A Q&A With Emily Dominguez, Orange 142’s Bilingual PPC Manager
By Calvin Scharffs
Paid Search has long been the backbone of customer acquisition for many brands. But with the rise of AI-powered campaign types, such as Performance Max (PMAX) and AI Max, that foundation is shifting. Campaign structures are evolving. Keywords are giving way to signals. And optimization is being guided by algorithms instead of manual rules.
Emily Dominguez, Orange 142’s Bilingual PPC Manager, hasn’t just kept up with the change; she’s helping shape it. She’s been deep in the trenches, learning the mechanics of AI-driven campaign formats, testing new tactics like prompt-style broad match, and translating platform shifts into actionable strategies for our clients.
And Google has noticed. Emily was one of just thirty people invited to join a PMAX / AI Max Roundtable on the future of Paid Search. Her insights are helping shape how Orange 142 approaches AI media today, and more importantly, how our clients stay ahead tomorrow.
Emily also attended Google Marketing Live 2025 in May, and with so much of the industry in flux, I caught up with her so that she can share her insights.
CS: How is AI changing the way search campaigns are planned, targeted, and optimized?
ED: AI is fundamentally changing how we approach search. Historically, advertisers focused heavily on keyword relevancy, which is to say what people were searching for, and built campaigns around that. But with AI, we’re seeing a shift. AI takes some of the onus off the advertiser by helping to mine for keywords and search themes automatically. But what advertisers might not realize is that it can be a double-edged sword, because while it’s efficient, it also means we have to be more intentional about how we guide the model.
Going forward, it’s less about the what of the search, in other words, the specific keyword, and more about the who and the why. We need to focus on who we want to reach and what’s motivating their search, not just the literal terms they type. That’s especially true in AI-powered formats, such as PMAX, Demand Gen, and AI Max, where you’re feeding the system search themes and signals instead of a keyword list. It’s a mindset shift. We're still building around search intent, but we have to think more strategically about the audience and their journey, not just the queries.
CS: I heard that keywords no longer matter in an AI-powered search environment. Is that true?
ED: You’re touching on a common misconception, that AI-powered campaigns such as PMAX and Demand Gen have made keywords irrelevant. That’s not the case. While we’re no longer managing exact keywords and match types to the extent that we used to, search term targeting is still very much alive, just in a different form.
Google still relies heavily on keyword and intent signals, even in AI-powered campaigns. In standard campaigns, Broad Match uses those signals to match your ads to a wide range of relevant searches. In PMAX and other AI campaigns, search themes serve a similar role, in that they help guide the AI by telling it what kinds of searches your campaign should show up for. In that sense, search themes work a lot like manually chosen keywords used to. They don’t replace strategy, they just change how you apply it.
So while you might not be adjusting bids or pausing keywords daily, you’re still influencing what queries your ads show up for through things like your search themes, audience signals, campaign structure, and creative assets. AI hasn’t eliminated the need for strategy. It’s just changed the levers we use.
CS: So if AI does all the heavy lifting, can I just let it run?
ED: Not quite. AI still needs guidance. One common mistake is pulling the plug too quickly if performance dips. AI campaigns need time to learn and stabilize, and short-term results don’t always reflect long-term potential. That’s why you still need a clear strategy and patience.
Also, creative fatigue is still very real. Some assume the system will fix it, but if you don’t refresh your creative, performance will drop. That part of advertising hasn’t changed.
CS: What replaces keyword lists in formats like Performance Max and AI Max?
ED: Keywords aren’t gone, they’ve just evolved as we just noted. In AI-driven campaigns, search intent isn’t mapped solely from keyword lists anymore. Instead, it’s informed by a combination of search themes, audience signals, and campaign structure.
Search themes act like modern keyword guides. You choose themes that tell Google what kinds of searches your campaign should align with. Then, Google combines that with audience behavior and your other campaign inputs, such as creative assets and landing pages, to determine which queries are relevant. So while you're not managing traditional keyword lists, you're still shaping how the campaign reaches the right searches.
CS: What are “intent-based assets” and why do they matter more now?
ED: In today’s AI-powered campaign setups, we feed the platform three main categories of inputs: Assets, Signals, and Settings.
Assets are what the user actually sees, things like headlines, images, videos, and copy of your ads. These don’t determine who the ad is shown to, but they’re what the system uses to engage the audience you've defined.
Signals define who you want to reach. These include things like search themes, audience lists, purchase intent, and other behavioral indicators.
