These are our three takeaways that defined GML 2025.

Takeaway 1: Ad delivery is getting more flexible across Google’s network.

Google is shifting away from channel-based ad setups and leaning into more fluid, moment-driven experiences. Instead of building separately for Search, YouTube, or Display, ad products are increasingly designed to find users wherever they are—scrolling, streaming, or shopping. This expansion means more opportunities to reach users but also more demand for creative that fits each touchpoint, which often requires brands to scale video visuals and messaging quickly with the help of AI (or not). Measurement tools are also being updated to support this shift, aiming to track how these moments connect and contribute to sales across the journey. Flexible measurement (going beyond pixel-based attribution by incorporating incrementality, MMM, etc.) is essential as customer paths rarely follow a straight line.

Takeaway 2: AI is now embedded in Search and how brands connect. 

The rollout of AI Mode and ads in AI Overviews marks a shift in how users navigate Search and how brands show up. These tools change not just ad placement, but the buying journey. Search is becoming more visual, more video-led, and more human in tone, which results in a search and shopping experience that’s more tailored and productive for users. For advertisers, what used to require multiple campaign types and formats is continuing to evolve into a single system of outcome-based products. This year Google’s messaging this as their “power pack”—Performance Max, AI Max and Demand Gen—for brands that use AI to reach consumers. If advertisers want to capitalize on the relevance and performance Google says the “power pack” provides, media buyers must focus on giving the AI the right quality inputs, in high volumes (conversion data, creative assets, etc.). 

Takeaway 3: Google is rolling back the black box for visibility and transparency.

Advertiser pressure for more transparency is starting to pay off. Google is introducing new Performance Max insights, lower spend thresholds for incrementality testing, and agentic tools like “Your Google Ads Expert” to make results easier to explain and optimize. But blind spots remain. For example, there’s still no placement-level reporting for ads in AI Mode or Overviews. Progress, yes. Total clarity, not yet.

These are the new features our team expects to be most impactful for advertisers.

AI tools are reshaping how we search, shop and advertise.

Search is no longer just a typed query in a box. With tools like Gemini, Google Lens and AI Overviews, the buying journey is becoming more visual, conversational and context-aware. The path from awareness to purchase is increasingly possible in one scroll, without leaving Google’s ecosystem. Google’s newest tools reflect this shift:

• Smart Bidding Exploration (in beta) blends flexible ROAS targets with new bidding logic to uncover valuable queries you may be missing.
• AI Overviews are live on mobile in the US, with desktop and other markets coming next. These ad placements are designed to align with broader search intent.
• AI Mode, currently in testing, introduces a conversational, multimodal search experience with an AI-powered shopping layer launching in the US soon.
• Agentic tools like “Your Google Ads Expert” and “Your Google Analytics Expert” (in beta) aim to speed up insights and surface optimizations. “Your Marketing Advisor,” a Chrome-based AI assistant, will soon help teams manage tasks and surface recommendations across tools.

Put it into practice: These evolutions in the SERP are reshaping user behavior and redefining what ad success looks like. For advertisers, your inputs—site content, product feeds, conversion data, creative assets, etc.—matter more than ever as the content and experience will be derived automatically with AI. Invest in shoring up those foundations to make sure you’re showing up accurately and effectively in these new SERP experiences.

AI Max for Search gives you automation with a clearer view.

AI Max for Search Campaigns is a one-click upgrade that uses AI to match your landing pages, ads and keywords to real-time search intent. Google reports early tests showed up to 27% more conversions at similar CPA or ROAS, especially when using exact and phrase match. Unlike Dynamic Search Ads, which auto-generate content with limited reporting, AI Max surfaces clear insights into which queries, headlines and landing pages are driving performance. It’s still automated, but with a clearer view of what’s happening behind the scenes.

Put it into practice: Try AI Max on a campaign where broad match is performing well but hasn’t hit its ceiling. Use the new reporting to spot high-converting queries and creative, then scale what’s driving results. 

Performance Max now shows where results are coming from.

Performance Max has always prioritized automation over transparency. But Google is finally pulling back the curtain. Channel-level reporting now shows results across Search, YouTube, Shopping and other surfaces. Asset-level insights and fuller search term visibility offer more granular data to understand what’s actually working. For brands running full-funnel campaigns, this is a significant improvement.

