My stance
The buzzword at Google Marketing Live 2025 was unsurprisingly AI. But let’s be honest, that’s been the case across the entire tech landscape for a while now. Every new feature Google announced came with some form of AI capability, from ads appearing in AI Overviews to AI-generated creatives, and even AI-powered “agentic” tools designed to manage and troubleshoot campaigns for you.
Some of these developments are genuinely exciting. The ability to quickly build video creatives or tap into new ad placements within AI Overviews could offer real value. But like anything branded with AI, especially following the launch of AI Max for Search, the big question is: how much of this is performance-driven innovation, and how much is just headline-grabbing hype?
AI may be everywhere, but marketers should focus on results, not just the buzzword.
Below, I’ll detail all the core points from Google Marketing Live. Here is a link to the full event.
Ads in AI Overviews
Google is integrating Paid Search and Shopping results into its AI overviews, which has felt inevitable for a while. This update means ads could soon appear directly within AI-generated summaries, offering a powerful new placement for visibility.
Advertisers using Performance Max, Shopping, or Search campaigns with broad match will be eligible for inclusion in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Creative AI: Smarter, Faster, More Immersive
Google is enhancing Veo, an AI-powered creative tool already available in the Merchant Centre. Soon, advertisers can generate dynamic video ads from static product images and use AI Outpainting to extend video frames, creating richer, more immersive visual content.
All the above will be housed in a new Asset Studio, designed to give marketers more autonomy to create, iterate, and scale without relying on entire creative teams. This is a massive win for high-quality, testable creatives without the usual production overhead.
Google is evolving Merchant Centre from a simple product listing tool to a full content hub.
Google is also testing more visually-led ad formats. In the US, advertisers can pair video content with product listings, making ads more engaging and shoppable.
Smart Bidding Exploration: Find Hidden Demand with AI
Smart Bidding has always used machine learning, but it’s now getting a deeper layer of AI. The result? The ability to reach high-potential, previously overlooked search queries.
With flexible ROAS targets, campaigns can move beyond high-intent terms and begin capturing exploratory behaviour, like someone searching for “how to furnish a first apartment” instead of just “furniture deals”.
Google is also introducing ROAS tolerance, allowing Smart Bidding to push further while maintaining profitability.
Advertisers using Smart Bidding Exploration are seeing, on average:
+18% more unique converting query categories
It’s all about letting AI take the reins to uncover untapped performance.
Better Insights: Test Smarter, Measure Faster
Google is introducing improved tools for testing, measurement, and data activation, all designed with privacy and insight in mind.
You’ll now be able to run incrementality tests more efficiently and cost-effectively, helping identify which efforts are genuinely driving value. Enhanced cross-channel analytics provide a more complete view of the customer journey and ROI.
A new Data Manager enables marketers to securely ingest and activate first-party data from any platform, whether a CRM, website, or app, making it easier to drive smarter campaign decisions.
Meet Your New AI Teammates: “Agentic” Tools in Ads & Analytics
Google Ads and Analytics are being upgraded with AI-powered “agentic” tools, not just assistants but collaborators who proactively create, optimise, and troubleshoot campaigns in real time.
In Ads, these agents suggest new keywords, develop themed ad groups, and solve performance issues before they escalate.
In Analytics, a new “data expert” AI can surface anomalies, like a sudden drop in returning visitors, helping marketers react faster and smarter.
Chrome’s Built-in Marketing Advisor
Google is embedding a new AI-powered marketing advisor directly into the Chrome browser.
Once connected to your Google Ads account, it delivers real-time alerts, strategic guidance, and performance suggestions—all accessible without leaving the tools you use daily.
From spotting missing conversion tags to suggesting bidding strategies, it can even apply changes automatically (with your approval), streamlining day-to-day campaign management.
Power Pack
Power Pack is your cross-surface engine. It fuses Performance Max, AI Max for Search campaigns and Demand Gen into one cohesive solution, powering seamless strategies across Search and YouTube
Profit optimisation goal
Smart Bidding will soon optimise for actual profit, using your cart-level conversion data and cost-of-goods-sold in Merchant Centre. That shifts focus from top-line ROAS to actual margin, in both Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns