Unveiling Google's Game-Changing Updates to Demand Gen Campaigns!

Google Enhances Demand Gen Campaigns

Google is making significant changes to its Demand Gen campaigns based on feedback from advertisers. Launched in 2023, Demand Gen campaigns replaced Discovery Ads and are now set to receive a major update.

More Control Over Where Your Ads Appear

One of the most exciting changes is the expanded channel controls for advertisers, allowing for precision in ad placements. Starting in March 2025, advertisers will be able to:

• Choose specific placements across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.
• Serve ads exclusively on YouTube Shorts for a vertical-first experience.
• Use the Google Display Network (GDN) to reach over 3 million sites and apps.

This means Demand Gen campaigns can potentially reach 90% of the global internet population.

Stronger Creative Enhancements for Higher Engagement

Google is introducing several creative enhancements to help advertisers improve engagement:

• Vertical 9:16 image ads for YouTube Shorts, coming in February 2025.
• Automated video shortening to optimize videos for various placements.
• An improved ad creation workflow for better video enhancement controls.

Retail-Focused Features for Seamless Shopping Experiences

Retailers using Google Merchant Center will benefit from product feeds in Demand Gen campaigns, allowing:

• Deeper product discovery with detailed product information in ads.
• Display of local product availability to connect online shoppers with nearby stores.
• Omnichannel bidding for optimizing campaigns for both online and in-store traffic.

New Reporting to Compare Demand Gen vs. Paid Social

Advertisers will now have access to new reporting columns in Google Ads, enabling them to:

• Compare Demand Gen performance with paid social efforts.
• Analyze view-through conversions and isolate Demand Gen impact.

The Final Transition from Video Action Campaigns

Google is phasing out Video Action campaigns with a structured transition:

• March 2025: Launch of an upgrade tool to transfer settings.
• April 2025: No new Video Action campaigns can be created.
• July 2025: Automatic upgrades of remaining Video Action campaigns.

What This Means for Advertisers

Google's updates to Demand Gen campaigns provide more tools for optimizing performance across platforms like YouTube and Display. These enhancements aim to make Demand Gen more competitive with paid social platforms, offering precise placement controls and robust shopping integrations. It's a pivotal moment for advertisers to adapt and leverage these features, especially as they transition from Video Action campaigns.

For more details, read the full announcement from Google here.