Put it into practice: Shift budget to top-performing surfaces using channel data by influencing Google's spending. Update or remove underperforming assets within your campaign. If YouTube is lagging, shorten your video creative or adjust your audience signals.

Video ads in Search and Shopping compress the funnel.

Video placements are now being tested directly within Search and Shopping results, giving advertisers a shot at influencing high-intent shoppers without relying on separate awareness plays. The line between discovery and purchase is disappearing, and Google wants to keep the entire journey within its ecosystem. Users aren’t skipping steps in the funnel, they’re completing all of them in a single scroll.

Put it into practice: Add horizontal and vertical video assets to your ad groups. Focus on short-form content that delivers value fast, such as how-to clips, testimonials or product highlights.

Measurement tools are improving, but still require setup.

Google maintained its focus on measurement this year, sharing advertiser stories about the value of Meridian and unveiling updates to measurement features within Google Ads.  For example, they lowered the threshold significantly for in-platform incrementality testing, making it more accessible for brands to measure what tactics are creating incremental results. 

Additionally, Data Manager is Google Ads’ latest tool aimed at improving signal quality and measurement reliability. It helps advertisers connect and validate first-party data from websites, apps, CRMs, and in-store systems, making campaign data cleaner, more actionable, and privacy-compliant. It also supports better attribution by ensuring tags and signals are set up correctly. 

Put it into practice: Use Data Manager to set up and quality check your tagging configuration, confirm that key data sources are linked to your Google Ads account, and connect first-party data from third-party platforms like BigQuery, Salesforce, Shopify, Google Sheets, and more. A clean setup leads to better optimization and clearer insights.

Turn GML 2025 updates to real business outcomes.

GML 2025 showed that performance marketing is becoming more creative, more automated and more measurable. These updates are your chance to simplify workflows and scale impact. If you’re connecting creative, data and AI in one system, you’re going to move faster than your competitors.

Need help connecting the dots?
Let’s talk. We help brands turn updates like these into growth strategies that drive results.

As you sit before him, Sir Martian notices you through a camera. He begins to chat, and his questions are thoughtful. As you respond, his voice recognition system kicks in, clearly detecting and responding to what you say. Each answer you give provides context to the world you live in, allowing him to decide where to draw you. An idea generated in his “head” then moves to the brushless motors in his “hand” as he deftly captures your likeness on paper. An idea generated in his “head” then moves to the brushless motors in his “hand” as he deftly captures your likeness on paper. With every stroke of his pen, your portrait comes to life, a personalized masterpiece forged from a conversation that you’re sure not to forget. In this fusion of art and technology, Sir Martian provides more than just a portrait. He offers a connection, a shared moment, perfectly tailored to you. But don’t take my word for it; watch as Sir Martian introduces himself:

Sir Martian combines several innovative technologies.

Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly significant in the robotics industry. According to Market.us, the Global Humanoid Robot Market is projected to grow from USD 1.49 billion in 2023 to USD 29.12 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 62% from 2024 to 2033. This highlights a substantial push towards robotics and humanoids, underscoring their potential in various applications.

While the potential of humanoid technology is vast, I realize that an animatronic like Sir Martian may not be the most accessible starting point for digitally-driven organizations. However, the true value of Sir Martian lies in showcasing the convergence of multiple innovations in AI, each contributing uniquely to enhanced user experiences. Before diving into those technologies, let me guide you through the components that together bring our extraterrestrial friend to life.

Sir Martian is powered by cutting-edge technology, making use of 14 brushless motors strategically placed throughout its body—six in the head, three in the chest, three in the right arm, and two in the left arm—to enable deceptively lifelike movements. These motors are far quieter than ones that do use brushes, while dual encoders ensure precise control over movement and speed. Together, these technologies create an inviting atmosphere where engaging conversations and artistic expression unfold undeterred by the whirs of gears and joints you would expect from a robot.

At the heart of Sir Martian’s intelligence is a sophisticated system of large language model (LLM) powered agents, each designed to handle a specific task. This multi-sensory approach integrates text processing, visual interpretation, conversation, and artistic creation seamlessly. One LLM agent processes visual input from the camera, generating prompts that describe what Sir Martian sees, while another LLM agent handles user input (speech converted to text), enabling Sir Martian to understand what people say and to reply appropriately.

