Every single day, advertising and marketing groups face a vital choice: Ought to they depend on Google’s built-in AI instruments or put money into customized options for particular advert marketing campaign duties?
I’ve watched this debate play out numerous occasions with shoppers.
Google continues including extra AI options for duties like advert copy era, headline creation, picture era, and product feed optimization.
In the meantime, specialised instruments and customized options are thriving, and no actual breakthrough for Google AI will be seen.
Current analysis helps this pressure.
Gherheș et al. (2025) discovered that whereas AI-generated content material can outperform human-created options in sure contexts, the standard varies considerably relying on implementation and objective.
Their examine revealed that over 50% of customers most well-liked AI-generated informative content material over sensationalized approaches, suggesting that how AI is deployed issues greater than the know-how itself.
However which method really delivers higher outcomes? And at what value?
As Pavlik (2024) notes in his evaluation of AI in journalism, instruments like ChatGPT don’t merely substitute human creativity however moderately current alternatives for “bettering the standard and effectiveness” of inventive work when correctly built-in into current workflows.
A latest examine by Ameet Khabra in contrast the efficiency of human-written versus AI-generated advert copy in Google Adverts campaigns.
Over an eight-week interval with a $500 price range, human-crafted advertisements considerably outperformed AI-created content material from Copy AI, reaching 60% extra clicks, a 1.33% increased click-through price, and a decrease value per click on ($4.85 vs. $6.05).
Researchers attributed human copywriters’ superior efficiency to their potential to grasp viewers feelings, make use of creativity and emotional attraction, adapt to particular contexts, and leverage cultural nuances that AI nonetheless struggles to copy.
Whereas acknowledging AI’s evolving capabilities and potential worth as a supplementary instrument, the examine emphasizes the enduring significance of human creativity in crafting compelling promoting messages that drive engagement and conversions.
No matter these combined analysis findings, one factor is for certain: AI is more and more embedded in inventive processes throughout advertising and marketing, and its integration is inevitable.
The query isn’t whether or not AI will play a job in promoting creation, however moderately how entrepreneurs can finest leverage these instruments to boost their campaigns.
As AI capabilities evolve quickly, at the moment’s limitations could also be tomorrow’s strengths. With this inevitability in thoughts, entrepreneurs want sensible steering on navigating the present panorama of accessible options.
This text compares Google Adverts built-in AI instruments towards third-party and customized options for inventive and optimization duties particularly.
AI-Generated Advert Copy
Google AI Robotically Created Property
Google’s AI textual content generator goals to streamline the advert creation course of by changing fundamental product descriptions into campaign-ready property.
The platform encourages advertisers to enter distinctive promoting propositions and key product options to generate contextually related advert copy.
Upon testing this instrument with a simulated online game enterprise specializing in refurbished PlayStation 5 consoles and video games, the efficiency fell notably in need of expectations.
The output high quality was inconsistent, however extra regarding had been the numerous compliance points noticed.
In a single significantly problematic occasion, the system generated the phrase “Welcome to the Amazon® Web site” as steered advert textual content, presenting a transparent trademark infringement threat and potential authorized publicity for advertisers.
Such vital errors spotlight a elementary limitation in Google’s native AI resolution: Whereas providing workflow comfort, it demonstrates insufficient safeguards for model compliance and authorized safety.
The system additionally produced contextually inappropriate messaging, resembling “PlayStation 5 Issues Solved,” which misaligned with sales-oriented marketing campaign aims by suggesting restore companies or technical help moderately than product choices.
With out cautious human evaluate, these issues make the instrument dangerous to make use of, particularly for companies in aggressive markets the place mistaken identification or inaccurate representations may result in severe authorized points and injury to your fame.
When producing longer headlines, there have been a lot fewer outcomes.
Solely three advert solutions appeared, considered one of which included free delivery data for orders over $50, which was a hallucination, as this data was by no means disclosed within the immediate or the touchdown web page.
Picture from writer, April 2025Creating descriptions was even worse, as there was just one advert suggestion and never even one from a copywriting perspective.
Picture from writer, April 2025After attempting with totally different prompts, I used to be in a position to get no less than 5 new descriptions out of Google AI.
Nonetheless, the outcomes had been fairly disappointing. The advert copy contained hallucinations just like the “free delivery over 100 USD,” in addition to the enterprise title “Instance Video Video games,” as a substitute of utilizing the enterprise title of the account or extracting it from the touchdown web page or URL.
General, underwhelming outcomes, contemplating Google is without doubt one of the greatest firms on earth and owns the most important internet marketing platform.
