Overheard at Google Zeitgeist

Marketing lessons from Ava DuVernay, Venus Williams, and more                                                     ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏  ‍͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ [ Image ] GOOGLE ZEITGEIST | OCTOBER 2024 Perspectives on excellence across industries [A multilayered collage features interconnected elements that include a trophy, tennis ball, movie-marker clapboard, filmstrip, test beaker, and YouTube play button.]() [ A multilayered collage features interconnected elements that include a trophy, tennis ball, movie-marker clapboard, filmstrip, test beaker, and YouTube play button. ] [[ At this year’s Google Zeitgeist, a series of talks by people who are changing the world, we had the opportunity to hear from luminaries in science, art, sports, and business. No two sessions were alike, but all speakers shared insights marketers can use. Here are some highlights. On supporting experimentation with AI “Bottom line, my advice for leaders, for all of us, is: We know what needs to happen. So, how do we put our effort into hiring the right people, building the culture, shining a spotlight when it happens, and giving the space when things don’t go right? How do we learn quickly and iterate? Because at the end of the day, this is a very transformational technology, and it requires exceptional care. And that requires really strong leadership.” — Lila Ibrahim, Chief Operating Officer, Google DeepMind On inviting collaboration “When there is light, we see each other as we really are — not as strangers or opponents, but as creative partners.” — Platon, portrait and documentary photographer On tough love in sports and business “As an athlete, you have to practice brutal honesty. If you are not honest with yourself, you will not win. And it’s the same thing in the business world too. If you aren’t honest with yourself, you cannot get to that next win. And you have to be honest very quickly.” — Venus Williams, tennis legend and entrepreneur On reach beyond traditional channels “How do I reach the 75-year-old who nothing’s being made for, but who loves films and doesn’t want to watch a Marvel movie? Is there anything for him or her? And then, how do I reach them? These are the problems that we’re trying to disrupt in the mainstream industry, but we’re also trying to incubate through Array to connect the dots a little more.” — Ava DuVernay, filmmaker and founder of distribution company Array [Watch the full sessions](/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) Get more out of conferences Take a moment to remember the last marketing conference you attended. Did you take advantage of everything on offer? For his latest Guest Thinker column, Jim Lecinski, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, writes about unlocking the potential of marketing conferences with AI. - Before you go: Use AI to curate your experience. As with any situation, being prepared makes all the difference. Lecinski proposes asking yourself why you’re going. Are there questions you want answered? People you want to meet? AI can help you craft a laser-focused agenda around your goals. - On-site: Let AI handle the details so you can actively engage at the event. For example, use AI-powered note-taking apps to transcribe presentations and search them for insights later. If available, use the conference’s app to set up meetings with people who share your interests. - After the conference: Use AI to follow up. AI-powered tools like the Help me write feature in Google Docs can organize, categorize, and summarize the information you’ve gathered, making it easier to share and operationalize. [Know before you go](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) The ABCDs of Shorts “Ads are easy to spot, so ditch the traditional ad vibe,” says Alex Warrington, creative and social lead at Google. Follow the ABCDs of YouTube Shorts to make sure your ads aren’t just seen, but watched. [Three things to know](/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) ICYMI: Testing and learning [A magnifying glass hovers over a line graph showing points that initially go up before heading back down.](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) [ A magnifying glass hovers over a line graph showing points that initially go up before heading back down. ] [[ Looking for new ways to predict performance? Michael Bailey, senior director at Google Media Lab, and his team used ad performance data to train a model to score how likely a piece of creative is to deliver lift. The results were surprising. [Inside the experiment](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) [A Christmas card with a snowflake overlaps a calendar that is leaning against a decorated tree.](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) [ A Christmas card with a snowflake overlaps a calendar that is leaning against a decorated tree. ] [[ Pandora’s key consumption period is Christmas. “To enable this moment, we have a testing framework in place across the entire year,” writes Raul Duque Ruiz, SVP of global go-to-market at Pandora. [Behind the strategy](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) [A test beaker is surrounded by multiple arrows along a line indicating a clockwise circular motion.]() [ A test beaker is surrounded by multiple arrows along a line indicating a clockwise circular motion. ] [[ Repurposed assets are ideal for creative testing across multiple platforms. As you develop your YouTube Shorts strategy, carrying over the ads you know are successful is an easy and effective way to get started. [Get more YouTube Shorts tips]() Quotable “If it’s not fun, fix it until it is.” Venus Williams, tennis legend and entrepreneur [Source](): Google Zeitgeist, Oct. 2024. Around the web Google rolls out AI-powered updates to Performance Max campaigns [Arrow cta link]() [ Arrow cta link ] [[ Pixel FC Academy empowers a new generation of women in sports media [Arrow cta link]() [ Arrow cta link ] [[ Google DeepMind makes its AI text watermarking tool open source [Arrow cta link]() [ Arrow cta link ] [[ Received this email from a friend? [Sign up here](/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=) Discover more content on [ThinkWithGoogle.com](=/MTcyLUdPUC04MTEAAAGWfLZabRzJjOWRbugGoXir1CKRVYtOOD7nrUsZCEAlODzQmYhaeI7UCPEoFgB2DLa9LA46CMg=). This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you signed up for the latest from Think with Google U.S. and Canada. If you don’t want to receive this newsletter in the future, please [unsubscribe here]() (this is a one-click opt-out). © 2024 Google LLC. All Rights Reserved. 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