Google Shopping - AI-Powered Local OOH
Proving that precision beats volume in holiday advertising
Role: Assistant Strategist at Addition
Press Coverage: Google Cloud Blog
Project Overview - I supported the strategic research for Google Shopping's AI-powered OOH campaign, analyzing NYC neighborhoods to inform hyper-local messaging that reached millions during the holiday season.
Challenge: Google Shopping needed to break through the noise of holiday advertising in NYC, where every retailer was competing for attention with volume and discounts.
My Role: As part of the strategic research team, I analyzed specific NYC neighborhoods to understand their unique characteristics, local behaviors, and cultural nuances.
My research focus: Instead of a one-size-fits-all message, what if we spoke directly to what each neighborhood actually needed?
Key neighborhoods researched: East Village, Williamsburg, & Upper East Side.
What I looked at:
Local shopping patterns and product demand
Neighborhood demographics and cultural identity
Hyper-local trends and seasonal needs
The Strategic Insight:
Location-specific relevance cuts through clutter better than volume or discounts alone.
The Solution:
The team used AI to hyper-localize OOH ads down to the city block level, creating 1,000+ unique billboard variations across NYC.
My research informed:
Which product categories to highlight in each area
Messaging tone and language that felt authentic to each neighborhood
How to balance brand consistency with local relevance
The AI system incorporated real-time location data to generate creative that felt personally relevant to each specific area—not just "NYC" but "this exact block in Bushwick" or "this corner in Dumbo."
How It Showed Up:
The campaign generated 1,000+ localized billboard variations across NYC, each tailored to its specific neighborhood.
The localization strategy:
Williamsburg/Bushwick: Emphasized unique finds and curated selections for trend-conscious shoppers
Park Slope/Astoria: Focused on practical gift solutions and value for families shopping for multiple people
Upper East Side/Tribeca: Highlighted premium products and convenience as a time-saving luxury alternative
Each billboard spoke directly to what mattered to that community, making Google Shopping feel personally relevant rather than like generic holiday advertising.
Impact
The campaign was featured as a case study on Google Cloud's blog, showcasing how AI can enable hyper-personalized marketing at scale.
The approach demonstrated that precision targeting based on neighborhood-level insights could break through holiday advertising clutter more effectively than traditional volume-based strategies.