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The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented challenges for businesses of all sizes, including Google. Its media teams, in particular, faced the unique task of adapting their strategies and operations to a rapidly changing landscape.
In a 2021 speech, Google’s global marketing VP for media, Joshua Spanier, reflected on the team’s experience and shared valuable insights on how they navigated the crisis and emerged stronger.
According to Google, here are four major lessons acquired with regards to marketing during the pandemic:
1. Investments in technology and infrastructure
Investing in technology and making things work more efficiently helped Google during the pandemic. They used a central system and tools to manage their work, sticking to the ways they already knew before the pandemic happened. This helped Google restart, grow, and keep going quickly and effectively.
For example, before COVID-19, Google had 20 different ways to track their ad campaigns around the world. This made it hard to make quick changes when needed. So, they combined all these trackers into one system that everyone could use. This made it easier to see the true picture of what was happening with their campaigns.
The pandemic also made Google rethink how they use their resources. They realised they could use technology to do some tasks automatically, so their employees could focus on more important things like coming up with new ideas.
For instance, they are creating a tool that can help plan where to put ads and which publishers to work with. Before, people spent a lot of time planning each campaign, but during the pandemic, Google questioned if this was the best way to do things.
While rules and processes can sometimes slow things down, having a good system, clear processes, and using technology smartly can actually save time and help teams invest their time in more valuable ways.
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2. Boost creativity with insights and machine learning
Google discovered during the pandemic that machine learning can actually help to boost creativity.
When people started shopping online a lot during the pandemic, Google saw a chance to promote its products. However, it was hard to come up with new and creative ideas. To make the most of this opportunity, Google focused on performance media and quickly started using machines to create thousands of creative assets.
They used information from their own data and trends from search and YouTube to guide their creative work. For Google Search and Maps, they were able to make 30 contextual videos and more than 110,000 dynamic banners to support local businesses.
To create so many ads, they built a machine learning-based system. This system makes personalised versions of ads based on things like where you live, the time of day, and what you like.
For example, if you lived near Chicago and liked dancing, you might see an ad about local dance studios. Creating different personalised ads like these wouldn’t have been possible without machine learning.
3.“Win before spend” motto
“Win before spend” means being careful with every dollar spent on advertising. Because of the pandemic, Google had to plan more and work even harder.
Google’s teams created checks to look at ads before they are shown. These checks follow a list of best practices for each channel, tactic, or format.
Like many advertisers, Google usually tests ads before showing them. But, because of the pandemic, they went a step further. They made a scorecard to check how good the ads are and how much of the budget is used for the best-performing ads.
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This way, Google makes sure they spend money on the ads that work the best. They also made sure to show the ads to the right people enough times to make a difference. These checks help predict if a plan will work and make the ads more effective.
Following these checks increased the chances of a campaign being successful by up to 5 times. This means that by being careful and checking everything before spending, Google can make sure their ads have a bigger impact.
4. Embrace flexibility and agility
Resiliency for brands requires investing in experimentation. Before the pandemic, Google was already a pioneer in digital media and was always comfortable pushing the boundaries on all levels.
The pandemic environment was constantly changing, requiring the team to be adaptable and quick to respond. They experimented with new formats, platforms, and technologies to reach their target audiences in the most effective way.
“Be ready to change and learn new things” is the idea here. For brands to be strong, they need to try new things and be ready for anything.
To be more ready for anything, Google invested in being quick, flexible, and data-driven. They built a special team called “Team Adrenaline.” This team works on creative and new ideas. They have their own budget to work with other teams and try out new ways of doing things.
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For example, when they couldn’t make new ads, Team Adrenaline used a tool to make different versions of existing ads.
Google also changed how they work. They let employees choose if they want to work from home or go to the office. This choice will continue even after the pandemic. Google believes this helps keep their unique and collaborative culture, which is something they learned is really important.
The big lesson here is to keep learning and trying new things. What worked before might not work in the future, so it’s important to set aside time and money to try new ideas and keep growing.
Conclusion
Google stated that one of its key success elements during the pandemic was its ability to retain the quirk, serendipity, fun and collaborative culture.
Organisations should hold tight to such lessons learned from the crisis to sustain and carry forward.
Google’s media teams have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability in navigating the challenges of the pandemic. By focusing on user needs, embracing empathy and connection, and remaining flexible and agile, they have not only survived but thrived in a difficult environment. As the media landscape continues to evolve, these principles will continue to be essential for success.
