Maximise Your Holiday Campaigns with Google’s Latest AI-Powered Tools
As the holiday shopping season approaches, Google Ads has rolled out a series of AI-powered enhancements to its Performance Max campaigns. These updates bring advanced asset testing, video optimisation, and refined campaign management tools—all geared towards helping advertisers increase conversions and campaign efficiency.
1. Enhanced Asset Testing Capabilities
One of the most notable updates is the introduction of new asset testing features within Performance Max campaigns. Starting in early November, retailers can measure the impact of supplementary assets—like images, text, and video—beyond standard product feeds.
This enhancement means advertisers can now test the effectiveness of adding various content types to product-feed campaigns. The update also includes Final URL expansion testing, which allows advertisers to experiment with different landing pages to find the best match for user intent, ultimately improving conversion rates.
Why Asset Testing Matters for Your Campaigns
With these new testing capabilities, advertisers gain more control over creative assets, making it easier to understand what resonates with audiences. Whether you’re adding video, image, or text assets, the ability to measure their impact empowers you to refine and optimise campaigns based on real data.
2. Advanced Image Generation with Imagen 3
Google is introducing Imagen 3, its latest text-to-image AI model, into the Google Ads platform. This AI-powered tool has been trained on advertising performance data, allowing it to create high-quality, visually engaging commercial imagery. Imagen 3 is now available across Performance Max, Demand Gen, App, and Display campaigns.
How Imagen 3 Can Boost Engagement
Incorporating Imagen 3 gives advertisers a seamless way to generate high-performing visuals tailored to the campaign’s audience. Given the importance of eye-catching visuals in driving engagement, this tool can be particularly beneficial during high-traffic seasons like the holidays, when competition is intense, and standing out is essential.
3. New Video Enhancement Tools
Video content continues to be a powerful tool for marketers, and Google Ads is introducing automated video optimisation features that make it easier to create and manage effective video assets. The new tools include:
• Automatic aspect ratio adaptation for various YouTube formats.
• Smart video shortening that preserves the key message.
• Granular control over enhanced video assets, allowing for fine-tuning based on campaign goals.
While most of these features are available now, the video-shortening tool for Demand Gen campaigns will launch in 2025.
Benefits of Video Optimisation for Advertisers
These video tools offer a streamlined approach to video asset management, ensuring that your videos maintain quality and messaging across different platforms. This can be especially useful for Performance Max campaigns, which rely heavily on creative assets to capture user attention and drive conversions.
4. Campaign Hierarchy and Ad Rank Changes
In a shift from previous practise, Google Ads is updating the way Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns interact. Instead of automatically prioritising Performance Max campaigns, Google is implementing an Ad Rank-based system. This system will determine which ads to serve when both campaign types target the same products within an account.
What This Means for Campaign Management
This change gives advertisers more flexibility in campaign management, allowing them to manage ad placements more strategically. With this Ad Rank system, it’s easier to fine-tune campaigns for maximum impact, avoiding potential conflicts between Performance Max and Standard Shopping ads.
5. Improved Collaboration Features
To streamline the creative review process, Google has expanded shareable ad previews within Performance Max campaigns that include product feeds and travel objectives. Now, advertisers can share ad previews with collaborators who don’t have Google Ads credentials, simplifying collaboration and feedback.
How Collaboration Enhancements Improve Efficiency
This update is particularly helpful for large teams and agencies, making it easier for all stakeholders to preview and approve ads without the hassle of logging into Google Ads. By reducing friction in the creative approval process, this feature saves time and ensures a smoother workflow for marketers preparing for the holiday season.
What These Updates Mean for Holiday Campaigns
Google’s latest enhancements to Performance Max campaigns showcase the platform’s commitment to AI-driven advertising. As we head into the holiday season, these tools provide new opportunities for advertisers to experiment with creative elements, refine landing page strategies, and leverage video more effectively. For businesses aiming to maximise holiday sales, these updates offer timely features for optimising campaigns and improving ad performance.
Most of these tools are available now, with specific features—such as retail asset testing—coming in early November and video shortening for Demand Gen campaigns slated for 2025. If you’re already using Performance Max, these updates are worth exploring to give your campaigns an edge this season.