Gmail image ads lift conversions 40 percent, Google says. Demand Gen adds a chat agent

Google says image creatives in Gmail now drive 40 percent more conversions at the same return. That number sits inside the September Demand Gen Drop, published on 24 September. The drop also puts a conversational agent next to YouTube video ads.

Gmail and Shorts cut the path to one tap

In Shorts, a viewer taps an image ad and lands on the advertiser page. Google requires a 9:16 full-bleed creative for that. Gmail gets the same simplified route.

The 40 percent figure is Google’s own, drawn from company data from February 2026. Google did not publish the sample behind it.

Business Agent answers questions beside a YouTube ad

Viewers can ask about a product in a panel next to the video. The agent replies with product detail. Google says the viewer never leaves the viewing context.

There is no launch date. Advertisers sign up through a form. It follows the same direction as the move of Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max.

Promoted pins arrive for dealers and retail chains

Affiliate location extensions reach Google Maps. Retail networks and car dealerships can show promoted pins there. The target is a shopper looking for stock nearby.

Until now those pins were tied to a brand’s own stores. Partner locations were left out.

Google set no dates for any of the three

The post carries no rollout schedule. It names no launch markets either. That matters outside the United States, as it did when AI Brief reached seven more languages and skipped others.

Open your Demand Gen campaigns and check the asset library for 9:16 full-bleed images. If every creative there is landscape, Shorts one-tap will pass you by until production catches up.