Google AI Advantage

The new Search mindset: What CMOs need to thrive in the age of AI

Marketing Week: You speak to hundreds of senior marketers every year. From your vantage point at Google, how is AI changing the conversations CMOs are having about Search, business growth and what marketing leadership looks like now? Scott Sinclair: The conversation has changed dramatically in the last 18 months. For years, Search was seen as a performance channel, a place to optimise keywords and budgets. Now, CMOs are treating it as a growth system where audience signals, creative performance and brand trust converge.

As AI transforms how audiences search and brands connect, Scott Sinclair, head of Search at Google, explains to Marketing Week why the next generation of marketing leaders will be defined not by how much they automate, but by how intelligently they orchestrate strategy, creativity and technology.

Scott Sinclair, Google

For years, Search was seen as a performance channel... Now, CMOs are treating it as a growth system.

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This is an expansionary moment for Search, and AI is transforming how people interact with it. Search is no longer about typing a few words; it’s about asking complex, conversational questions or using images to find what they need. People now search in more natural ways: snapping photos, speaking their queries aloud or describing what they want in everyday language. That shift means marketers must move beyond keyword matching and focus on understanding intent at a deeper level. The shift from keywords to context is where AI is making the biggest impact. Generative AI hasn’t just sped up production; it has changed what’s possible. Today’s AI can read intent the way a great marketer reads a room, understanding not just the words but the motivation behind them. It interprets meaning and context in every query, helping marketers capture demand from the unpredictable, high-intent ways people now search. For example, AI can now tell when someone moves from exploring an idea to actively shopping and surface the right information or opportunity instantly. It’s the difference between being reactive and predictive. The best marketers are unlocking this by building new operating models where human intent sets the direction and AI scales the execution. That’s where leadership is emerging; not from adopting the newest tool, but from learning how to steer it.

Marketing Week: What distinguishes those leaders in practice? Scott Sinclair: Ambition and trust. I often say that giving today’s marketers AI-powered tools is like handing them the keys to a sports car. Some marketers drive cautiously, running small tests and keeping manual controls tight. Others open the throttle, giving AI the freedom and data it needs to learn. The most successful leaders pair ambition with trust. They set clear business goals, not vanity metrics, and then trust the technology to deliver within those guardrails. They don’t micromanage AI; they coach it. The CMOs making the biggest impact are those aligning data, creative and commercial goals so that every part moves together as one. That’s exactly why Google is focused on unifying intelligence across Search and beyond through innovations like AI Max, helping marketers connect data, creativity and intent to reveal growth opportunities automation alone misses.

Marketing Week: What are the biggest mindset shifts CMOs need to make to lead effectively in this new environment? Scott Sinclair: There are four big ones. First, from automation to orchestration. AI now touches every layer of marketing, from creative to measurement to targeting. CMOs need to ensure every element of marketing, from data to media, works in harmony toward the same goal. Second, from keywords to intent. AI has shown that individual words can be misleading. One phrase may appear generic but signal early-stage, high-value intent. Take a query like ‘summer holiday ideas’. A human might see that as low converting, but AI detects signals suggesting a customer is beginning a purchase journey. That context helps marketers value discovery moments rather than cutting them from campaigns altogether. Third, from campaigns to systems. A campaign starts and ends; a system keeps learning. The marketers leading in the coming years will build adaptive, data-rich ecosystems that evolve in real time. And finally, from efficiency to effectiveness. Too many teams still chase small CPC gains when they should be looking at total profit and market share. AI finally lets us measure marketing’s impact at a business level, the language the boardroom speaks. The teams mastering this shift are redefining how growth happens.

Marketing Week: You’ve talked a lot about orchestration and systems thinking. Many marketers still struggle with silos between brand and performance, or across different teams. How are leading organisations breaking those down in practice? Scott Sinclair: It’s one of the biggest cultural shifts underway. For years, marketing worked in silos because that’s how tools, teams and metrics were designed. AI is changing that by forcing organisations to think in systems of growth, not isolated channels. The most forward-looking leaders are creating integrated growth teams that unite media, creative, data and analytics around shared business outcomes. They measure total impact rather than channel performance, aligning everyone to the same North Star, whether that’s profit or customer lifetime value. When that happens, decision-making becomes faster, collaboration stronger and orchestration truly possible.

