Google deepens Gemini’s presence in the ads business
Google has rolled out a clutch of new agentic advertisement tools and Gemini-powered offerings to help Indian brands convert customers on Google Search and YouTube.
Among the new offerings is ‘Business Agent for Leads’, which embeds a Gemini-powered chatbot trained on an advertiser’s own website directly inside a Search ad. This would allow users to chat and ask questions about the advertiser’s products and brand. The AI agent is designed to convert these user interactions into qualified leads.
Around 93% of user journeys in India, the moment someone discovers a brand, product, or retailer, happen on Google and YouTube, the company said, citing a survey by Ipsos, which it commissioned.
In related news, Google will require advertisers to disclose when generative AI is used to create or edit ads. This disclosure will appear to viewers in a new panel on Search, YouTube, and Discover, according to a July 9, 2026, post by Keerat Sharma, Google’s VP and General Manager of Ads Privacy and Safety.
Zero-click moving from Search to ads? Shiksha, the education arm of Info Edge, had to change its business model because the primary source of traffic, students clicking links to get answers to their questions on the website, was getting choked after Google began answering questions itself.
Google adds AI creation disclosure for ads
Google announced new transparency elements for ads created using artificial intelligence-generated elements. Ad viewers will be able to access a new information panel when Google’s system detects AI usage.
As shown in this image, by tapping the three dot menu on a Google ad, viewers can access a new “how this ad was made” element, which will include information on whether AI was used.
As explained by Google: “We want to make managing AI disclosures as simple as possible for advertisers. So when they use Google’s generative AI advertising tools to create ads, we’ll automatically add a disclosure to each ad’s My Ad Center panel. And when they create ads elsewhere, we’re introducing a control so they can easily indicate if they used generative AI.”
Google will use its own SynthID process to detect AI usage. SynthID is essentially a digital watermark that lets Google’s systems detect AI usage. Google will also incorporate C2PA metadata signals in order to expand its AI labeling abilities.
Why brands are launching products on quick commerce before retail
From stealth launches to instant feedback, brands are turning quick commerce into their innovation playground, leaving retail in the rearview.
PepsiCo’s energy drink Adrenaline Rush was launched earlier this year without a celebrity campaign or a nationwide retail rollout. Instead, the product quietly appeared on quick commerce platforms, allowing consumers to discover it even before the brand began actively marketing it.
A similar playbook is now unfolding across categories. ITC recently launched B Natural Coconut Cola, its new coconut-based cola beverage, exclusively on quick commerce platforms.
Last year, ice cream brand Hocco first debuted its seasonal Aamchi Mango flavour on quick commerce before it became a social media talking point.
These launches point to a broader shift in how brands are introducing new products. Rather than treating quick commerce merely as a last-mile delivery channel, companies are increasingly using it as a place to test consumer demand, gather real-time feedback and build early buzz before committing to a wider retail rollout or larger advertising spend.
ChatGPT Ads rolling out audience lists
Several advertisers have begun to notice a new option to upload Audience lists into OpenAI’s new ad platform.
OpenAI is rolling out the ability to upload audience lists to ChatGPT Ads. The option is under the “Tools” section and is named “Audiences.” I assume this lets ChatGPT Ads target based on the audience lists you upload to the ad platform for better ad targeting.
More details. You can upload raw or hashed emails and phone numbers to use as audience filters for your campaigns on ChatGPT Ads.
What it looks like. We spotted screenshots of this from Craig Graham and Joss Froggatt on LinkedIn – here are those screenshots:
Google Search Console Now Tracks Your Social and Video Performance
As of 7th July 2026, Google closed a metric gap that had existed since Search Console’s launch. Search Console monitored your website. It never tracked Instagram Reels, TikTok clips, X posts, or YouTube videos, even if they appeared in Google Search or Discover.
That is changing now.
Google rolled out platform properties, a new Search Console property type built specifically for social and video content. Any brand or creator running content on Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube can now see exactly how that content performs in Google Search. No website required.
As shown in the image below, there is an example of how Google Search works with your social media integrated apps. It will show you some important metrics like how many video searches, discoveries, and image searches your channel has got.
Why This Matters for B2B Marketers
Your buyers don’t search in straight lines. A prospect watches a product demo on YouTube, reads a LinkedIn post, and then Googles your company name. Major functions like searching for analysis, intent, and links were always run through Google Search, but now Platform properties fix that blind spot for brand managers and content marketers.
Customers Are 3x More Likely to Use ChatGPT Than Your Brand Chatbot for Customer Service
Consumers are turning to third-party AI tools like ChatGPT for customer service at three times the rate of brand-owned chatbots — and that gap is widening fast, according to new Gartner research.
A Gartner survey of more than 3,500 B2B and B2C customers found that usage of third-party AI tools has doubled in the past year alone. Meanwhile, company-provided chatbot usage has not statistically increased since 2022. The divergence is a clear signal for CX leaders rethinking their digital service strategies.
Key Takeaways
- Customers are 3x more likely to use a third-party generative AI tool (like ChatGPT or Claude) than a brand-owned chatbot for customer service, per Gartner’s survey of 3,500+ B2B and B2C customers
- 58% of customers have used generative AI to complete a task — B2B customers lead at nearly 75% — but most brands’ chatbots redirect users elsewhere to transact instead of completing tasks directly, a “missed opportunity” according to Gartner analyst Eric Keller
- Two-thirds of consumers now use generative AI in their personal lives, work, or both — familiarity and trust with third-party tools is driving preference away from brand-owned alternatives
From BC Web Wise
And now here’s a question for you ! Not related to digital marketing, but your road safety. When do most road accidents take place? Daylight or nighttime? Check this super cool rapid fire crafted by us for Zuno General, completely transforming their on-field research white paper into an interactive gaming experience to ensure that we have your attention !
Play the quiz from Episode 1 and check your road safety quotient! And till we meet again, stay ahead with D-Talks !
