One of the new ad formats Google announced today will allow brands to link short-form videos they create themselves, or videos they hire creators to shoot, to ads on Google’s search engine. A text summary of the AI-generated clip is included below. “I have three Gen Z kids in my house, and when I watch them shop, they’re very video-based,” Madrigal said.
Google has also launched a tool that allows businesses to create entirely new AI-generated product images based on photos from previous marketing campaigns or photos that represent their brand identity. For example, a homewares brand can upload a photo of its candle and an image of a beach and ask Google, “Please place a candle on a beach like this under a palm tree.”
Shannon Smith, founder of perfume and body care company A Girl’s Gotta Spa!, started using the AI imaging tool last year when the company first introduced it as part of its product studio software. said. Initially, Google only allowed sellers to make minor adjustments to existing product photos, such as replacing the background or increasing the resolution.
“I decided to give it a try as I was struggling financially to maintain professional-looking photos on my social channels,” Smith says. She uses this to generate images for use on social media, emails, her newsletter, and Amazon store. (Google reached out to WIRED to ask Smith to discuss his experience with the company’s AI products.)
Smith said Google’s AI tools save her time and have gotten better over time. “To be honest, at first I was frustrated by whether it produced images without shadows or reflections, or whether there were unidentified objects in the photos,” she explained. “We found that if we gave feedback on every image, those problems started to resolve.”
Google is trying to help advertisers create compelling images without having to spend a lot of time and budget on graphic designers, photographers, set designers, and models. This may not be good news for employees, and shoppers may be disappointed if product images aren’t accurate. But Google hopes AI images will make ads more appealing, attract more clicks, and increase revenue.
But the company and its competitors may just be helping retailers avoid paying for expensive software like Photoshop or spending millions on creative services. It’s not clear how many customers will necessarily feel the need to advertise more. Smith said that despite how highly she rates Product Studio, her company doesn’t buy her Google ads.
AI-generated ads are becoming more and more entrenched on the internet. Earlier this month, Meta gave his Facebook and Instagram advertisers the ability to generate new versions of existing product photos using AI, after previously only offering AI-generated backgrounds. We have started offering. Meta and Google also allow advertisers to write marketing copy for their ads.
Last fall, Amazon announced a similar beta image generation tool that can also create backgrounds for product photos. Instead of advertising a garden hose on a plain white background, brands can create a backyard landscape with a garden and trees, for example, without the need for actual soil.
The pressing question is whether consumers will be offended by AI-generated ads when they first notice them. Some fashion brands, including Levi’s and dressmaker Selkie, have announced they are experimenting with artificial intelligence and have faced backlash from customers. However, for many small e-commerce businesses, the potential benefits of using AI may outweigh the risks.
“Let’s face it, small businesses are falling apart like castles in the sand. They’re barely holding on,” Smith said. “It’s helped me visually keep my customers and potential customers top of mind. Without that as an option, I’m sure my aesthetic would have declined and I would have abandoned many social channels.” doing.”
