Google VP Jason Spero on meeting the AI moment with action and change

Summary

Jason Spero, the Global Vice President of Product Solutions at Google, discusses the pivotal role of the marketing industry in leading the transition to an AI-powered future. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to changes in privacy regulations and the imminent deprecation of third-party cookies. Spero encourages marketers to reimagine customer engagement, build deeper relationships grounded in trust, and leverage AI combined with first-party data to improve measurement, media targeting, and creative delivery. He shares real-world examples of brands that have successfully implemented these strategies and urges the audience to embrace experimentation, risk-taking, and organizational change to capitalize on the transformative potential of AI in the marketing landscape.

Takeaways

• 😀 This is a pivotal year for the marketing industry as AI starts to become a reality and drive significant changes.
• 🤝 The IAB is leading conversations on important industry changes, from third-party cookies to emerging regulations and AI.
• 🔄 This moment of disruption and change is similar to the mobile disruption of 2010, requiring adaptation and evolution.
• 🧠 AI, combined with first-party data and privacy-preserving technologies like the Privacy Sandbox, will improve and replace many aspects of marketing.
• 💪 Building deep customer relationships grounded in trust and increasing first-party data will be crucial for powering AI models.
• 📈 AI can enable durable, privacy-centric measurement models and fill gaps in data to improve targeting and attribution.
• 📺 AI can help optimize media budgets across channels, target audiences more effectively, and deliver profitable growth.
• 🎨 AI can enhance creativity by generating variations of assets, personalized creative, and virtual try-on experiences.
• 🌱 AI, fueled by first-party data, will become the backbone of the industry as third-party cookies disappear.
• 🤝 The speaker is confident in the marketing industry's ability to adapt and lead the way in this era of AI-powered growth.

Q & A

What was the main topic of Jason Spero's speech?

The main topic was the impact of AI on the marketing and advertising industry, and how marketers need to adapt and evolve to embrace the changes brought by AI.

Why did Jason Spero want to be at the IAB event?

Jason Spero wanted to be at the IAB event because he felt it was an important moment, and the IAB was leading conversations about the most significant changes in the industry, such as the end of third-party cookies, emerging regulations, and the opportunities and challenges posed by AI.

How did Jason Spero compare the current situation to the year 2010?

Jason Spero compared the current situation to 2010 when mobile technology was disrupting the industry. He mentioned that in 2010, there was excitement, anxiety, ambiguity, and a lot of fear and hard conversations, just like the current moment as AI is poised to change the foundation of everything in marketing.

What does Jason Spero believe is necessary to prepare for the end of third-party cookies?

Jason Spero believes that a combination of three things is necessary to prepare for the end of third-party cookies: AI, data, and privacy-preserving technologies like the Privacy Sandbox.

What advice did Jason Spero give to marketers regarding customer relationships?

Jason Spero advised marketers to deepen their customer relationships, build deep customer relationships grounded in trust, make changes to their UX and value exchange with customers, and potentially make changes to their organizations.

Why is first-party data crucial for marketers?

First-party data is crucial for marketers because it will power their AI models and enable them to improve and replace much of what they do today, as they lose other signals like third-party cookies.

How did North Face, Bayer, and Pepsi use their data and AI to improve their marketing efforts?

North Face tripled their conversions by expanding the data in their tags and using it in their media. Bayer doubled their conversions for high-value customers by using their web analytics data for value-based bidding. Pepsi grew their data record by 50% by offering rewards for QR code scans on their packaging, which increased their YouTube sales lift by 37%.

What advice did Jason Spero give regarding media fragmentation and budgets?

Jason Spero advised marketers to focus on delivering profitable growth across the entire customer journey and to avoid waste by eliminating media budget and organizational silos. He suggested giving AI more degrees of freedom to move media to where it performs best, rather than targeting specific channels or audiences.

How did Google Cloud use AI to improve their customer acquisition efforts?

Google Cloud gave audience signals, creative assets, and a goal to AI-powered campaigns like Performance Max, which allowed the AI to find the best-performing places to run media, resulting in more conversions at a lower CPA.

How can AI help with creative assets and personalization?

AI can help with creative assets by editing existing video assets to work for various bandwidths, screen sizes, lengths, and resolutions. It can also create new creative assets like virtual try-on experiences, allowing customers to see garments on different body types, skin tones, and heights. This helps with personalization and engagement.