Omnicom and Google Launch AI System to Evaluate and Optimise Ads Before They Go Live

Quadri Adejumo
By
Quadri Adejumo
Senior Journalist and Analyst
Quadri Adejumo is a senior journalist and analyst at Techparley, where he leads coverage on innovation, startups, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and policy developments shaping Africa’s...
- Senior Journalist and Analyst
7 Min Read

Omnicom Advertising and Google have launched what is being described as an artificial intelligence-powered creative intelligence system designed to evaluate and optimise advertising content before it is published.

The system combines Google’s established ABCD framework with Omnicom’s proprietary AI tools, marking a significant step towards embedding predictive intelligence directly into the creative process.

Already piloted with telecommunications operator du, the platform is set for wider rollout across Africa, the Middle East and Turkey (AMET), with global expansion planned in subsequent phases.

“This is about further honing our creative instinct with the power of AI,” said Noah Khan, Chief Innovation Officer, Omnicom Advertising CEE & AME. “When Google’s ABCD agent flags weak early attention, Brave Bot often flags the same moment as too safe or too familiar. The result is work that’s both effective and distinctive, optimized for performance and built to be remembered.”

How the system works

At the core of the initiative is Google’s ABCD AI detector tool, which evaluates video advertising based on four key performance pillars, including Attention, Branding, Connection and Direction.

These metrics assess how effectively an advertisement captures viewer attention, reinforces brand identity, builds emotional engagement, and drives consumer action.

Omnicom has built on this framework with its own AI layer, known as “Brave Bot”, which evaluates creativity through additional dimensions including distinctiveness, innovation, cultural relevance and originality.

By combining both systems, the platform translates what has traditionally been subjective creative judgement into structured, data-driven insights. This enables marketing teams to adjust elements such as pacing, messaging clarity and call-to-action placement before campaigns go live.

Early pilot results with du

The system was first tested in collaboration with du, where it analysed 10 video advertising assets.

The pilot identified gaps in areas such as brand visibility, pacing and emotional resonance, issues that traditional creative review processes had not fully captured.

Effectiveness scores across the tested content ranged between 44% and 80%, providing marketers with both performance benchmarks and specific recommendations for improvement.

According to stakeholders, the insights have already begun to influence how campaigns are developed and refined ahead of deployment.

Cultural intelligence as a differentiator

A key feature of the platform is its cultural intelligence layer, which assesses how well advertising content resonates with local audiences across different markets.

This dimension is designed to ensure that campaigns are not only structurally effective but also contextually relevant, a critical factor in diverse regions such as AMET, where consumer behaviour and cultural expectations vary significantly.

Industry executives describe the system as a shift from retrospective analysis to real-time creative optimisation.

From Google’s perspective, the collaboration reflects a broader shift towards AI-enhanced creativity rather than AI replacement of human input.

“At Google, we’ve always believed that AI is a catalyst for creative effectiveness, especially when combined with human ingenuity. By taking our foundational ABCD AI detector and engineering their own proprietary cultural and creative layers on top of it, Omnicom is showing exactly how our regional partner ecosystem can innovate and drive impact using Google’s technology,” said Aishi Lahiri, Director, Advertising Solutions, Google MENA.

Industry impact and early adoption

For du, which participated in the pilot, the system has already changed how creative performance is evaluated.

“In a competitive market like ours, creative work has to cut through fast. This system gives us clarity on what’s actually driving performance. It doesn’t just tell us what’s wrong, it shows us how to fix it. As a result, we’re seeing stronger creative and faster turnarounds, which means we can be more agile in how we show up for our customers,” said Ibrahim Al Mayahi Al Nuaimi, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Communication, du.

Following the pilot’s success, Omnicom Advertising plans to roll out the system across its Middle East client portfolio in 2026, before expanding further across the AMET region.

The company is also exploring broader applications beyond YouTube, including social media video, connected television and digital out-of-home advertising.

Talking Points

It is notable that Omnicom Advertising and Google are shifting advertising evaluation from post-campaign analysis to pre-launch optimisation, using AI to assess creative effectiveness before content goes live.

This approach represents a significant evolution in how advertising is developed, moving from intuition-led creative reviews to structured, data-driven decision-making powered by frameworks like Google’s ABCD model.

At Techparley, we see how this could reshape creative workflows across emerging and developed markets alike, particularly as brands face increasing pressure to prove return on marketing investment in real time.

The combination of Google’s ABCD framework with Omnicom’s proprietary “Brave Bot” adds an additional layer of cultural and creative intelligence, which is especially important for diverse markets like Africa, the Middle East and Turkey where local relevance often determines campaign success.

The early pilot with du is particularly significant, as it shows how AI can identify gaps in emotional connection, pacing and brand visibility that traditional creative review processes may overlook. This suggests a move towards more precise and measurable creative refinement.

If successfully scaled, this system could redefine advertising effectiveness by shifting the industry towards predictive creative optimisation, where campaigns are refined before they are seen, not after they fail.

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Senior Journalist and Analyst
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Quadri Adejumo is a senior journalist and analyst at Techparley, where he leads coverage on innovation, startups, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and policy developments shaping Africa’s tech ecosystem and beyond. With years of experience in investigative reporting, feature writing, critical insights, and editorial leadership, Quadri breaks down complex issues into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences, making him a trusted voice in the industry.
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