Vidhya Srinivasan, VP/GM of Advertising at Google, said it best: “You are not competing with AI. You are competing with marketers using AI.”

Yet as marketers, it’s only natural to be a little bit anxious about artificial intelligence, or AI. At some point, we’ve all wondered if AI will take over our jobs. I know I have! But as I watched Google Marketing Live 2023, this intrusive thought subsided.

AI is everywhere, and it’s here to stay — but it’s not here to replace us. It’s here to make us better marketers who are more efficient at strategic work. Here are three new AI products Google recently launched that I can’t wait to test out in VI’s search accounts!

Kicking off a new campaign for your business on Facebook or Instagram? You’ll have several decisions to make, which can be a little intimidating at first. Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What is the goal of my campaign?
• Which kind(s) of ads should I run?
• Which audience(s) should I target?

The last one is especially important. To launch a successful social media campaign, you must build your target audience(s) strategically. Keep reading to learn how!

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (April 18, 2023) - VI Marketing and Branding, a leading digital marketing agency in Oklahoma City, took home gold at the 2023 local American Advertising Awards on Saturday, February 18^th hosted in Oklahoma City. The VI team is proud to have won 16 total awards, including the prestigious Best of Show.

VI also moved on to the district level and won three Silver ADDYs. The district 10 winners include: "It's Like They're Smoking" in Public Service TV and Integrated Media Public Service categories and Social Media Campaign, Mascots TikToks. The district winners are now moving on to compete at the national level. The national competition winners will be announced at ADAMERICA this June.

The holiday season is in full swing. And we all know what that means… the busiest shopping period of the year is upon us! In this blog, we’re going to review Google Performance Max best practices to help you finish 2022 strong!

Google Ads Performance Max campaigns were first rolled out for all users in November 2021 as the newest approach to automated campaigns. Unlike other campaign types, Performance Max allows you to choose specific conversion goals to drive your performance across multiple platforms and devices.

We've heard a lot about the Metaverse lately. From social media to the fashion industry, the Metaverse is having a moment...but what is it? Shrouded in mystery and distorted by virtual smoke and mirrors, we're here to demystify this seemingly futuristic platform.

VI Marketing and Branding has achieved 2022 Premier Partner status in the Google Partners program for the 4th year in a row.

It has been over two years since Google introduced App + Web properties in Google Analytics (GA), and one year since the property type was aptly reintroduced as Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the fourth generation of the leading web analytics platform. GA4 has already proven to be a vital tool for every marketer’s toolbox, especially as we venture further into the increasingly mobile, privacy-first era of digital marketing.

OKLAHOMA CITY, September 20, 2021 — An Oklahoma marketing agency is doubling down on the digital future. VI Marketing and Branding has just completed an ambitious initiative to achieve Google Certification across its entire workforce. All VI staff are now certified in at least one of six foundational disciplines, including Search, Video, Display, Apps, Measurement and Shopping. The majority of VI's team achieved two to four certifications, while members of the media team completed all six. 

The effort represents the firm's latest push for excellence in Google's cutting-edge suite of marketing tools. Since 2016, VI has been a Google Partner Agency, and in 2018 it achieved the elite status of Google Premier Partner. The Premier Partner designation is reserved for the top 3% of agencies worldwide as measured by experience, expertise and success in Google's ad platforms. VI is the first Google Premier Partner Agency in Oklahoma, and with the addition of full staff certification, it extends its formidable leadership in the digital realm.

The effort was spearheaded by Creative Director Erin Robinson, Marketing Strategist Deleanie Moriello and Senior Digital and Data Strategist Josh Faytinger.

As a creative artist, Robinson sees distinct advantages in the certification process. "I’m excited to work for an agency that values collaboration and backs it up with continuing education. As a digital-first agency, our Google certification ensures that we're all on the same page, from strategy to ideation to execution. It aligns our creative with Google's marketing platform to create deeper connections with audiences."

According to Moriello, the certification process is just the first phase of a three-part plan to revolutionize VI's digital offerings. "We're utilizing a Define-Mobilize-Reinforce framework to transform the way we approach digital," Moriello said. "The certification process defined expectations. It gave everyone a shared understanding of the landscape. In the Mobilize phase, we'll develop and test KPIs on qualified accounts. And of course, we'll reinforce what we learn through continuing coursework and strategic optimizations. It's a never-ending process of iteration."

The certification is part of a wider agency push toward digital excellence. It is complemented by weekly "Food For Thought" seminars hosted during lunch and focused on digital insights. At a recent seminar, Faytinger held a panel discussion with Google's in-house experts. The seminar explored seismic shifts in the Chrome browser and their impacts on audience targeting and campaign measurement.

For Faytinger, adapting to change is nothing new. "The evolution of digital marketing is accelerating," he noted. "There's never a time when you can lean back and say 'I've got this.' Our seminars and certifications keep us at the forefront of the digital ecosystem. In this business, that's so crucial. You adapt every day. You learn every day. Or you go extinct. It's that simple."

VI Partner and President Tim Berney is excited about the agency-wide effort. "Most agencies claim to be digital-first," he commented. "We're focused on creating tangible milestones that prove our digital excellence. It's great to talk the talk. To walk the walk, you have to do the hard work, invest in your capabilities and bring a relentless commitment to the process. Our success depends on it, and our clients deserve nothing less."

To learn more about VI Marketing and Branding, including their industry-leading Google expertise, visit vimarketingandbranding.com.

It’s no secret that when students begin the college application process, they turn to Google. Here at VI Marketing and Branding, we’ve helped our clients like TCC and OCU Law create a digital-first approach that allows them to maintain — and even increase — enrollment rates. At VI, we know the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in the higher education sphere are the application start and submit rates. Marketers use this metric to measure the quality of each lead based on their behavior. 

Here’s the thing about the good old days: you never miss them until they’re gone. In the world of digital advertising, we’re the living exception. Because today, we can still track users across the web to deliver relevant ads to targeted audiences. But the hand is ticking toward midnight. And the good old days are almost gone.

Apple recently announced and implemented a new privacy update that involves an anti-tracking feature. For user privacy, many believe this is a step in the right direction but, there’s one big question: What does this mean for the Marketing and Advertising Industry?