Google Marketing Live 2023 made it clear that AI will change the role of digital marketing in a big way. At SMX Advanced, Julia Friedman, owner of PPC Consulting moon of neptunediscussed how advertisers can prepare for and thrive in the AI revolution, with other industry experts:
Gil Gildnerco-founder of PPC agency Disco Sloth
Julia VyseWest Coast Digital Director for iProspect Canada
Melissa Liuassociate director of California advertising agency RPA.
The AI revolution has arrived, with great benefits!
The SMX panel agreed that AI will make life easier for digital marketers in many ways. Gill noted that smaller businesses, in particular, that may not have the budget to hire human contractors will benefit from using AI tools.
Liu also noted that AI will relieve advertisers of time-consuming tasks such as generating ad copy. However, he stressed that it was important for marketers not to become complacent: “As a search marketer, I now have to think about how I can change my role to be more strategic. I also have to think about what new skills I need to learn to improve me”.
The role of digital marketers is changing
All three guest speakers and the panel host agreed that the role of PPC advertisers is evolving and is a “concern” for the industry. Explaining how his agency will adapt to the AI revolution, Gill said:
“We’re going to be super strategic. It’s inevitable that soon it won’t matter so much which buttons we click. There’s going to be a lot of strategy and tactics and, frankly, customer education and shepherding that we’re going to have to do. It’s inevitable that our roles will change, and it’s going to be important to be aware of that.”
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Should marketers question their optimism about AI?
Vyse was very excited about the changes Google discussed for digital marketers. He also spoke of his gratitude for being informed ahead of time about how the industry would evolve.
“It’s nice to pick us up a little bit rather than have something fall on us in the middle of the year,” he joked.
However, Vyse added that while AI will help advertisers, the industry should also prepare for unexpected problems.
“There’s a lot of optimism around AI, but maybe that’s something we should question,” he added.
Google Marketing Live introduced a number of new tools for digital marketers, including Product Studio, which Gill noted would be very beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses:
“Some smaller brands don’t have the budget to do professional photo shoots for every product, although it’s very valuable. We see an increase every time we get good media for a client, whether it’s a TV commercial or a listing of products. Studio is huge for e-commerce agencies. It will allow smaller brands to have better creative control. I don’t think it will help bigger brands as much, but definitely mid-sized to smaller brands.”
Concerns around AI-generated content
After Google unveiled new tools to help marketers write ad copy, Liu admitted she was excited but eager to learn what the editorial quality would be.
“Writing ad copy requires a deep understanding of your customer and what your unique selling position is. I’m curious to see if AI will give me and my competitors similar copy, or if the copy of Will AI fit my unique brand?” she said
Liu expressed concern about the loss of originality and a brand’s tone of voice if the industry relies too much on AI-generated copy. However, he stressed that it will fall on the shoulders of digital advertisers to ensure that this issue does not affect their brands. Explaining how he intends to tackle this problem, he said:
“One idea that resonates is input quality and how I, as a search marketer, can better input into the system to differentiate myself from my competitors. Yes, our roles are changing, but how do we put that human touch to better guide the AI to perform better for us?”
Issues around AI images
Liu was also excited about Google’s launch of AI tools that can create unique images. However, when I was watching the demo of the new search engine tools, I had some concerns:
“There were automatically generated images using images taken from your website as well as stock photos. One concern I have is that if I and my competitor have very similar product offerings and want to communicate the same benefits, it will give us the AI similar stock images? Because that’s going to be a problem,” Liu said.
Exciting news for retail, not so much for finance
For digital marketers working on retail campaigns, Vyse noted that the generative properties of AI and changes to the front-end user experience introduced by Google are exciting news. She said:
“I work with a lot of retail businesses and restaurants, so I’m interested in people’s traffic and how people interact with their map. When you’re experiencing what it’s like to get directions and go somewhere, like a retailer I support. , I’m very interested in what this will look like for customers.”
Speaking about the new generative backend features, Vyse added:
“All the things they’re doing to change the way we create and measure campaigns are going to be great and not so big. For my retailers and restaurant customers, it’s going to be great. It’s going to be a lot simpler with a lot more. The leadership and thinking strategy from us rather than pushing buttons. But on the other hand, for anyone working in a highly regulated industry like finance, there can be some challenges.”
Search engines are changing their behavior
After watching the Google Marketing Live discussion, Liu noted how the way online searches are conducted has also changed dramatically.
In 2011, he noted that consumers consulted 10 or more sources before making a purchase. Fast forward to 2023 and people typically consult only five online sources.
“In a culture where we’re obsessed with research, I’m surprised it’s dropped so much. I wonder if it’s because people are tired of information, or if we’re getting a lot better at doing research and therefore less sources are needed to do it. With AI becoming an integral part of our lives, I’m curious to see if that number will change in the next two years,” Liu said.
What’s next for Google Ads?
Gil said he expects the industry to change significantly in the near future:
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Google Ads is completely different in a year or two. There are always trends, but I was surprised to see all the tools Google is releasing. I think it may actually be changing this time.”
While he foresees big changes in the industry, Gill stressed that as long as the experience is good for both the searcher and the customer, the AI revolution will be a positive one. But there will undoubtedly be initial problems and the industry will simply have to adapt.
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