Google’s AI-powered ad suite reimagines digital marketing in India – financialexpress.com
On any given day, an average consumer would watch a random Shorts video on YouTube, search for the website of the brand embedded in it, scroll through the bouquet of offerings, and make a purchase, all without leaving Google territory. This increasingly linear journey of the consumer makes Google’s AI-led suite of ad tools so compelling.
Google isn’t hiding that it knows this. On Thursday it rolled out several new AI-powered features for its ad ecosystem in India, structured around four key pillars: creative, performance, discovery, and agentic tools. The ambition is clear: To be the only platform present across all four behaviours shaping the digital consumer— searching, scrolling, streaming, and shopping. “While many platforms offer reach, only Google and YouTube can help brands be present across all four of these behaviours,” says Roma Datta Chobey, managing director, digital native industries, Google India.
Google will help the buyer in brand discovery, and help the seller with customisation and measurement.
It is rolling out ads in AI Overviews, Shoppable CTV, and a Shoppable YouTube Masthead. Shoppable CTV lets users engage with products directly from the big screen. This is key for YouTube, which has been India’s most-watched CTV platform for the past 12 months. The agentic capabilities in Google Ads and Analytics offer AI assistants that help set up and optimise campaigns with minimal manual effort. “We’re finally reaching that moment where we can serve the right user at the right time with the right creative,” says Dan Taylor, vice-president of Global Ads, Google. “That’s been the promise all along, and AI is bringing us closer than ever.”
The “Generated for You” feature in Product Studio identifies the best content opportunities across a merchant’s catalogue and pre-generates on-brand images and videos for instant publishing. “Imagine a textile seller in Surat or a spice exporter in Kochi being able to generate product-centric creative at scale, in multiple languages, without relying on studios or designers. It democratises scale, and India will benefit disproportionately,” explains Ambika Sharma, founder and chief strategist, Pulp Strategy.
Features like Performance Max Retention Only Mode, AI Max for Search Campaigns, and Smart Bidding Exploration offer predictive targeting, better search query matching, and flexible return on ad spend (ROAS)-based bidding. On Device Measurement (iOS) improves campaign performance using first-party app event data, while Meridian enables faster access to granular marketing mix modelling (MMM) insights with a scenario planner.
“Google’s AI rollout is basically rewriting how we plan and execute campaigns. Targeting is smarter and unified across Search, YouTube, and Display,” says Ramya Ramachandran, founder and CEO, Whoppl.
The numbers are already on its side. The company reported 31,221 crore in gross ad revenue for FY24, an 11% year-on-year increase, and is estimated to command 40–45% of the country’s70,000-crore digital ad market. Its platforms are deeply embedded in consumer journeys. In just the past year, advertiser adoption of Google AI for generating creative has increased by over 250%. According to the company, about 84% of Indian users engage with Google or YouTube daily. The platforms also feature in 87% of brand discovery journeys.
Automation vs identity
Will Google end up diluting its distinctiveness in the quest for automation?
With tools that generate copy, visuals, targeting logic, and even performance scenarios, marketers are now navigating a landscape where creative work is increasingly machine-led. The upside is speed and scale; the risk is similarity. “Google’s tools are beginning to think like a planner and execute like a performance engine,” says Pulp Strategy’s Sharma. “But they still need direction.”
A big concern is creative erosion. Will every ad start to look and sound the same? “To ensure brand safety and relevance, Google’s AI tools like ‘Generated for You’ use on-brand guidelines,” says Yasin Hamidani, director, Media Care Brand Solutions. “But marketers must still review, edit, and approve AI-generated assets before publishing.”
Then there’s the role of agencies. If Google’s AI can recommend bid strategies, expand search queries, and auto-generate creative, are agencies at the risk of being sidelined? Not quite. What automation replaces is executional labour. What it can’t replicate is instinct. “AI is not a strategy. AI is the how,” says Taylor. “Your marketing strategy, your audience, your creative — those remain human decisions.”
Real-world results are already coming in. Swiggy, one of Google’s early partners in India, used Performance Max to acquire 10–20% more consumers and reported a 40–50% faster return on investment. “The retention mode has helped us bring back users at a fraction of earlier costs,” says Arjun Choudhary, vice-president, Swiggy.
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