Unlock the Next Era of Marketer-Made Growth with AI

What a difference a year makes. As a former CMO and now a leader at Google, I can honestly say there’s never been a more exciting time to be a marketer. There’s a heightened focus on consumer privacy, immense disruption and opportunity with AI; and all the while, the departure from third-party cookies.

This inflection point isn’t just about adapting to these changes, it’s also about shaping the future of our industry. Everyone — marketers, publishers, agencies — has a crucial role to play in defining this next era of AI-powered growth. It will require building deeper connections with your customers, meeting their expectations for privacy, and laying a strong foundation of first-party data and measurement.

You’re the marketer. AI is your enabler.

The complexity of consumer behavior continues to accelerate. Today, more than half of consumers are using five or more online sources before they buy. This is at an all-time high. Consumers are also demanding more personalized brand experiences and control over their data and privacy. Though these aren’t mutually exclusive, they present a challenge and an opportunity. 

People want a positive privacy experience and will switch brands to get it. Nearly 50% of people said that a positive privacy experience with their second-choice brand would lead them to abandon their first-choice. To win their hearts and wallets, marketers need to forge new relationships with customers — built on trust and a true value exchange. Here are a few examples of how marketers can shape the future.

Value exchange and the power of first-party data

With cookies going away, much of our traditional attribution will no longer work the same way. AI-powered ad tools will now depend on consented first-party data to drive profitable growth and AI is only as good as the data you feed it. That means brands need to strengthen — and in some cases rethink — the relationships they build with customers.

PepsiCo uses QR codes on packages and in stores to invite customers to join their loyalty programs and optimizes offers based on their preferences. In just 18 months, they increased their global first-party data record by 50%. This enables the brand to deliver the right value exchange for each of its loyalty members, which in turn drives retention.This customer-centric approach has increased media efficiency and, for some campaigns, resulted in 3X ROI improvement.

First-party data needs to be a top priority for your organization. This is what will power your AI.

Building durable measurement

How we measure our marketing is changing. The good news is we have the tools, and many of you are already laying down a strong data foundation. Even something as easy as tagging can deliver immediate results. 

The North Face tripled conversions and revenue by simply updating their site tagging. When the term “puffer” jacket blew up, the brand quickly renamed its products and modified their onsite search to capture the surge in demand.

CMO: Change Management Officer

This year marks an inflection point for marketers and an exciting time to shape the future of our industry. And while our core role remains the same — drive profitable growth and build our brands — the way we do it is changing. We saw this with the dawn of internet advertising and again with the shift to mobile. Building the foundation for AI-powered growth means marketers need to become agents of change within their organizations. It won’t be easy — change never is — but the good news is many of you have already begun the work, and the payoff will be worth it. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to get started to put Google AI to work for you. 

 ¹ Google/Ipsos, Holiday Shopping Study, Oct 13 2022 – Jan 4 2023, Online survey, US, n=8,467, Americans 18+ who conducted holiday shopping activities in past two days

² Google/Ipsos, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, U.S., Privacy by design: the benefits of putting people in control, n=8,000 online participants aged 18-70, July 2022