Google has rolled out a conversational experience in Google Ads powered by its Gemini AI model that can run on everything from mobile devices to servers in data centers. Conversational experience enables advertisers to generate relevant ad content such as creative and keywords from a website URL. The tool -- initially announced in May during the company's Google Marketing Live event -- has now rolled into a beta project and is available to English-language advertisers in the U.S. and U....

Key stat: To improve the shopping journey, 86% of adults worldwide want AI to help with product research or information, according to October 2023 IBM data. Some 82% want AI to help get service, answers, or solutions. Beyond the chart: Nearly three-quarters of marketers believe AI can help them better understand customer needs, bringing them closer to their desired customer experience (CX), per Sitecore Using AI tools to resolve customer service issues—by offering faster,...

AI-driven automation is leading to cost savings for most marketing users, judging by The Enterprise Perspective on Customer Engagement & AI, a study from MessageGears done in partnership with Ascend2. The respondents answered like this: Yes, significant cost savings — 32% Yes, moderate cost savings — 40% No significant cost savings — 21% Increased costs — 3% Don't use — 4% Meanwhile, the companies polled feel AI will contribute to their...

Most marketers are using AI, to some degree, and many plan to spend more on it this year, according to Leveraging AI In Marketing: Strategies, Tactics & Trends, a study by Ascend2. But they face challenges, one of which is that some don't yet know what they are doing. Of the companies polled, 15% are putting AI to extensive use in their marketing, and 51% are putting it to some use. Another 17% are not yet using it but plan to, and 17% have no such plans. Moreover, 48% are somewhat li...

Key stat: 59% of US adults interested in using AI chatbots for shopping-related activities would use the tech for product research, according to SurveyMonkey. Beyond the chart: Amazon just announced Q, a chatbot akin to ChatGPT. While the product is aimed at professionals, the retailer is innovating in the generative AI space. 'We want everything that we're looking for to instantaneously appear in front of us, and that's obviously not possible,' said our analyst Jeremy Goldman on an episode...

AI may be one of the year's top buzzwords, but in the beauty industry, it's a necessity. Ulta Beauty, the 1,355-unit cosmetics chain, has been dabbling in such digital experimentation for a while as it seeks to connect with customers and offer the best recommendations for products. Innovation is a chief priority for Michelle Crossan-Matos, a former Samsung executive who joined Ulta earlier this year as chief marketing officer. 'I always have an innovation section and the innova...

As social platforms move fast with new AI features, users are already breaking things. Last week, celebrities including actor Tom Hanks, TV journalist Gayle King and YouTube creator MrBeast all warned of deepfake ad scams featuring their likeness. Meanwhile, Meta's new AI stickers have already generated controversy as various reports last week showed users easily creating problematic content. And on Friday, the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued a preliminary enforcement noti...

Google just changed ad targeting. On Thursday the company launched in beta 'search themes' to give marketers a way to reach consumer audiences with specific interests. The feature is driven through Performance Max, which supports performance campaigns based on specified conversion goals. The idea is to help identify new or incremental traffic that drives improved performance when that traffic can't be found with keywordless AI technology. Performance Max historically analyzed assets, feeds, an...