To keep the conversation meaningful, a third LLM agent acts as a self-moderator, guiding the dialogue along a defined path to ensure it remains relevant and informative. For example, if Sir Martian asks the user about a hobby or interest of theirs but receives an unrelated answer, he will recognize the need to reiterate the question to get the information he needs. While not explicitly scripted, these built-in guardrails ensure that every conversation follows a similar structure while still adapting to each user's unique responses, ultimately ending in the reveal of the personalized portrait.

Sir Martian inspires a wide range of AI-powered user experiences.

When blended together, these technologies create an incredible artistic experience. But each of those building blocks inspire my creative side to envision a wide range of other interactive, personalized experiences that similarly draw upon brand voice, a knowledge base and user data to surprise and delight audiences.

Scaled conversations: Imagine inviting your favorite personality—whether it’s a content creator, a celebrity or even a fictional character—into your friends’ group chat. Powered by AI, this digital double can participate in the banter among multiple users within a single conversation in real time. This is an experience we were able to build for an athletic brand that sought to revitalize the second-screen experience for sports fans, allowing viewers to invite an AI-powered version of a popular sportscaster who reacted to a live game alongside fans. The experience exchanged over 44,000 messages in ten seconds.

Immersive experiences: Our work with Spotify featuring The Weeknd is similar in giving fans the chance to chat with one of their idols, although in a drastically different experience and context. “Alone With Me” is a personalized web experience where users meet face-to-face with an interactive deepfake of the artist, who draws on their Spotify listening data to discuss their taste in music. In addition to its impressively realistic recreation of The Weeknd’s look and mannerisms, the experience also uses AI for voice synthesis—making a conversation with the artist The Weeknd almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Content generation: AI experiences don't always require complexity to captivate. Our collaboration with Hatch, a sleep wellness company, exemplifies how personalized visual creatives can engage diverse audiences efficiently. By leveraging AI, we developed targeted ad assets for Hatch's Restore 2 product, tailoring each to distinct audience personas. This approach allowed us to craft immersive visual environments that resonated with individuals' lifestyles and preferences, optimizing engagement. Freed from the constraints of traditional photoshoots, generative AI enabled us to swiftly produce high-quality, personalized ads that not only aligned with Hatch's brand but also outperformed previous strategies, demonstrating AI's power in content personalization.

User agents: The standard AI experience today is conversational, but the near future will enable experiences in which automated agents will be able to accomplish tasks on your behalf. For example, while an AI-generated snippet on Google’s search results may help you plan a vacation, it isn’t yet able to book an itinerary for you. Sir Martian, by not only carrying a conversation but also physically drawing a user portrait, offers a glimpse into how AI agents can perform tasks for their users.

As we look towards more personalized experiences, virtual shopping assistants (VSAs) are emerging as a key tactic in transforming online retail. Tired of chatbots that fall flat or get lost in conversation trees? Imagine engaging with a VSA that understands your preferences and evolves with every interaction, creating a seamless shopping journey. For a deeper dive into how VSAs are revolutionizing customer experiences and enhancing brand engagement, check out our discussion on virtual shopping assistants.

AI’s promise: meaningful, human-machine connection and collaboration.

While these diverse AI experiences showcase the broad potential of technology to enhance user interaction, they all share a common thread of innovation and personalization that Sir Martian embodies. Each example, whether immersive, conversational, or task-oriented, points toward a future where AI not only complements human endeavors but elevates them through bespoke, interactive journeys unique to the brand and the needs of its customers.

As technology relentlessly advances, Sir Martian is a model of innovation, illustrating the seamless blend of AI and robotics to create a wholly unique user experience. Through his lifelike interactions and personalized artistic creations, Sir Martian exemplifies how technology can transcend traditional boundaries, offering more than mere utility. He is also a great antithesis to the perception that AI can only be used to drive efficiencies. In this case, he also represents potential revenue streams as he provides an intimate and tailored connection between machine and human. This animatronic marvel invites us to reimagine the possibilities within AI, showing that such technology can be meaningful, personable and deeply engaging.