Google used its NewFront 2026 event on March 23 to announce the “Gemini advantage” for Google Marketing Platform (GMP). Gemini 3, Google’s most advanced AI model, is now embedded across Display & Video 360 (DV360), powering campaign setup, real-time bid optimisation, and reporting.
Three major product launches came out of the event: Ads Advisor for DV360, a live sports biddable suite, and Confidential Publisher Match. Each one signals a shift in how enterprise media buying will work going forward.
As a Google Marketing Platform sales partner, XPON works with these tools every day across Search Ads 360 (SA360), Campaign Manager 360 (CM360), Display & Video 360 (DV360), and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Here is our take on what was announced and what it means for advertisers in Australia and New Zealand.
What is Ads Advisor in DV360?
Ads Advisor is a generative AI assistant built into Display & Video 360 that automates campaign setup, optimisation, and reporting. It is now generally available for all DV360 users.
Ads Advisor supports three stages of campaign management:
- Campaign setup: A new Campaign Builder feature will generate complete campaign configurations from uploaded media plans, incorporating historical platform data from the start. As Bill Reardon, General Manager of Enterprise Platforms at Google, stated: “Our campaigns are optimised from the start. That way, AI can deliver the most valuable connections.”
- Campaign optimisation: Ads Advisor automatically diagnoses creative rejections, identifying specific policy violations across different publishers instantly rather than requiring escalation to multiple teams.
- Campaign reporting: The tool creates custom dashboards from natural language prompts. Marketers can request a specific visualisation, such as “show me a bar chart of CTR across the top five geos overlaid with a CPM trend,” and Ads Advisor builds it without manual navigation through reporting tabs.
How does Ads Advisor change the workflow for DV360 users?
Media plan uploads that previously required manual campaign setup can now be automated. Creative rejection troubleshooting that used to take hours of back-and-forth can be resolved in seconds. Reporting becomes conversational rather than navigational.
For teams already stretched thin, this is the kind of efficiency gain that compounds quickly.
What is the live sports biddable suite in DV360?
Google launched an AI-powered bidding system designed specifically for live streaming events, capable of processing millions of individual bid requests in less than a single second. This moves live sports inventory from traditional direct buys into programmatic.
DV360 now provides access to over 7.8 billion hours of monthly ad-supported watch time across premium publishers, with inventory partnerships spanning YouTube, Disney, Netflix, NBCUniversal, and major sports leagues. While the initial partnerships are US-weighted, the programmatic infrastructure applies globally as inventory deals expand by market.
YouTube Mastheads and Pause Ads are now also accessible within DV360, with enhanced frequency controls and measurement options that are not available through Google Ads.
How does Gemini improve live sports bidding?
Gemini’s multimodal understanding enables bid optimisation based on the creative content itself, not just targeting parameters. Google’s example: the system can adjust bidding based on whether the team a viewer follows wins, creating real-time contextual relevance.
Why does this matter for brands in Australia and New Zealand?
Live sports inventory has traditionally been a direct buy. Moving it into programmatic via DV360 opens up frequency capping, audience targeting, and cross-channel measurement that direct buys cannot offer. As CTV adoption grows in Australia and New Zealand, and as more local broadcasters open programmatic inventory, this capability becomes increasingly relevant.
This is also where having a GMP partner matters. XPON helps brands structure their DV360 campaigns to take advantage of new inventory types without overhauling existing media plans. If you are already running programmatic through a Google Marketing Platform partner, assessing whether biddable live inventory fits your current strategy is worth evaluating.
What is Confidential Publisher Match?
Confidential Publisher Match is a privacy-first identity framework that enables first-party data matching between advertisers and publishers without exposing raw records. It operates within Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), which are hardware-level privacy architectures.
The initial launch partner is Roku, one of the largest connected TV providers in the United States. The capability: cross-device conversion tracking that connects CTV impressions directly to final purchases while tracking the full consumer journey, all without either party seeing the other’s raw data.
Confidential Publisher Match works with existing first-party data already housed within Google Marketing Platform, requiring no additional integration work.
How does Confidential Publisher Match solve the CTV measurement gap?
This is Google’s answer to the measurement gap between TV impressions and actual business outcomes. If you are running CTV campaigns through DV360, Confidential Publisher Match offers a privacy-compliant path to proving that connected TV spend drives real conversions, not just reach.
For the Australian and New Zealand market, CTV adoption is accelerating and measurement has been the primary blocker to increased investment. This changes that equation.
Confidential Publisher Match is most effective when your first-party data foundation is solid, and that is exactly where we start with most engagements.
