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Google’s AI image animation feature could be a win for advertisers who’ve been running PMax campaigns on static images alone.
A new creative feature has been spotted inside Google Ads Performance Max campaigns — and it could change how advertisers without video budgets approach animated display advertising.
What was found. Vice President of Search at JumpFly, Inc. Nikki Kuhlman spotted an option to generate animated video clips directly within PMax asset groups, using AI to enhance and animate a single source image.
How it works.
- Upload a source image — a logo, a product shot, a property photo
- AI generates several “enhanced” versions of that image
- Each enhanced image produces two animated clips
- Select up to five animated clips per asset group
- Note: faces cannot be used in source images, though AI may generate people in enhanced versions
Early results from testing. A logo generated a spinning animation of the image element. A house with a sold sign produced a slow cinematic pan. Simple inputs, but the output quality appears usable for display advertising without any video production required.
Where the ads appear. Google hasn’t provided in-product documentation on placement, but early testing shows animated clips surfacing in Display ad previews when added to an asset group.
Why we care. Video assets continue to be a strong creative option on Paid Media — but producing video has always required time, budget, and resources many advertisers don’t have. This feature effectively removes that barrier — turning a single product photo or logo into animated display creative in seconds, at no additional production cost.
For advertisers who’ve been running PMax on static images alone, this could be a meaningful and easy win.
The bottom line. This feature is still unconfirmed by Google, but advertisers running PMax should check their asset groups now. If it’s available in your account, it’s worth testing — especially for campaigns that have been running on static images alone.
First seen. Kuhlman shared spotting this new feature on LinkedIn.
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