🚨The Future of Search Ads is Here (and It's Interactive!)

#HTE 294 -Strategies, examples, and much more!🚀

May 25, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Hello there, HTE rock stars! 😎

Welcome to our newsletter! 🎉 

Today, we will step into the future of marketing and tech with our new newsletter! 🔍 Learn about Google's latest ads that mimic AI assistants, revolutionizing search experiences. Explore how augmented reality is boosting retail sales through real-life examples. Plus, uncover six simple secrets to enhance your brand on LinkedIn. Get ready for a captivating journey through innovation and insight. 🚀

Let's go! 😉

Newcomers welcome to HTE's hub! Join 35k+ CEOs, CMOs, and marketers for game-changing insights. Get ahead, sign up for brilliance, and let's rise together! 🚀

New Google Search Ads Resemble AI Assistant App 👀

Augmented Reality In Retail: 4 Examples Of Ar Boosting Sales For Retailers 🛍️

Mastering LinkedIn: 6 Secrets to Boost Your Personal Brand

Brand of the Week✨

Top Read 📚 🤩

HTE Job Board- Get Your Dream Job With a Click✨💼

New Google Search Ads Resemble AI Assistant App

At Google’s Marketing Live event, a keynote revealed AI-powered visual search results that seamlessly blend ads with AI-assisted searches, engaging users more naturally. Google Lens, a useful app, now blurs the line between assistance and shopping, integrating AI in ways that don’t even feel like advertising. The presenter avoided the term "advertising" entirely. 🌟🛍️

Visual Search Traffic Opportunity?

Google’s Group Product Manager, Sylvanus Bent, introduced the next version of Google Lens. This visual search tool will help users find information and purchase options. Bent highlighted how this feature offers a new traffic source for websites 📸🔍.

It's tough to predict if this will drive search traffic to websites and what the quality of that traffic will be. Will visitors stick around to read an article? Will they engage with a product review? 🤔📈

Visual Search Results

Sylvanus shares a hypothetical scenario: imagine someone at an airport baggage claim falls in love with someone else's bag. All they need to do is snap a photo of the luggage, and Google Lens will direct them to shopping options. 📸✨

He explains:

Interactive Search Shopping

Sylvanus introduces an AI-powered form of advertising that occurs directly within the search experience. However, he avoids calling it "advertising." Instead, he describes this new AI search experience as more than an offer—he calls it "an experience."

He's right to avoid the term "advertisement" because what he describes transcends traditional advertising, blurring the lines between search and ads through AI-powered, paid suggestions. 

Sylvanus explains how this innovative shopping experience works:

He narrated how it works:

Step 1: Search For Short Term Storage

The screenshot above reveals an ad that appears to be an AI-powered search when clicked, but it's an interactive advertisement. 🤖✨

Step 2: Upload Photos For “AI Assistance”

The screenshot shows an ad disguised as AI-assisted search. This tactic, similar to advertorials, hides ads within articles. Phrases like “Let AI do the heavy lifting” and “AI-powered recommendations” mask the ad’s true intent. 🤖📢

Step 3: Images Chosen For Uploading

The above screenshot shows how a user uploads an image to the AI-powered advertisement within the context of an AI-powered search app.

The Word “App” Masks That This Is An Ad

This screenshot shows a user uploading a photo to an AI-driven interactive ad on a visual search engine. The word "app" is used to reinforce the perception that the user is engaging with an app rather than an ad. 📸💻

Upload Process Masks The Advertising Context

The phrase “Generative AI is experimental” contributes to the illusion that this is an AI-assisted search.

Step 4: Upload Confirmation

Step 4 ensures the "app" ad confirms the AI's accurate identification of the furniture earmarked for storage. 🛋️✅

Step 5: AI “Recommendations”

The above screenshot shows “AI recommendations” that look like search results.

Step 6: Searcher Visits Advertiser Website

Blurring Boundaries 🌐

The Google keynote speaker discusses the fusion of paid product recommendations within AI-powered searches. This advertising is pushing boundaries so much that it's not even labeled as such by the Googler. This blurs the distinction between AI-assisted search and advertising. When does a useful AI search transform into merely a medium for promoting paid suggestions? 🤔

Augmented Reality In Retail: 4 Examples Of Ar Boosting Sales For Retailers 🛍️

Augmented reality (AR) is evolving beyond entertainment and proving to be a sales booster for retailers. Key applications fall into two categories: AR optimizing the buying experience and AR add-ons enhancing products or services. Here are four examples of how AR is making a significant impact:

  1. Visualizing Large Products at Home 🛋️:

  • AR projects 3D images of products into customers' homes.

  • Useful for furniture and appliances, historically challenging to sell online.

  • IKEA's Place app allows customers to preview home furniture, reducing returns by up to 35%.

  1. Enhancing Toys with AR-Fueled Games 🎮:

  • 20% increase in toy and game spending since the pandemic.

  • Interactive toys with AR games, like LEGO's AR worlds.

  • And BIC's illustration app attracts engaged parents seeking home entertainment options.

  1. Post-Sale Customer Support with AR 🛠️:

  • Lowe's and Porsche use AR for post-purchase support.

  • AR assists in basic home repairs and aids experts in remote troubleshooting.

  • Brands provide additional value, which is crucial in times of economic uncertainty.

  1. AR-Guided In-Store Navigation 🗺️:

  • Lowe's AR map guides shoppers efficiently through physical stores.

  • Especially relevant in the post-pandemic era, encouraging a return to physical stores while promoting social distancing.

Note on Virtual Try-Ons:

  • AR-powered try-ons are not yet fully practical.