Picture from writer, April 2025Third-Get together Advert Copy Creation
Whereas Google’s AI textual content generator struggles with model accuracy and contextual relevance, a number of general-purpose AI fashions provide extra subtle advert copy creation capabilities that steadiness automation with high quality management.
Main basic AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini symbolize compelling options for entrepreneurs searching for higher-quality advert copy era.
In contrast to Google’s extra constrained system, these platforms provide larger flexibility in dealing with nuanced prompting and brand-specific necessities.
Picture by writer, April 2025In testing with our online game enterprise state of affairs, we prompted every mannequin to create headlines for refurbished PlayStation 5 consoles.
The outcomes demonstrated important benefits over Google’s native providing:
- Claude 3.7 produced premium-positioned headlines like “Save On Licensed PS5 Consoles,” “High quality PS5 | Full Guarantee,” and “Premium PS5 | Quick Delivery” that emphasize each worth and high quality assurance. Claude’s headlines maintained sturdy model positioning whereas highlighting availability (“PS5 Consoles In Inventory Now”) and worth benefits (“PS5 Consoles 30% Off Retail”) with out sacrificing perceived worth.
- ChatGPT (o3-mini) centered extra on emotional attraction and deal framing with choices resembling “PS5 Offers You’ll Love,” “Get Extra, Spend Much less PS5,” and “Finances PS5, Premium Enjoyable.” ChatGPT’s method successfully balanced affordability messaging with aspirational parts, probably interesting to each value-conscious and experience-focused shoppers.
- Gemini 2.0 took a extra direct value-oriented method with easy headlines like “Refurbished PS5 Offers,” “Low cost Used PS5,” and “Low cost PS5 Titles.” Whereas much less nuanced in positioning, Gemini’s headlines clearly talk the core providing and will carry out nicely for price-sensitive segments or direct response campaigns.
All three fashions demonstrated superior context consciousness in comparison with Google’s native instrument, with every showcasing totally different strategic approaches to headline creation.
They efficiently averted the hallucinations and model confusion points noticed in Google’s Advert instrument, whereas offering larger headline selection tailor-made to totally different advertising and marketing aims.
The important thing benefit these basic AI assistants provide is their adaptability and extra refined understanding of promoting language.
By offering detailed prompting with model tips, target market data, and particular messaging necessities, entrepreneurs can obtain considerably higher outcomes than with Google’s extra restricted built-in instrument.
For companies the place advert copy immediately impacts conversion charges, leveraging these extra subtle AI choices can yield higher-quality inventive property that higher symbolize model positioning and converse extra successfully to buyer wants.
Regardless of Gemini’s related headline concepts, it struggled to stick to the 30-character restrict for some prompts on Google Adverts headlines – a stunning limitation on condition that Gemini is Google’s personal AI mannequin and can be anticipated to grasp Google Adverts tips inherently – whereas Claude and ChatGPT persistently produced correctly sized headlines with out main further enhancing or truncation.
Picture Technology
Google AI Picture Technology
Picture era is one other space the place AI can actually shine and cut back the workload.
Pictures are a core asset in ecommerce, not solely used for product photos, but additionally for class pages, store banners, show advertisements, and extra.
For our digital online game enterprise, I attempted to create some photos matching our PlayStation 5 asset group. The outcomes had been attention-grabbing to say.
The primary created picture seems similar to an Xbox. Particularly, an Xbox One S or an Xbox Sequence S, which is the most recent mannequin.
Now, there aren’t any logos or emblems seen, and the shape issue is a little bit off.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Much more attention-grabbing, relying on the precise immediate, Google AI exhibits an error message associated to branded gadgets and content material restrictions.
Picture from writer, April 2025One other picture created seems a little bit extra like a PlayStation, however not as described and marketed as a PlayStation 5, however moderately an older PlayStation 4 mannequin.
Once more, the content material restrictions are almost certainly chargeable for the outcomes.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Whereas the picture outcomes are considerably disappointing for these branded gadgets, it’s comprehensible that Google AI follows content material restrictions and model tips to keep away from any authorized points, because the PlayStation is a trademark of Sony, and the Xbox is a trademark of Microsoft.
It’s attention-grabbing to see that Google AI tries to work round this limitation and nonetheless creates a picture, however in that particular case, the picture is kind of ineffective, as there may be little worth in showcasing a non-existent online game console.
A query right here can be why the content material restrictions and tips didn’t apply to textual content creation when the textual content asset “Welcome to the Amazon® Web site” was created.
