Google DV360: Gemini AI Powers New Media Buying & CTV Measurement
Google is embedding its Gemini artificial intelligence model directly into Display & Video 360 (DV360), its demand-side platform for advertisers, transforming the tool into an AI-powered media buying system. The move, unveiled Monday at Google’s NewFronts presentation in Manhattan, represents a significant escalation of AI’s role in ad tech, shifting Gemini from a support function to the core operating layer of the platform.
While Gemini tools have been integrated into DV360 since last spring, their initial application focused on assisting marketers with audience discovery, reporting insights, and campaign optimization. Now, Google intends for Gemini to take a leading role in media planning, automating tasks previously handled manually. According to Bill Reardon, general manager of the enterprise platform at Google Ads, marketers will be able to upload existing media plans and have Gemini automatically translate them into fully configured campaigns.
The integration extends beyond campaign setup. Google plans to deploy AI within DV360 to manage real-time inventory fluctuations in live sports broadcasts on connected TV. Advertisers will also gain access to Ads Advisor, an AI agent within the Google Ads Console, designed to facilitate the creation of custom reporting dashboards.
Alongside the Gemini integration, Google is prioritizing cross-channel measurement, particularly in connected TV (CTV) attribution. The company is introducing Confidential Publisher Match, a new identity model designed to securely link marketers’ first-party data with signals from streaming platforms like Roku. “This shift empowers you with a cross-device conversion memory, connecting a CTV impression directly to a purchase,” Reardon stated.
This push into CTV measurement is seen as an effort to bolster Google’s capabilities in an area where it has historically lagged behind competitors like The Trade Desk. Google is also leveraging retail media data, partnering with Kroger to integrate the retailer’s first-party shopper data into YouTube and other Google partner inventory. SKU-level reporting will also be rolled out within DV360, allowing brands to track the direct impact of their YouTube and display ads on Kroger sales, according to Reardon.
Kroger’s group vice president of commercial strategy and operations, Christine Foster, described the partnership as a transformative step. “Now, advertisers can reach Kroger shoppers on the most-watched video platform in the world—and measure how their spend drives sales at the SKU level,” Foster said in a statement. “The reach is massive, the ability to unify once-siloed efforts is profound, and the opportunity to connect with shoppers across the full customer journey has never been better.”
YouTube is central to Google’s NewFronts strategy, with the platform projected to capture nearly 12% of all CTV ad revenue this year, according to estimates from eMarketer. While no new ad formats were announced for YouTube, Google is actively promoting wider adoption of existing offerings, including pause ads and creator takeovers, which are now available for purchase through DV360.
The expansion of DV360’s capabilities increasingly positions the platform as a tool that reinforces Google’s walled garden, encouraging advertisers to transact within Google’s ecosystem, particularly on YouTube. Reardon emphasized the central role of Gemini, DV360, and YouTube in the future of advertising.