Google Performance Max adds AI asset testing and Video Enhancement features for 2025

Google has unveiled updates to its Performance Max advertising platform, introducing AI-powered asset testing capabilities and video enhancements designed to improve marketing ROI during the upcoming holiday season. The announcement, made yesterday, includes new experimentation tools, advanced video features, and revised campaign management protocols.

According to TransUnion's Marketing Mix Models study of U.S. Retail and Consumer Electronics advertisers, Performance Max campaigns demonstrated a 17% higher Return on Ad Spend compared to automated performance campaigns on other paid social platforms during Q4 2023.

"Performance Max automatically harnesses the full power of Google AI across all of Google's channels to identify the highest ROI ad opportunities," according to the announcement from Google Ads.

The platform will introduce asset experiments in early November 2024, allowing retailers to measure the impact of adding images, text, and video assets beyond their product feeds. These experiments will enable advertisers to validate asset performance and optimize their campaigns based on concrete data.

A significant enhancement comes in the form of Imagen 3 integration, Google's most advanced text-to-image model. This technology has been specifically tuned using ads performance data to generate higher-performing assets for Performance Max, Demand Gen, App, and Display campaigns.

The update also brings new video enhancement capabilities to the platform. These include:

• AI-powered video format adaptation for different aspect ratios
• Automated video shortening while preserving key messages
• Quality evaluation processes for enhanced videos
• Customizable control options for campaign management

In a notable shift from previous protocols, Google has modified how Performance Max interacts with Standard Shopping campaigns. The new system removes automatic prioritization of Performance Max when running alongside Standard Shopping campaigns targeting the same products. Instead, ad placement will be determined by Ad Rank, aligning with the platform's approach to other campaign types such as Demand Gen.

The platform now offers expanded sharing capabilities for ad previews, particularly beneficial for teams collaborating on creative content. These previews can be accessed without requiring a Google Ads login, streamlining the review and approval process for creative teams.

For video content management, advertisers maintain full control through several options:

• Campaign-level control for removing specific enhanced videos
• Feature disabling capabilities in campaign settings
• Video enhancement opt-out options at the video ad level
• Account manager assistance for feature disabling in App campaigns

Additional video enhancement features for Demand Gen campaigns are scheduled for release in 2025, focusing on video shortening capabilities to complement the current video flipping features.

The announcement emphasizes Google's focus on providing advertisers with more robust testing capabilities and greater control over their campaigns while leveraging advanced AI technologies for improved performance.

Key Facts

• Announcement Date: October 23, 2024
• Implementation Timeline: Early November 2024
• Performance Improvement: 17% higher ROAS compared to social media campaigns
• Technology Integration: Imagen 3 AI model
• Campaign Management: New Ad Rank-based prioritization system
• Future Updates: Additional video features planned for 2025