To test the picture creation high quality, I attempted a distinct method for non-branded gadgets within the pet food class.
The picture is nice at first look since a number of merchandise are proven with a canine within the image, supporting the class, however some issues are off.
The textual content within the picture remains to be a multitude for Google AI. Plus, the proportions are unsuitable. The canine is means too small, contemplating the cans of pet food displayed, that are small gadgets.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Higher than online game consoles, however nonetheless not ok to rely solely on Google AI with none backup or various.
Third-Get together Picture Technology
ChatGPT
Utilizing the identical prompts to create photos, ChatGPT delivers superb outcomes in comparison with the Google Adverts built-in picture creator.
Visually, it was in a position to recreate a PlayStation online game console with a gaming controller.
ChatGPT even received particulars proper, besides the model emblem, which may be as a consequence of some model safety measures.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Additionally, the most recent Xbox mannequin was created with in-depth particulars.
This time, even the Xbox emblem was created, possibly as a result of ChatGPT and Microsoft have made a trademark deal of some type? Or trademark restrictions have some loopholes.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Eventually, the creation of the pet food picture was additionally successful.
The immediate included the model to be named “Doug’s Finest Canine Meals,” which was completely written on the product, together with a properly positioned bowl filled with pellets in entrance of a golden retriever.
As compared, Google AI was in a position to create a good picture, however upon nearer look, points with displaying phrases had been obvious, which ChatGPT may deal with completely.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025Qwen
Qwen is a picture era instrument based mostly on Deepseek, which is a Chinese language-based AI developer.
AI-generated picture by writer, April 2025The picture from Qwen clearly had an “AI” look in comparison with the ChatGPT or Google AI picture.
Nonetheless, it received the model title “Doug’s Finest Canine Meals” proper. With some enhancements, Qwen can produce first rate photos, if you’re okay with having a digital picture look.
Google AI was in a position to create a extra real-life wanting picture, with the draw back of not with the ability to show the model title appropriately.
Video Creation Software
Google Adverts Video Creation Software
Google’s built-in video creation instrument goals to make video promoting accessible to entrepreneurs with out manufacturing assets.
The instrument covers a number of advertising and marketing aims – from model consciousness and consideration to direct gross sales and app promotion – accommodating numerous enterprise classes, together with apps, merchandise, and companies.
It provides flexibility with vertical, sq., and horizontal codecs in lengths starting from fast six-second spots to 15-second and longer movies.
Nonetheless, the instrument’s output high quality reveals its limitations.
Most movies are primarily slideshows, stitching collectively static photos, logos, and textual content overlays moderately than fluid video content material.
Whereas this method democratizes video advert creation, the outcomes typically lack the polish and engagement energy of correctly produced video content material.
For a lot of entrepreneurs, this represents the elemental tradeoff of Google’s native instruments: accessibility and integration vs. inventive limitations that may affect efficiency.
Picture from writer, April 2025At finest, entrepreneurs get a nice-looking slideshow; talking of a severe promoting video can be an excessive amount of.
The higher templates are principally for app-related movies, the place no less than some type of animation is included with a finger performing some telephone contact gestures.
General, the native video creation instrument serves as a backup for entrepreneurs who want a video instantly and don’t have any instruments available.
In another case, it’s finest to postpone video creation and begin with a extra first rate instrument.
Third-Get together Video Creation
Canva Video Creation
Screenshot from Canva, April 2025Canva makes a lot better movies than Google Adverts’ built-in instruments with virtually the identical effort.
Google principally creates fundamental slideshows, however Canva offers you hundreds {of professional} templates, animations, and inventory movies to make use of in your advertising and marketing.
The easy drag-and-drop design permits you to make participating movies with clean transitions and textual content results that preserve viewers engaged.
In contrast to Google’s static slideshows, Canva creates flowing video content material that appears professionally made.
In the event you spend just some extra minutes utilizing Canva as a substitute of Google’s instrument, your movies will look far more skilled and sure carry out higher along with your viewers.
Qwen
Alibaba’s Qwen is a powerful competitor to Google Adverts’ fundamental video instruments, giving entrepreneurs higher movies without having particular abilities.
Whereas Google simply makes easy slideshows, Qwen makes use of AI to show your photos and textual content into dynamic movies with clean actions {and professional} transitions.
The instrument is nice at robotically creating cohesive visible tales even from minimal enter, including movement to nonetheless photos in ways in which look skilled.
What stands out is how Qwen creates animations that really match your product sort and model type, avoiding the one-size-fits-all look of Google’s templates.