Settings are the backend levers in the platform that we use to drive efficiency out of the spend, such as setting the bid strategy to align with KPIs, as well as the rules for AI (e.g. allowing it to expand on copy or stick to what was provided).
Intent-based assets matter more now because they’re one of the few levers we have to influence how the platform personalizes delivery. The stronger and more aligned your assets are with your defined signals and settings, the better your campaign will perform.
In a zero-click search environment, where users may not visit a landing page at all, it’s especially important that your assets act as answers. High-performing creative doesn’t just attract attention, it delivers value instantly and signals relevance to the platform.
CS: How does Google’s ad assembly process affect brand control and creative strategy?
ED: It definitely changes the creative process. We’re not delivering one polished ad; we’re delivering a kit of parts. This means that we now need to think about how each element could be paired with any other. And the brand manager must be comfortable giving up some control because the system is going to decide which combinations to serve. That’s why it’s so important to set up the inputs correctly, but it’s not about handing over the keys. It’s about giving the system the right ingredients and guardrails.
CS: What does it take to maintain brand consistency across dynamically generated ads?
ED: It takes really clear creative guidelines combined with a deep understanding of the brand’s voice and visual identity. We can’t just drop in random assets and assume the platform will figure it out. The inputs need to be intentional and cohesive so that no matter what combination gets served, it still feels like the brand. We work closely with clients to map out those inputs—what’s in bounds, what’s not, what tone to strike—and we stress-test combinations to make sure nothing weird slips through.
We also work with clients to segment creative by audience persona. If a campaign has multiple target groups, we organize the asset bank around those segments, giving the AI a clearer picture of how to match each message to the right user. That way, we’re not just helping the system serve relevant results, we’re shaping those results to reflect both the brand’s authority and the end user’s intent.
CS: Is AI making paid search simpler, or just changing where the complexity lives?
ED: AI hasn’t removed complexity from paid search, it’s just changed where that complexity lives. Instead of managing keywords and ad groups, we’re now focused on providing the algorithm with the right intent signals and creative assets. This, in turn, requires more strategic thinking and a different skill set. We’re not pulling the same levers as before, we’re actually managing the machine
CS: Why is agency support more important than ever in navigating AI-driven search?
ED: That’s a really good question. There’s a lot of nuance that doesn’t get explained in Google’s documentation or product announcements. The marketing makes it sound plug-and-play, but clients are often left guessing what’s really driving performance. Agencies like Orange 142 have visibility across a range of accounts and verticals, so we can spot patterns and surface insights faster. We also pressure-test what Google is saying versus what we’re actually seeing. That’s especially helpful when clients are being told one thing but experiencing another.
And this speaks to the heart of an agency’s value. We translate complexity into action so that our clients understand exactly what the AI does, and why it matters for their business goals. That guidance becomes even more critical as the control surfaces shift from manual levers to machine learning inputs.
CS: Google’s new best practice is to run a “Power Pack” — one Search campaign (preferably AI Search Max), one Performance Max, and one Demand Gen campaign. How should advertisers think about this recommendation?
ED: Google is definitely pushing this “Power Pack” approach as a way to cover the full funnel. And while those campaign types are powerful, it’s not always as clean as flipping a switch. Running all three doesn’t guarantee full-funnel coverage unless your audience strategy and creative assets are aligned.
We advise clients to start with their business goals and map the campaign mix accordingly. If you’re focused on awareness, maybe Demand Gen plays a bigger role. If you’re trying to drive action, Search and PMAX may take priority. The Power Pack is a helpful framework, but you still need a plan behind it.
CS: You’ve certainly given us a lot to think about. Any parting thoughts?
ED: It’s important to remember that we’re at an inflection point. AI is accelerating changes in paid search, and the approaches we’ve relied on for the last 15 years are evolving fast. The fundamentals haven’t changed; strong brands, clear messages, and good products are still essential, but alone they may not cut it.
To succeed now, you also need a clear understanding of your audience and a full-funnel, multichannel strategy that’s AI-friendly, especially if you want to leverage your brand authority and messaging where it is most likely to land and take root.
In a world moving toward zero-click experiences, the goal isn’t just to win the SERP, it’s to engage the right audience wherever they are, with messaging and assets designed for interaction, not just visibility. It’s about bidding for engagement, not placement.
What’s changing is how we translate those fundamentals into campaigns and assets that AI systems can work with. And that’s where strategy matters more than ever.
Want to learn how this can work for you? Orange 142 helps SMBs navigate and maximize emerging advertising channels with strategic guidance and best practices. Let’s connect to explore the right approach for your goals.
