Google Debuts New AI Tools, Retail Media Solution in DV360

Google today announced that it is integrating new generative AI solutions—in addition to a retail media solution—into Display & Video 360 campaigns. 

In an effort to help streamline the campaign execution process for advertisers, the tech giant is introducing an AI-powered marketplace that curates unique deal packages. 

Using the marketplace, marketers can use layman’s terms to describe the kind of audiences they’d like to reach—like pet owners or people interested in cosmetics—as well as the kinds of media they’d like to buy, whether that’s Spotify audio ads or inventory on premium CTV publishers.

With this information, DV360 then uses AI to spin up curated inventory recommendations. 

The rollout builds on Google’s audience persona offering. Debuted last year, audience persona uses AI to produce custom audience segments for marketers based on users’ plain-spoken inputs. Marketers using Google’s audience persona tool are seeing impressive payoffs—including a 70% increase in video completion, according to the company. 

Generative AI capabilities are also being folded into DV360 reporting, enabling users to query the system with prompts like, ‘Show me the percent of impressions from this campaign that led to conversions,’ and the system will surface results. 

The new AI-driven features are built on Gemini models. 

The company is increasingly focused on baking AI tools into its ad stack—which is under threat after a federal judge last month ruled that Google’s adtech business violates U.S. competition law. 

“The more we can continue to simplify and make the execution more simple, so [marketers] can focus on the insights and understanding, thinking, and gathering, [the better],” Marta Martinez, managing director for Google Marketing Platforms, Americas, told ADWEEK. “We always feel like AI has the ability to help bring more humanity into everything we do.”

Google also unveiled a retail media solution for DV360. Launch partners include Costco, United Airlines, Intuit, and Regal Cinemas. The platform will help marketers create new audience segments and is designed to bolster ROI. 

The solution “will reflect how consumers are shopping and buying across different storefronts and services,” according to Martinez.

Data from the retail media offering will also be integrated into YouTube via DV360.

“We’re excited about what this does to redefine and open up the world of commerce media,” said Martinez. “DV360 advertisers will be able to better measure the impact on sales and use all of their audience insights on the YouTube ad buys, as they do alongside all of the other third-party inventory.” 

In addition to the rollout of new AI tools and a retail media solution in DV360, the platform will also support live event inventory now, Google announced.

The update will enable brands to buy ads during live programming like NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, with access to connected TV live inventory for broader reach.

When asked about whether Google expects to see a substantive decrease in spend commitments at this year’s NewFront amid macroeconomic pressures, Martinez said, simply, “We have a lot of experience in managing through uncertain times.”