Vice president and country managing director at Google Canada, Sabrina Geremia, kicks off the Google Search Honours Awards celebration at Evergreen Brick Works on November 02.

Google Canada celebrated the best of Search marketing on November 2 at an exclusive event at Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works. The inaugural Google Search Honours Awards recognize Canadian marketers and agencies for finding innovative ways to drive meaningful business impact through AI-powered Search marketing strategies.

“80% of our customers are already using AI-powered Search ads products to drive economic impact across Canada,” says Matthew Rivard, director, strategy and product acceleration at Google Canada. “We wanted to celebrate the true pioneers who are driving measurable business impact using AI, who are taking risks and showing incredible growth via experimentation with new technology.”    

This year’s nominees were a showcase of brands and agencies that drove growth using AI-powered strategies, experimentation, strategic change management and innovation. In total, 20 contenders were shortlisted for six awards in three categories.

The Reach Expansion category recognizes work that leverages AI-powered Search tools to efficiently connect with a wider audience. 

Canadian Tire accepting the Reach Expansion Best in Class Award.

The Best in Class award in the category recognizes those who maximized the power of predictive solutions (such as Broad Match and Performance Max), creating game-changing reach. The award featured a strong shortlist including Hudson’s Bay, Lululemon Athletica and RBC Insurance | WebAgency, and it was Canadian Tire that ultimately brought home the trophy. The Google judges say it came down to the brand’s thoughtful approach to challenging the status quo using data-driven insights, iteration and internal storytelling.

Simplii Financial accepting the Reach Expansion Rising Star Award. 

Google recognizes teams that were relentless in their focus on problem solving with the category’s Rising Star award. The shortlist included BMO | Kinesso, Desjardins | Glassroom and Hyundai | Innocean, with Simplii Financial taking the win. The judges noted that, while their path was not simple, the Simplii team showed incredible aptitude in creating structure and creativity to overcome barriers.

In the Value Impact category, Google recognizes the performance of marketers who super-charged their Search marketing by using smart bidding strategies to get the most out of their Search marketing investments. 

Saatchi & Saatchi/Synergize | Toyota accepting the Value Impact Best in Class Award.

The Best in Class award in the category recognizes marketers who mastered value-based bidding strategies, putting data and measurement at the core and finding creative ways to prove their business impact. Nominees included Air Canada, Jewlr, and QuickBooks Online. Ultimately, Saatchi & Saatchi/Synergize | Toyota took home the prize for its leadership establishing both strategy and tactics that maximized business impact.

Shopify accepting the Value Impact Rising Star Award.

Meanwhile, the Rising Star award – which recognizes big risks and evolving ways of working to harness the potential of AI technology – went to Shopify, for its robust culture of test and learn. Shopify was part of a shortlist that included Destination BC | Noise Digital, Scotiabank and WestJet Airlines Ltd. | Touché!.

The final category was AI Innovation, which turned the spotlight on brands and agencies that pushed boundaries, breaking new ground with AI-powered Search campaigns. 

Mindshare accepting the AI Innovation Agency of the Year Award.

When it came to the Google Search Honours Awards AI Innovation Agency of the Year, each of the shortlisted teams – Mindshare, PHD, Saatchi & Saatchi/Synergize, and Starcom – demonstrated excellence across the board, strategically incorporating the newest AI-powered tools into their workflows. In the end, the AI Innovation Agency of the Year recognition went to Mindshare, the judges being impressed by how they were able to consistently deliver on managing technology changes, process improvements and stakeholder management.

QuickBooks Online accepting the AI Innovation Marketer of the Year Award.

The final award, for AI Innovation Marketer of the Year, recognizes the tremendous success each shortlisted team had when it came to incorporating the latest AI tools, processes and systems. Canadian Tire, Lululemon Athletica and TD Bank were among the finalists, and QuickBooks Online got the final accolade for its ability to achieve both speed and impact by breaking down silos within their organization. 

“This is one of the most exciting and important times in our industry and in the broader technology landscape – much of it attributed to the rise of AI,” says Rivard. “The thing that excites me most about these awards is the opportunity to recognize the people in Canada who are becoming centres of excellence in the application of AI.”

To learn more about the Google Search Honours Awards, click here.

All photography by Uptown Media | Bavi Basgarathas