What performance results did Google share at NewFront 2026?
Google presented several statistics from brands using multiple GMP products together:
| Metric | Result | Context |
|---|---|---|
| ROAS lift | 76% | Advertisers using multiple GMP products vs single-channel |
| Reach increase | 28% | Major broadcaster’s direct-to-consumer launch using unified DV360 media |
These are Google’s own figures and should be taken as directional rather than independently verified benchmarks. However, the trend is clear: consolidating within a single platform delivers measurable efficiency gains, and the 76% ROAS lift specifically rewards brands using multiple GMP products together.
That is the approach XPON takes with clients. We work across the full GMP stack – SA360 for search, CM360 for campaign management, DV360 for programmatic, and GA4 for measurement. When these tools are connected and working together, the compounding effect is real.
What is the bigger picture for enterprise media buying?
VP Kristen O’Hara framed the event around collapsing consumer timelines: “The modern media behaviours of searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping have collapsed that timeline from discovery to decision.”
Google’s argument is that manual planning, siloed tools, and fragmented data strategies can no longer keep pace with how quickly consumers move. Embedding Gemini across the entire Google Marketing Platform is their answer to that challenge.
Whether you agree with the extent of that claim or not, the direction is clear. Enterprise media buying is becoming AI-assisted at every stage. The advertisers who learn these tools first will have a meaningful advantage.
What should advertisers do now?
- If you are already on DV360: Request access to Ads Advisor if you do not have it. Start with the reporting features to get comfortable before moving to Campaign Builder when it launches.
- If you are evaluating Google Marketing Platform: The Gemini integration strengthens the case for consolidating on GMP, particularly if you are already running Google Ads and GA4. The 76% ROAS lift stat is specifically about multi-product usage. See how XPON helps brands get onto GMP.
- If you are running connected TV campaigns: Watch Confidential Publisher Match closely. The Roku partnership is the first, but expect more publishers to follow. Privacy-compliant cross-device attribution for CTV has been the missing piece for many brands.
- If you want to understand what this means for your setup: As a certified Google Marketing Platform sales partner, XPON helps brands across Australia and New Zealand assess, implement, and optimise across the full GMP stack. We can walk you through how these updates apply to your specific media mix and measurement approach. Get in touch.
Frequently asked questions about Gemini in Google Marketing Platform
What is the Gemini advantage in Google Marketing Platform?
The Gemini advantage is Google’s initiative to embed its Gemini 3 AI model across Google Marketing Platform products, starting with Display & Video 360. It powers automated campaign setup, real-time bid optimisation, creative diagnostics, and natural language reporting through features like Ads Advisor.
Is Ads Advisor available to all DV360 users?
Yes. Ads Advisor reached general availability for DV360 users at NewFront 2026 on March 23, 2026. The Campaign Builder feature within Ads Advisor, which auto-generates campaigns from uploaded media plans, is coming soon.
What is Confidential Publisher Match and how does it protect privacy?
Confidential Publisher Match enables first-party data matching between advertisers and publishers inside Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). Neither party sees the other’s raw data. The initial launch partner is Roku, with cross-device conversion tracking connecting CTV impressions to purchases.
How does the live sports biddable suite work?
The live sports biddable suite uses Gemini’s multimodal AI to process millions of bid requests per second during live streaming events. It can optimise bids based on creative content and real-time context, such as game outcomes, rather than relying solely on audience targeting parameters. While initial inventory partnerships are US-focused, the programmatic infrastructure applies globally as local broadcasters open biddable inventory.
What ROAS improvement can advertisers expect from using multiple GMP products?
Google reported a 76% ROAS lift for advertisers using multiple Google Marketing Platform products compared to single-channel approaches. This figure is Google’s own data and has not been independently verified, but it indicates significant efficiency gains from platform consolidation.
Do I need a Google Marketing Platform partner to use these features?
While these features are available to all DV360 users, a certified GMP partner like XPON can help you implement them effectively, especially for complex setups involving multiple GMP products, first-party data strategy, and cross-channel measurement. XPON is a Google Marketing Platform sales partner serving brands across Australia and New Zealand.
How does this affect Google Ads users who are not on DV360?
The Gemini advantage features announced at NewFront 2026 are specific to Google Marketing Platform (DV360, SA360, CM360). Google Ads users do not have access to Ads Advisor, the live sports biddable suite, or Confidential Publisher Match. However, YouTube Mastheads and Pause Ads in DV360 offer measurement options not available in Google Ads.
