People are searching like never before, and consumer behaviour is increasingly becoming predictably unpredictable. But, amid constant change, some marketers and agencies are showing the way forward. These are the companies the Google Search Honours Awards were created to celebrate.

Now in its third year, the Awards recognize Canadian advertisers and agencies redefining what’s possible with AI-powered Search ads. This year, 20 organizations will be honoured as either winners or finalists, each reflecting how the industry is meeting the challenges of today’s landscape and opening new paths for growth in an AI-driven world. New this year, four organizations will also be honoured as “Rising Stars” – organizations showcasing exceptional progress in this space.

The awards are organized around three categories that capture the essentials of modern marketing. Measurement & Analytics Leadership highlights the organizations that have built strong, future-proof foundations for growth. These are the players that have taken measurement beyond dashboards and metrics, evolving their use of durable models and activating first-party data with AI to deliver tangible results.

Meanwhile, Performance Marketing Excellence recognizes the companies that have transformed how they connect with customers. These marketers are using Google’s AI-powered ads to deliver impact across the fragmented paths people now take, making sure that when consumers move from curiosity to decision they are guided with relevance and confidence.

The AI Top Honours celebrate the leaders setting the pace for the entire industry. The AI Agency of the Year celebrates the organizations that demonstrate both analytical strength and performance impact at scale, delivering excellence across multiple clients while consistently raising the bar for what AI-powered marketing can accomplish.

Finally, the AI Marketer of the Year honour will go to the team that applies the same principles, while also showing originality and innovation with AI. They are the marketers building new playbooks and achieving transformational growth. 

Why these categories? Because they’re a real reflection of the environment marketers find themselves in. Canadians move seamlessly between searching, scrolling, streaming and shopping, often doing all four at once. These behaviours aren’t new, but the way people perform them is changing with AI. For example, people can now search using their camera, or scroll through new YouTube content on their TV.

This presents a powerful opportunity for marketers to evolve their strategies and unlock a new era of growth. AI is the key to ensuring every marketing dollar delivers its best ROI.

“Marketers are facing a new reality where the customer journey is anything but linear,” said Sabrina Geremia, vice president and country managing director at Google Canada. “Consumer behaviour is fragmented and trying to fit current strategies into traditional marketing funnels just won’t work. AI can help you make sense of the consumer signals in real time and enable personalization at scale.” 

And the results speak for themselves. In the past year, companies that integrated AI deeply into their marketing saw 60 percent greater revenue growth and adapted to trends twice as fast. 

This isn’t about testing the waters. It’s about showing what’s become possible when AI is applied with purpose and consistency. The marketers recognized here are proving that change is not a disruption to be feared, but an opportunity to harness. 

The winners and Rising Stars of the 2025 Google Search Honours Awards will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Toronto on Thursday, November 13. Until then, the shortlist represents the best of Canadian marketing today – leaders setting the pace, redefining what success looks like and showing the industry how to thrive in a predictably unpredictable world. 

Stay tuned to learn more – and be sure to read the latest op-ed from Google Canada’s Director of Strategy and Product Acceleration, Matt Rivard in Strategy Magazine here