「Manual Campaigns」Struggling? AI Delivers 68% More Sales!
As technology rapidly evolves, Google Ads is also constantly optimizing its data tracking mechanism. On February 6, 2025, Google announced an important update: To ensure accurate attribution and achieve the best results, advertisers using offline conversion data import (OCI) must add the "conversion_environment" parameter to their in-app conversion data uploads before April 30, 2025. This adjustment further enhances the accuracy of AI-driven advertising, allowing companies to more effectively measure cross-channel conversions and stay ahead in the highly competitive digital marketing environment. It’s reshaping today’s industries, and marketing is at the forefront of this revolution. In Spain, nearly 12% of businesses with more than 10 employees already use AI to improve operations, especially in digital marketing. Google advertising’s partnership with AI presents brands with unprecedented opportunities to run highly personalized, data-driven campaigns that drive engagement and revenue.
Three Spanish brands—Iberostar, Riu Hotels, and PortAventura—stand out as pioneers in AI-powered marketing. By integrating AI into their Google Ads strategies, they achieved remarkable results, from 4X higher ROAS to 68% transaction growth. These success stories highlight how AI can transform marketing from guesswork into a precision-driven discipline.
I. Case Study 1: Iberostar’s Hyper-Personalized Ads with AI
The travel industry thrives on personalization, yet delivering tailored experiences at scale has always been a challenge. Iberostar, a leading hotel chain, faced this exact hurdle—how to dynamically adjust ad messaging based on real-time pricing, availability, and user intent.
Iberostar deployed ad-machina, an AI-powered Natural Language Generation (NLG) tool. This technology analyzed product feeds and automatically generated thousands of personalized Google Search ads in multiple languages. Instead of manually crafting static ads, Iberostar’s campaigns adapted in real-time, showcasing the most relevant offers based on user searches.
The results were staggering: a 4X increase in ROAS and a dramatic improvement in conversion rates. Before AI, Iberostar had just three generic ads per hotel. With ad-machina, each hotel could display over 100 variations of tailored messaging, ensuring every potential guest saw the most compelling offer.
II. Case Study 2: Riu Hotels’ Data-Driven Customer Targeting
High cancellation rates and low-value bookings were eroding profitability for Riu Hotels. The brand needed a way to identify high-value customers and optimize ad spend toward those most likely to convert and spend more.
Riu’s solution? A first-party data strategy powered by AI. Riu restructured its data architecture using Google Cloud and implemented Gauss, an AI suite that analyzed customer behavior—such as booking history, cancellation likelihood, and spending patterns. This allowed Riu to shift from broad targeting to value-based bidding, prioritizing users with the highest lifetime value.
The outcome? A 99% surge in reservations and doubled ROAS. By aligning marketing, IT, and data teams under a unified AI-driven strategy, Riu transformed its digital performance while maintaining privacy compliance.
III. Case Study 3: PortAventura’s Seasonal Demand Expansion
Spain’s tourism sector is highly seasonal, with demand peaking in summer and holidays. PortAventura, a major theme park, sought to extend its peak season by attracting visitors during traditionally slower periods, like February’s Carnival.
To identify demand, PortAventura partnered with T2ó, which used its Vimana AI tool to analyze search trends, booking data, and competitor insights. The AI revealed untapped demand for early-year travel, allowing PortAventura to launch targeted Google Ads campaigns that highlighted off-season perks.
The strategy worked: 68% more transactions and 30% new customers, proving that AI can uncover hidden opportunities even in saturated markets.
IV. Key AI Strategies Behind the Success
What made these campaigns so effective? Three core principles:
- Cross-Team Collaboration – Iberostar, Riu, and PortAventura didn’t go it alone. They partnered with AI experts to integrate AI seamlessly into their Google advertising strategies.
- Leveraging Google’s AI Tools – From Performance Max to Smart Bidding, these brands maximized Google’s AI-driven automation to optimize bids, audiences, and creatives.
- Real-Time Data & Predictive Analytics – AI enabled dynamic adjustments, ensuring ads stayed relevant as user behavior shifted.
V. Lessons for Global Marketers
The success of these brands offers key takeaways for marketers aiming to optimize their digital strategies, particularly in leveraging AI and adapting to evolving consumer behavior. Topkee’s expertise in Google Ads and data-driven marketing aligns with these lessons, providing actionable insights for businesses of all sizes.
AI-Human Partnership is Essential – As highlighted by BCG’s research, the most effective campaigns blend AI’s efficiency with human creativity. Topkee exemplifies this through its AI-powered creative production, where market trends and product data are analyzed to generate tailored ad concepts, which designers then refine for maximum impact. This synergy ensures ads are both data-optimized and creatively compelling. Additionally, Topkee’s TTO CDP automates conversion tracking and campaign management, freeing marketers to focus on strategic decisions rather than manual tasks.
Adapt to the 4S Consumer Journey – Modern consumers seamlessly stream, scroll, search, and shop, demanding a unified marketing approach. Topkee addresses this complexity with tools like TM settings, which track user interactions across channels (e.g., search ads, YouTube, Display Network) to deliver cohesive messaging. Their keyword research and smart bidding strategies further ensure ads appear at critical touchpoints, while remarketing campaigns personalize follow-ups based on user behavior—boosting conversion rates by over 70% in targeted segments.
Generative AI is the Future – Tools like Google’s Performance Max (Pmax) are revolutionizing campaign automation, and Topkee integrates such solutions to maximize reach and ROI. Pmax leverages AI to optimize bids and placements across Google’s ecosystem, while Topkee’s attribution reporting provides transparency into performance.
For marketers, these lessons underscore the need to adopt AI-human collaboration, agile consumer journey mapping, and generative AI tools—principles embedded in Topkee’s services, from SEO audits to ROI-focused campaign analysis. By aligning with such strategies, businesses can navigate digital fragmentation and drive measurable growth.
Conclusion
AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a competitive necessity. Iberostar, Riu, and PortAventura prove that brands embracing AI-powered Google Ads can achieve higher ROAS, better targeting, and sustained growth.
If you’re ready to transform your Google advertising with AI, consult with experts to tailor these strategies to your brand. The future belongs to those who act now.
