Google is also encouraging advertisers to adopt UCP. By integrating the standard, brands will enable consumers to buy products directly from the ads they see across Google-owned platforms.
AI Mode gets new ad formats—and a Gemini-backed ads overlord
In tandem with its commerce upgrades, Google is also launching novel ad formats in AI Mode, its Gemini-powered search interface. AI Mode got its first ads last spring.
Among the new formats are what Google dubs “Conversational Discovery” units that act as direct responses to user queries. If, for example, a user is searching easy ways to make their home smell like a spa, Taylor explained, Gemini will evaluate the context of that prompt to then generate a custom ad creative from a brand with a potential solution.
AI Mode users may also soon encounter “Highlighted Answers” ads, in which sponsored placements appear within a list of recommendations generated by the AI engine.
Perhaps the most disruptive update to Google’s AI ad product, however, is the introduction of a Gemini-powered “explainer” feature that will pop up as part of the ad experience within AI Mode. The tool synthesizes information about the service or product and is meant to provide additional context.
Google positions the feature as a way to enhance user trust. It is “rethinking,” Taylor said, “the value [ads in AI] provide, because, ultimately, the best ads are just answers.”
Of course, the insertion of Google’s voice in the ad experience raises the question of who really controls the narrative. And whether advertisers and consumers will feel confident in the accuracy of the explainer is another unknown.
In the coming months, Google will introduce additional AI-backed ad units, including an ad format with a built-in brand agent that users can chat with, as well as AI-powered Shopping ads that pop up in some searches.
Agentic orchestration comes to Google’s marketing products
Google is also looking to streamline the experience for marketers working across its ad stack and various platforms. It’s introducing an AI-powered user experience layer called Ask Advisor, which works across products like Google Ads, Google Marketing Platforms, Google Analytics, and soon, Google’s Merchant Center, to help marketers manage workflows and even orchestrate various agents living across platforms.
Ask Advisor, which is in beta, can be used to automatically set up a campaign designed to target a new audience segment or generate an on-demand performance report.
Other key announcements from Google Marketing Live Wednesday include the ability to create video ads for YouTube within Asset Studio, the debut of Demand Gen campaigns in Google Maps, and the rollout of a fresh reporting metric, Qualified Future Conversions, that aims to tie actions like brand-specific searches to future sales.
