The marketing landscape is no stranger to transformation, but AI has ushered in a shift unlike any before. Consumer behavior is no longer a predictable funnel, it’s fluid, fragmented, and fueled by micro-moments where searching, scrolling, and shopping happen in a blur. Marketers, once in control of mapping customer journeys, now find themselves chasing moving targets in an ecosystem where attention is fleeting, preferences shift unpredictably, and digital interactions happen in milliseconds.
Adding to the complexity, businesses are under mounting pressure to deliver measurable growth, making every marketing decision not just about creativity but also about profitability. This is where AI steps in, not as a passing trend but as an essential force reshaping how brands engage audiences, optimise campaigns, and measure success in real time.
At AdTech 2025, Neha Markanda, Head of Industry, E-commerce at Google, delved into this AI-driven evolution in her keynote session, ‘AI Intervention: Rewriting the Marketing Playbook’. She explored how marketers should approach AI adoption, whether to go all in with large language models for hyper-personalisation and automation or take a more gradual approach to integration.
From multimodal AI capabilities to agentic intelligence, the session unpacked the real impact AI is having today and the strategic decisions brands must make to stay ahead.
Markanda said, “The year 2024 was undeniably a monumental year for AI, particularly at Google. We take immense pride in everything we achieved on the AI front this year. Technology has always been at the core of our products, designed to scale seamlessly for users. In 2024, we introduced Gemini 2.0, our latest model that has significantly pushed the boundaries of AI.”
One of the most exciting manifestations of Gemini 2.0 is Project Astra- think of it as the next generation of assistance. Picture yourself in an unfamiliar city; with Astra, you have an intelligent companion. It can analyse images, recognise surroundings, and engage with you in any language, including your native one. Imagine walking through the streets of London- Astra can help you explore its hidden corners, uncover historical insights, and dive deeper into any topic of interest, all in the language of your choice.
“In 2024, Search underwent one of the most significant transformations in the past two decades with the introduction of AI overviews. This breakthrough brought together the power of large language models and high-quality web content to enhance user experience. While many of us have interacted with AI overviews, we may not fully grasp the profound shift they have introduced. These overviews not only provide precise responses but also facilitate a more conversational interaction. Users no longer need to frame highly specific search queries- conversational questions now yield contextually rich and nuanced answers,” Markanda said.
Furthermore, she went on to say, “Then there’s my absolute favorite, NotebookLM. Information today exists in multiple formats- PDFs, documents, articles, voice notes, and more. NotebookLM allows users to consolidate these diverse sources in one space, simply by dragging and dropping them. From there, users can ask any query, and NotebookLM will generate a concise summary.”
It also enables deep dives into specific topics and can even convert information into various formats, including voice notes, which can be shared with team members. Personally, it has significantly enhanced my productivity, making it an invaluable tool for professionals.
She highlighted, “AI is deeply embedded in our mission, shaping every innovation we introduce. Whether it’s ASTRA, Search Overviews, NotebookLM, or other AI-driven advancements, each one aligns with our commitment to organising the world’s information and making it more actionable and useful for our users. These innovations reflect our dedication to staying true to our mission in today’s evolving landscape. That’s a glimpse into Google and some of the exciting AI breakthroughs we’ve been working on.”
“Let’s take a step back and explore the broader landscape of AI. I’ll highlight three key trends and then break down what they mean for us as marketers. The first trend is multi-modality, the second is Agentic AI and the third revolves around reimagining search. But more importantly, let’s look at how these are being applied in business,” Markanda said.
She emphasised that with multi-modality, the real breakthrough lies in vastly improved contextual understanding. These models enhance information gathering, analytics, and precision, making them significantly more effective. What sets them apart now is their ability to interpret context with remarkable accuracy. A case in point is Google’s MedLM, which processes massive volumes of medical claims, invoices, and reports, leading to more accurate and efficient claim processing and payouts.
So, what does this mean for marketers and creatives? It unlocks the ability to seamlessly blend different capabilities, imagination, writing, and visualisation, into a unified process. What once required extensive brainstorming and time-consuming efforts can now happen almost instantly, transforming the way we create and innovate.
Markanda said, “The second key development revolves around the buzzword we’re all hearing lately- agentic AI. The real transformation, however, lies in the emergence of multi-agent systems. Previously, AI agents were designed with specialised capabilities, each excelling in a specific function. But with multi-agent systems, we can now synthesise, combine, and amplify the strengths of multiple agents, unlocking far greater potential.”
What sets agents apart is that unlike traditional AI models that primarily capture and store data, agents possess a significant degree of autonomy and decision-making ability. With multi-agent systems, this autonomy is further enhanced, enabling them to achieve outcomes that a single agent alone could not.
Markanda highlighted that AI is transforming search into a more engaging experience by integrating various modalities beyond traditional text-based queries. Modern search now incorporates visuals, voice, and other interactive elements to enhance user engagement. One such innovation is Circle to Search, which aligns with users’ intuitive behaviors. This feature allows users to circle or highlight any area of interest on their screen to initiate a search and obtain relevant information without switching apps. For example, by simply circling an item in a photo or video, users can quickly find similar, shoppable options from retailers across the web.
“Another significant development is Google Lens, which enables users to search using their device’s camera. As of recent reports, Google Lens processes nearly 20 billion visual searches each month. This highlights the substantial commercial potential of visual search, offering rich signals that can be invaluable for businesses aiming to connect with consumers,” Markanda said.
These advancements underscore the evolving nature of search, moving beyond text to embrace more natural and intuitive methods of information discovery.
Consumer behavior today is incredibly unpredictable, constantly evolving in ways that are almost unbelievable. Amid this uncertainty, one thing remains clear that consumers are always on digital. They seamlessly transition between searching, streaming, scrolling, and shopping, often within milliseconds.
Traditionally, marketers have segmented these actions into distinct funnel stages- scrolling as the upper funnel, searching and streaming as the consideration phase, and shopping as conversion. However, in reality, these behaviours occur simultaneously, making it challenging to map a linear consumer journey. The real struggle for marketers is predicting where consumers are in the funnel at any given moment and tailoring messaging accordingly, she said.
“Adding to this complexity is the mounting pressure on businesses to drive growth while proving that marketing is a profit center, not a cost center. In the last two to three years, maintaining a tight P&L has been particularly demanding. Balancing rapidly shifting consumer habits with business expectations is no easy feat,” Markanda said.
“This is where AI becomes a crucial enabler. It’s only with AI that marketers can get closer to predict the unpredictability of consumer behaviour, improve targeting, optimise media outreach, and enhance measurement strategies. Ultimately, AI helps bridge the gap between consumer behavior and business growth. The impact is undeniable, marketers who have integrated AI into their strategies have witnessed 60% greater revenue growth. And 60% is not a figure that can be ignored,” she added.
She also highlighted that when it comes to truly integrating AI into every aspect of marketing, the fundamentals remain unchanged. The core levers of marketing are still the same- executing creative ambitions effectively, ensuring precise and relevant media targeting, and measuring success with the right metrics.
“None of this is surprising. What’s exciting, however, is how AI enables us to push these boundaries further. It’s a new skill we all need to master. Years ago, these tools weren’t available to enhance creativity, development, and connection. Now, that’s the only skill we need to adopt, because everything else remains the same,” Markanda said.
