This post was co-written by Conor Bond and Gordon Donnelly. Thanks to our own Tony Testaverde, who was there live on the scene, for the front-row photos! Update! >> Google Marketing Live 2022 Recap » It’s time for the annual Google Marketing Live event! Get ready to hear about the latest advertising innovations and product updates. Google consistently delivers exciting announcements, and this year is no exception. From YouTube lead ads to responsive search ads, there’s always something to look forward to. Last year, Google focused on transparency and trust. This year, while those values remain important, the emphasis shifted to responsible advertising that prioritizes user experience and privacy. The key takeaways are: Be responsible, be there, and be useful. Numerous significant product announcements align with these principles, impacting advertisers, agencies, and consumers alike. These changes will shape online browsing and advertising experiences in 2019 and beyond.

Let’s explore the nine most noteworthy announcements from #GoogleMarketingLive 2019.

1. Feed-based advertising gets a facelift with Discovery Ads

News feeds are far from obsolete! Google Discover, launched last September, now offers a new advertising opportunity. Discovery ads engage consumers with swipeable image carousels.

Reaching a wide audience, Discovery ads appear on the YouTube home feed, Gmail promotions tab, and Google Discover feed. Powered by machine learning, these ads optimize over time to deliver the most relevant message. [For more on Google Discover ads, check out 5 Things You Need to Know About Discovery Ads!] With 85% of online consumers taking product-related actions within 24 hours, Discovery ads capitalize on those moments of receptiveness. Early results show promise, with online fashion retailer TechStyle achieving a 25% lower cost-per-lead compared to other channels. Discovery ads will be available to advertisers later this year. Update: As of June 2020, Discovery Ads are now available to all advertisers, globally.

2. Immersive creative comes to the search network with Gallery Ads

While the search network excels in commercial intent, visual creativity often takes a backseat. Google addresses this with Gallery ads, merging search intent with interactive visuals. These ads combine images and copy to showcase offerings on the search network.

Similar to Discovery ads, Gallery ads use a carousel format for seamless image swiping. However, they stand out by appearing at the top of search results. This prime placement allows advertisers to capture attention precisely when prospects search for relevant keywords, maximizing the impact of immersive visuals. Gallery ads offer the following features:

• 4 to 8 images
• A 70-character tagline per image
• Up to 3 headlines (for CTA testing)

Campaigns using Gallery ads have shown a user interaction increase of up to 25%. These ads will be available later this year. [Get ahead of the game with our guide Google’s NEW Gallery Ads: Everything You Need to Know!]

3. Big improvements to smart bidding

Machine learning, a hot topic in digital marketing, takes center stage at Google Marketing Live. Google leverages machine learning in various ways, notably through smart bidding. Smart bidding, also known as auction-time bidding, utilizes machine learning to optimize bids for conversions or conversion value. If you’ve used automated bidding strategies like Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, or Enhanced CPC, you’re already familiar with its capabilities. Google announced three significant enhancements to the smart bidding suite:

1. Campaign-level conversion goals: Optimize all bids within a campaign towards a specific conversion goal, such as increasing in-store visits.
2. Conversion action sets: Optimize bids across multiple campaigns by creating a set of desired conversion actions.
3. Seasonality adjustments: Optimize bids for periods of increased conversion opportunities, like upcoming sales or events, automatically returning to normal afterwards.

These updates reflect Google’s commitment to improving machine learning, which remains a work in progress.

Update August 2019

As of August 21, 2019, all search advertisers have access to Google’s newest smart bidding solution, Maximize conversion value. Once you set your budget and target ROAS, Google optimizes keyword bids to maximize campaign conversion value.

Via Google.

4. YouTube bumper ads for everyone

YouTube is an advertising powerhouse. Billions of videos watched daily present a vast audience for marketers. However, the effectiveness of bumper ads, the six-second pre-roll ads, is less widely known. Google’s research shows that a sequence of three bumper ads creates a more lasting impression than a single 30-second ad.

However, creating high-quality bumper ads can be resource-intensive. Many businesses lack the means to produce polished video content. Condensing existing videos into impactful six-second segments is a challenging task. To address this, Google introduces the bumper machine. Integrated into the Google Ads interface, this tool transforms videos under 90 seconds into YouTube-ready bumper ads. Launching later this year at no extra cost, it includes editing tools for complete control over the final product.

5. Custom affinity + custom intent = custom audiences

While Facebook Ads is often perceived as the dominant platform for audience targeting, Google Ads has been steadily bridging the gap. Google continues this trend by merging custom affinity and custom intent audiences into custom audiences.

Custom affinity audiences target groups with shared interests, while custom intent audiences target those showing commercial interest in specific products or services. By merging these audiences, Google simplifies interest and behavior-based targeting within the custom audiences framework. Google’s unique access to search data differentiates it from Facebook custom audiences.

6. Reach more prospects with the audience expansion tool

The new audience expansion tool helps expand successful custom audiences. It identifies and targets consumers similar to those already in your custom audience, akin to Facebook lookalike audiences. This tool broadens reach while maintaining relevance, attracting more qualified prospects.

7. Google Shopping becomes more … shoppable

Shoppable content is transforming ecommerce. Instagram’s Checkout feature and Google’s shoppable image search results aim to streamline purchasing by reducing friction.

Google now allows direct purchases within the Shopping interface, making it easier for shoppers to convert. While clicking through to websites remains an option, Google ensures a seamless experience with straightforward returns and excellent customer service.

8. Shopping showcase ads in new places

Understanding user intent is crucial for delivering relevant ad experiences. Google emphasizes the use of visuals to engage consumers looking for product discovery. Introduced in 2017, showcase shopping ads cater to this need by leading users to a catalog of related products instead of a single landing page. Google will expand showcase shopping ads to image search results, discover search results, and YouTube, broadening the reach of these discovery-focused shopping experiences.

9. Local campaigns available for everyone

Mobile research before visiting physical stores is now commonplace. This presents a prime opportunity to influence purchase decisions early on. Google addresses this with local campaigns, now available to all advertisers. This semi-automated campaign type promotes brick-and-mortar stores across Search, Display, Maps, and YouTube. After providing store locations, ad copy, visuals, budget, and bid, Google Ads optimizes ad delivery across platforms to drive foot traffic.

Via Google. Initial tests of local campaigns showed a median incremental ROAS increase of 5X, demonstrating their potential impact.

Want even more coverage of GML 2019?

It’s not too late to sign up for our webinar tomorrow (May 15), where we’ll cover all these changes in depth! And watch this space; we’ll continue to provide more information on all these shiny new ad types in the coming days! For more Google Marketing Live content:

• Google Marketing Livestream 2021: What You Really Need to Know
• 9 Massive Changes Coming to Google Ads #GoogleMarketingLive 2019
• Mind-Blowing Statistics from Google Marketing Live 2018
• 11 Changes & New Features Coming to AdWords: What You Need to Know (2017 GML)