Meridian, a modern MMM (marketing mix modelling) tool designed to unify measurement across Search, YouTube, offline, and TV. Coupled with new attribution paths and budget planning, it’s a step toward smarter, unified reporting.
🧠 Behaviour Take: This is vital for CMOs and performance managers alike. In a multichannel world, incrementality > last click. Meridian promises to show true channel value, not just correlation.
📌 Tip: Use GA4’s new path reporting and experiment tools to validate insights before scaling media spend.
YouTube creators can now be discovered directly inside Google Ads based on genre, audience, and content type. You can preview their channels, estimate collaboration costs, and launch branded content ads in a few clicks.
🧠 Behaviour Take: Influencer campaigns are now more measurable and performance-driven. This is a major shift - social proof meets paid media in a scalable, trackable way.
📌 Tip: Use creator content in prospecting ads to drive trust with Gen Z and millennial buyers who value authenticity.
Perhaps the most “sci-fi made real” moment of the event: Google demoed an AI support agent that can identify broken conversion tracking, install your Google Tag, and make campaign optimisation suggestions - on the fly.
🧠 Behaviour Take: For SMBs and solo marketers, this is a game-changer. For agencies, it means less time fixing basics - and more time driving strategy.
📌 Tip: Embrace automation as your assistant, not your replacement. Use saved time to focus on creative and CRO.
What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift - from tools that assist advertisers to tools that partner with them. AI is not just powering campaigns, it’s influencing how we create, optimise, and measure them.
At Behaviour, we believe these updates reward marketers who:
✅ Embrace AI without losing brand control
✅ Use first-party data to guide automation
✅ Invest in content that’s both creative and contextually smart
✅ Build full-funnel strategies from Shorts to Search
The future isn’t coming - it’s already here. Let’s make it work for you.
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