Marketing Week: That shift toward effectiveness depends on better visibility. How is AI changing measurement? Scott Sinclair: For a long time, marketing teams optimised channel by channel, one on Search, another on YouTube or Display. AI now gives marketers a full-funnel view of how every element contributes to growth. Tools like Performance Max make that visibility possible, showing how channels such as Search, YouTube and Display work together to drive results. One leading insurance brand, for example, discovered that YouTube activity was driving a significant share of Search conversions, an insight only visible through unified AI-powered reporting. When they acted on that, conversions climbed and CPA dropped significantly. Across advertisers, we’re seeing a similar pattern. Those combining Performance Max with Demand Gen and Search campaigns typically see a notable lift in conversions and conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS. That kind of unified visibility is transforming how marketing is discussed at the top table. CMOs can now talk about total profit generated from marketing investment, not just the efficiency of individual campaigns. They can show how upper-funnel investment drives measurable lower-funnel impact, turning marketing from a cost centre into a proven growth engine. And the shift isn’t just technological; it’s cultural. Leading brands are aligning around shared business outcomes rather than channel KPIs.

Marketing Week: You mentioned creativity earlier. How does AI affect the creative process? Is it replacing or amplifying it? Scott Sinclair: It’s absolutely amplifying. Creativity remains the soul of marketing; AI just gives it more reach, more data and more speed. The old model was ‘craft perfection, then test once’. The new model is ‘test constantly, then craft excellence’. Marketers now use tools like AI Max for Search campaigns to feed AI a range of creative assets, from headlines and visuals to tone of voice, so it can learn which combinations resonate best with each audience. Creative and data now work hand in hand. The most effective brands treat creative not as a static masterpiece but as a living, learning organism. And this is where leadership matters. The CMO’s role isn’t to design every ad; it’s to define the boundaries, the tone, brand codes and values, and let AI explore within them. That’s how you keep brand integrity while learning at speed.

Marketing Week: Many marketers still worry about the ‘black-box’ nature of AI. How do you build confidence and accountability? Scott Sinclair: Marketers want confidence in how AI is supporting performance, and that is something we take seriously. We have continued to evolve our approach based on feedback from advertisers and agencies, including updates in Performance Max such as channel transparency reporting, which gives advertisers more useful signals and a clearer view of cross-channel performance. These improvements are designed to help marketers understand what is driving results and to give them more ways to guide campaigns as priorities shift. Confidence comes from clarity. The sharper your goals, whether lifetime value or short-term ROI, the more effectively AI can work toward them. The leaders I speak with are not handing over control. They are setting clear objectives and using AI to help reach them faster.

Marketing Week: How does all this affect the relationship between brand and performance marketing? Scott Sinclair: That divide is disappearing. Once, brand was about storytelling and performance about sales. Now, AI allows each to inform the other. When AI understands context and sentiment, brand relevance becomes measurable. It recognises when an ad should appear because the environment fits the brand’s values, not just because of a keyword match. The best marketers are moving from brand safety to brand significance, showing up where trust and attention truly live. As people search, watch and shop in more fluid ways, that consistency of message and meaning becomes the real differentiator.

Marketing Week: Finally, how should senior marketers start preparing today? Scott Sinclair: Start by clarifying your North Star. AI can deliver results, but only if you define what success really means for your business. Next, build your data foundation. Every signal you share, from conversions to creative performance, helps the system learn and optimise in your favour. And finally, invest in your team’s mindset. AI is changing skill sets, but even more, it’s changing confidence. Leaders who encourage experimentation will always move faster than those who over-govern. It goes back to that sports car analogy. The technology is ready, the track is open. Progress depends on how far leaders are willing to push. Marketing Week: That’s a powerful image to end on.

Scott Sinclair, Google

CMOs need to ensure every element of marketing, from data to media, works in harmony toward the same goal.

Scott Sinclair, Google

The leaders I speak with are not handing over control. They are setting clear objectives and using AI to help reach them faster.

Scott Sinclair, Google

AI now gives marketers a full-funnel view of how every element contributes to growth.

Q&A: Scott Sinclair Head of Search Google

The new Search mindset: What CMOs need to thrive in the age of AI