How smart brands use AI to win against bigger brands in Google Ads

2 weeks ago, I created a guide on how to use ChatGPT's new image generation tool for Google Ads.

It blew up.

Over 1,400 people asked for access.

(In case you miss it, you can grab it here)

Right now, AI is clearly the hype train—and no one wants to miss it.

Our team’s investing some time and money into exploring this avenue.

Not because we think AI will replace everything.

But because we want to see how it can help our clients get better results — faster.

And here’s what we’ve learned so far:

When it comes to strategy, AI still struggles.

Strategy is the big-picture plan.

How you segment campaigns. Map the funnel. Know when to pause or push a product.

AI can toss out ideas, suggestions, and rough plans.

But it still struggles to understand nuance without human input.

It can’t tell you what works for your brand, your offer, or your funnel.

That’s your job.

But execution—how you get that plan in motion—is where AI shines.

Copy, product images, creatives, etc

Like in the latest ChatGPT 4o update—you can generate dozens of high-quality images in minutes.

And with how fast this tech’s evolving, that speed and quality will only get better.

This gives you 2 massive advantages:

Speed and Variation.

You can roll out ideas faster. You get more assets to test.

That’s a big deal on platforms like Google Ads…

Where small changes can lead to massive shifts in performance.

Of course, you still need to know what to create and what to test.

AI speeds up execution, but it needs direction.

Because let’s be real… AI can spit out both great and garbage outputs.

And if you can’t tell the difference, you won’t get much out of it.

That’s why AI is just an amplifier.

It can take a solid strategy and make it great.

But it can’t turn a bad one into something that works.

Which means the gap between average and great accounts?

It’s about to get even bigger.

The role of Google Ads managers is evolving.

Less clicking buttons.

More critical thinking. More big-picture decisions.

The tools give you superpowers.

But if you don’t know what to DO with the data you get, those powers will just go to waste.

Certain parts of Google Ads will soon be obsolete — like spending days shooting product photos in different settings.

ChatGPT can serve it up to you on a platter in seconds.

But…

You still need to know what to generate and what to use it for.

There’ll be brands stuck in the past.

And brands who use AI to outpace the competition and print profit.

But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that tools replace the need for skill.

Because I promise you—anyone with the skills and the tools will dominate those who rely on the tools alone.

Jackson

Founder and CEO of Echelonn.

How we can help:

• Get a free Google ads audit: For brands spending more than $20k/mo. or making over 1 million annually, we’ll identify the key bottlenecks in your account, and turn it into a free 90-day scaling plan. Click here.

• Get our E-commerce Growth Toolkit: Get access to our free resources and tools including the Product Feed & GMC Optimization Checklist, YouTube Shorts Ads Playbook, and 12 Plug-and-Play Dashboards. Click here.

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