Google's newest AI tools for advertisers

Hey there! Welcome to yet another week of major updates in the world of marketing x AI. With big announcements from Google and Meta, we’re seeing both AI advancements and the subsequent pushback seep into advertising—and we’re here to help you stay on top of it all.

Meta Bans Political Advertisers From Using Generative AI

One year out from the 2024 presidential election, platforms are cracking down on election misinformation. This week, Facebook owner Meta announced that it will be barring political campaigns from using its generative AI advertising products in Ads Manager.

• The barred generative AI features include tools that can automatically propose changes to content, create product backgrounds, and edit marketing text.

• While the limitations are centered around political campaigns, they also span related campaigns for housing, employment, credit, social issues, health, pharmaceuticals and financial services.

• These restrictions come after policymakers have warned about AI-generated advertising’s impact on the democratic process: In September, senators introduced a bipartisan ban on political advertising deepfakes.

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Google’s Latest AI Updates

Google is on a roll of advertising-related AI launches: In the last week, the company launched a set of product imagery tools, followed by new generative AI features in its Performance Max ad product.

• With Google’s new AI-powered Product Studio, advertisers can use text-to image AI (AKA simply type a prompt, and AI will generate an image) to create new product imagery at no cost.

  • This update will enable businesses of all sizes to create professional, seasonally-appropriate images without having to spend on additional photography sessions or edits.

  • The feature will be available to all Merchant Center Next users and the Google and YouTube app on Shopify.

• With the launch of Google’s latest Performance Max features, advertisers can generate all assets needed for a campaign by simply providing the URL of the preferred landing page.

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The AI Shortcut to Gathering First-Party Data

Intuit, a financial software company, has been collecting Gen Z engagement and first-party data through an AI-powered campaign called “Automagical.”

• The campaign, which markets itself as an “aura reading,” uses AI to generate a Pixar-like rendition of users’ selfies in the colors of their “financial aura”—determined by users’ self-reported attitudes towards money.

• Gen Z consumers accounted for 61% of the campaign’s total audience, which ultimately hit roughly 572,000 engagements. And because Intuit asked for the users’ emails to send the AI-generated selfies, they were able to relinquish first-party data.

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Walmart and Peacock Introduce Shoppable Ads

Walmart is “shorten[ing] the distance between inspiration and the ability to purchase” with the launch of its latest AI-powered shoppable ads, in partnership with streaming platform Peacock.

• Peacock’s popular show “Below Deck Mediterranean” is getting an AI-powered upgrade. For each episode, AI will comb through the featured products and find similar Walmart products.

• During the show’s ad breaks, viewers will be able to scroll through an interactive carousel and explore the Walmart products. AI will then generate a corresponding QR code which takes users to a mobile checkout page.

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Around the Web

• Scarlett Johansson takes legal action against AI app that used her likeness in an ad—without permission.

• What President Biden’s latest AI executive order means for advertising.

• Google rolled out an ad watermark for all creative assets generated by AI.

• Mobile gaming platform Skillz releases an anti-AI ad.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you next Wednesday!