Although not as well-known as Canva within the West, Qwen’s AI method produces polished movies that look deliberately designed moderately than template-made, making it an important alternative for entrepreneurs who need higher movies than what Google provides.
Picture by writer, April 2025
Picture by writer, April 2025For the instance of a pet food model, Qwen delivered distinctive outcomes.
With the primary immediate, Qwen created a five-second clip of golden retrievers taking part in round and going to a human hand to eat pet food from the hand.
Not solely did the video look fairly near actual life in comparison with the Qwen picture era “AI look,” however Qwen additionally did this as a free instrument. No value concerned.
In the event you evaluate this to the Google video creation, which is mainly a PowerPoint presentation, Qwen makes a extremely good efficiency.
Sora
One other nice video instrument is Sora from OpenAI.
Since Sora is included within the $20 Premium membership, you may generate movies at virtually no value, although with some limitations on video high quality and size.
Nonetheless, there are just a few instruments on the market that may generate first rate AI video output for that value.
Product Picture Enhancements
Product Studio
The Product Studio for Service provider Heart Subsequent is a beta picture optimization instrument throughout the Service provider Heart, additionally accessible by way of the Google App inside Shopify.
It permits for creating product photos in numerous scenes, in addition to eradicating backgrounds and growing picture high quality.
Picture from writer, April 2025
Picture from writer, April 2025These are two tries to show a gaming controller in a scene.
Though the standard of the product picture has remained moderately good, the scenes are barely usable.
The picture processing immediate was “Showcase this controller in a front room, in entrance of a TV with neon lighting.”
In follow, the specified scene was not even remotely depicted. The controller in entrance of notebooks or pens is misplaced; the second try resulted in three black backgrounds and a fiery background.
Free Options To Google’s Product Studio
In contrast to Google’s Product Studio, which struggles with correct scene era as proven within the gaming controller instance, a number of free instruments provide extra dependable picture optimization capabilities.
Canva’s free tier features a background removing instrument that produces clear cutouts with exceptional accuracy.
Whereas scene creation is extra restricted within the free model, you may nonetheless place merchandise on numerous pre-designed backgrounds or use their in depth template library to create extra contextually applicable product shows than what you skilled with Google’s instrument.
To take away backgrounds, use take away.bg, which is a specialised instrument that focuses completely on background removing with spectacular outcomes, even for advanced merchandise like your gaming controller.
The free model has measurement limitations however delivers professional-quality cutouts that may then be positioned into scenes utilizing different instruments.
For all the pieces extra advanced, GIMP is a free and succesful instrument. This open-source picture editor offers sturdy capabilities for each background removing and scene composition.
Although it has a steeper studying curve, GIMP provides exact management over picture high quality enhancement and life like product placement.
Last Ideas
Google’s native AI instruments, whereas conveniently built-in into their promoting platform, persistently underperform in comparison with third-party options.
The proof is obvious and regarding. Google’s AI advert copy generator produced legally problematic content material with model infringement dangers and hallucinated product particulars.
Its picture era produced visually inaccurate representations. The video creation instrument delivered little greater than fundamental slideshows moderately than participating video content material.
In the meantime, third-party options or Google’s personal Gemini mannequin used externally demonstrated superior capabilities throughout all inventive capabilities:
- Common-purpose AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT produced extra compelling, correct, and compliant advert copy.
- Specialised instruments like Canva, Take away.bg, and Photopea supplied vastly superior picture manipulation choices.
- Video creation platforms like Canva and Qwen delivered professional-quality animation and transitions not possible with Google’s fundamental instruments.
This efficiency hole reveals the elemental tradeoff entrepreneurs face: comfort of integration vs. inventive high quality and efficiency.
Google’s in-platform AI instruments present workflow effectivity however on the important value of inventive limitations, model security issues, and potential authorized publicity.
For entrepreneurs severe about marketing campaign efficiency, the trail ahead is obvious: Leverage exterior AI options for inventive improvement, then import these higher-quality property into Google’s promoting platform.
This hybrid method maintains the benefit of Google’s concentrating on and supply mechanisms whereas avoiding the substantial limitations of their inventive AI instruments.
As AI continues to evolve in advertising and marketing, profitable advertisers shall be those that strategically choose the suitable instruments for every particular operate moderately than defaulting to in-platform choices for comfort alone.
The proof means that, for now, the advertising and marketing benefit lies decidedly with these keen to look past Google’s native AI for his or her inventive improvement wants.
Extra Assets:
Featured Picture: KinoMasterskaya/Shutterstock