  • Challenges include the complexity of development, user reluctance to download dedicated apps, and ongoing efforts by tech giants Google and Apple to perfect this functionality.

  • Waiting for advancements in try-on AR from major players may offer a more cost-effective solution for brands in the future. 🌐👓👞

The Top Ways AR Is Transforming Customer Experience 🔄

Augmented reality (AR) has evolved significantly from its initial association with gaming, transcending the futuristic notions that were once linked with technologies like the Pokémon Go craze. Today, AR is reshaping customer experiences and finding applications in various aspects of our daily lives, disrupting conventional business practices across diverse industries. 🌐🚀

In contrast to virtual reality (VR), which immerses users in entirely virtual environments, AR enriches our perception of the real world by overlaying virtual objects onto it, creating a 360-degree, 3D experience. Recognizing the transformative potential of AR, Gartner identified immersive experience as a top-10 technology trend in 2018. Projections from Global Market Insights indicate that the AR market is anticipated to exceed $50 billion by 2024, primarily driven by increased adoption in retail, automotive, medical, and other sectors aiming to enhance operational efficiency. 💼💡

Here are five key ways in which AR is revolutionizing the customer experience:

  1. Retail Shopping: Contrary to predictions about the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, AR is poised to breathe new life into the industry. Retailers can leverage AR to not only enrich in-store experiences with detailed product information but also extend the in-store feel into consumers' homes. Major players like IKEA, H&M, and Sephora have developed interactive tools, such as IKEA's Place app, enabling customers to visualize furniture in their homes before purchase. 🛍️🛋️

  1. Tourism and Travel: AR proves invaluable for travelers seeking on-the-go guidance in unfamiliar places. Platforms like Yelp integrate AR features like Monocle to provide real-time information about local establishments. Hotels can use AR to furnish guests with interactive wall maps detailing the surrounding area or incorporate immersive videos into their advertising, contributing to the growth of AR in the travel industry. ✈️🗺️

  1. Customer Service: Imagine using AR to troubleshoot technical issues by pointing your phone at malfunctioning devices. Detailed information, such as make and model numbers, can be instantly communicated to customer service agents, expediting issue resolution and enhancing user experience. 📱🔧

  1. Healthcare: AR applications extend benefits not only to healthcare professionals for learning anatomy through 3D representations but also to patients. Doctors can use AR to elucidate surgical procedures, improving patient understanding. Innovations like AccuVein provide vein maps on the skin's surface, aiding healthcare workers in accessing veins more comfortably during procedures. 🏥💉

  1. Publishing: AR transforms the reading experience, making books and magazines come to life. By pointing a phone at a printed page, readers can encounter 3D characters, and dynamic landscapes, or gain instant access to additional information on a topic, enhancing the overall engagement with the content. Read more. 📚✨

Mastering LinkedIn: 6 Secrets to Boost Your Personal Brand

  1. Customize Your LinkedIn URL 🔗Start with a simple yet impactful change: customize your LinkedIn URL. A personalized URL not only looks more professional on your business card but also makes it easier for others to find you. This small tweak shows you pay attention to details.

  2. Craft a Compelling Headline 🏆Your headline should go beyond your job title. It should tell your unique story. Are you a "Digital Marketing Expert Turning Clicks into Clients" or a "Copywriting Pro Crafting Compelling Content"? Make it catchy and memorable.

  3. Summarize Your Story 📖Think of your summary as your elevator pitch. This is your chance to captivate your audience by sharing your journey, achievements, and even your setbacks—and what you learned from them. Be authentic, relatable, and unforgettable.

  4. Showcase Your Successes 🏅LinkedIn lets you add media to your profile—take advantage of this feature! Upload that game-changing presentation, feature the article you wrote that sparked conversations, or share a project that highlights your skills. Visuals can be powerful in telling your story.

  5. Get Vocal About Your Values 🌟What drives you? What causes are you passionate about? Use your LinkedIn profile to showcase the values that define your professional identity. This can create a deeper connection with viewers who share similar values.

  6. Engage Genuinely 🤝Personal branding is not just about broadcasting your achievements—it's about genuine engagement. Comment on posts, share insightful articles and congratulate your connections on their successes. Authentic interactions can transform your network into a supportive community.

Brand of the Week ✨

Seed + Mill, founded by Lisa, Rachel, and Monica in 2016, celebrates the power of food to connect people and cultures. Their journey began in New York City's Chelsea Market, where they shared their love for tahini and halva. Rachel, a former lawyer turned food entrepreneur, brought her passion for food and diverse cultural experiences to the venture. Today, Seed + Mill's products are cherished by chefs and home cooks nationwide, embodying the founders' commitment to quality and culinary exploration.

Top Reads📚

Heineken buys into Dutch RTD brand Stëlz ~  22 May 2024, The Drink Business 

Forward Announces Partnership with Xochitl ~  21  May 2024, Business Wire

HTE Job Board- Get Your Dream Job With a Click✨💼

Welcome to the HTE Job Board. We connect talented individuals with exciting career opportunities. Browse through our latest job listings and find the perfect match for your skills and aspirations. 

Your Voice 🎤

Phew! That was a lot, right? But hey, knowledge is power🌟. We hope this edition gave you some insights and maybe even cleared up a few doubts.

Got questions or topics you'd like us to cover next? Holler at us! We’ll give you a shoutout in our next edition. If you have any questions, reply to this email and share your valuable feedback so we can aim to address them in our upcoming editions!

Thank you for being a part of our community !🙌

Did you find this newsletter helpful? 👍 / 👎

Your feedback keeps us going.

Until next time,

With 🧡🧡

How to E-commerce