Our visit to Google Dublin: a look at the future of advertising

As one of Google’s international growth partners, we get unique access to their latest product betas and strategic sessions. Our recent trip to their EMEA HQ in Dublin was a perfect example: a packed two-day agenda filled with hands-on workshops and strategy sessions alongside our dedicated Google account reps. The experience gave us a clear roadmap for the future, and we’ve gathered the key takeaways here for our clients.  

TL;DR

Collaboration is key: The future of media planning involves deeper collaboration, using Google’s own tools to build effective, full-funnel strategies. AI is now an agent: Google’s AI is evolving from a search tool into a personal shopping agent that anticipates user needs. Preparing your data for this shift is critical. Foundations matter most: Success will be determined by excellence in the fundamentals: a full-funnel YouTube strategy, high-quality product feeds, and robust creative assets.  

Day 1: Practical Application & The Future of Search

The first day was focused on hands-on application, moving from strategy to practical execution with Google’s core platforms.  

Workshop: Building a Winning YouTube Strategy

The day kicked off with a deep dive into YouTube. We explored the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of Google’s planning tools before breaking into a collaborative workshop. Working alongside our Google reps, we built out complete YouTube pitches, learning how to leverage the platform for full-funnel growth. The key win was seeing first-hand how to turn audience insights into a compelling media plan that drives real business results.  

The Agentic Evolution of Search

The afternoon session shifted to the future of Search, which is rapidly moving toward “Agentic AI.” This isn’t a distant concept; it’s rolling out now and will fundamentally change how users discover and buy. New Shopping Experiences: AI Overviews will soon feature a browsable panel of personalised products. The AI will run simultaneous queries based on a user’s intent and taste, creating a dynamic, personal storefront. Agentic Checkout: A new feature will allow users to set a preferred price for a product. When the price drops, the AI agent can complete the purchase on the user’s behalf using Google Pay. Virtual Try-On: Using generative AI, shoppers can upload a photo of themselves to see a realistic image of how clothing will look on them, enhancing the discovery process. How to prepare: The common thread is data. Retailers with robust, high-quality Merchant Center feeds and high-resolution product imagery will have a significant advantage.  

AI Keynote Highlights

On Day 1, Google unveiled an exciting suite of AI technologies they’ve been developing over the past few months. We heard about the impressive advancements in Gemini 2.5, along with practical use cases for both business and personal applications. Our team was particularly struck by the creative AI agents. Veo 3, with its cinematic-level video production capabilities driven entirely by prompts, stood out as a potential game-changer. Similarly, Imagen 4 demonstrated incredible image creation power, producing high-quality visuals from simple text inputs. We left the session inspired, eager to test these tools and explore how they could be applied directly to client work — especially in the areas of video and image creation.  

Day 2: Expansive Thinking & Measurement

The second day challenged us to think bigger about our clients’ challenges and armed us with the tools to measure our impact more effectively.  

Expansive Thinking & Strategy

We participated in an “Expansive Thinking” workshop designed to broaden our strategic approach beyond channel-specific tactics. This session focused on understanding the bigger picture of client growth, ensuring our digital strategies are fully aligned with their core business objectives.  

Measuring What Matters: Our Partnership Advantage

The final session focused on measurement, where our partnership status truly provides a competitive edge for our clients. We are thrilled to be one of only 25 agencies in EMEA selected for Google’s Media Effectiveness Program (MEP). This program, introduced to us during the session, gives us exclusive access to advanced measurement tools and resources, allowing us to prove the value of media investment with unparalleled clarity.  

Final Thought

The key message from our two days in Dublin is that the future is collaborative and powered by AI. Our goal is no longer to have an “AI strategy,” but to have a business strategy where AI, powerful creative, and a full-funnel approach are seamlessly integrated. Want to talk about how these insights can impact your strategy? Let’s have a chat.