In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, staying ahead of trends is crucial for success. Google has recently announced major updates to its Demand Gen campaigns, offering advertisers expanded placement controls, AI-driven creative enhancements, and improved retail integrations. These updates are designed to maximize engagement and conversions while making Demand Gen more competitive with paid social platforms.
Whether you are already using Demand Gen campaigns or considering making the switch, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about these updates and how they can benefit your marketing strategy.
More Control Over Ad Placements
One of the most significant updates coming in March 2025 is the introduction of expanded placement controls, allowing advertisers to decide where their ads appear.
Key Placement Features:
- Choose specific ad placements across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.
- YouTube Shorts optimization with vertical-first ad formats launching in February 2025.
- Leverage the Google Display Network (GDN) to extend reach across over 3 million sites and apps.
With these new placement controls, Demand Gen campaigns can potentially reach 90% of the global internet population. However, advertisers should double-check campaign settings to ensure their ads are appearing in the most relevant spaces.
AI-Powered Creative Enhancements
Creative excellence is the backbone of successful ad campaigns, and Google is making it easier than ever to produce engaging content at scale.
Notable Creative Updates:
- Vertical 9:16 image ads for YouTube Shorts (Launching February 2025).
- Automated video shortening, allowing advertisers to repurpose long videos into shorter, optimized clips.
- Improved ad creation workflow, featuring better video enhancement controls and external preview sharing for easier approval processes.
These enhancements enable marketers to refine their ad creatives while ensuring they are optimized for different screen formats and audience preferences.
Retail-Focused Features for E-Commerce Growth
For retailers leveraging Google Merchant Center, Demand Gen campaigns are now integrating product feeds to enhance product discovery and shopping experiences. This rollout will take place in the coming weeks.
New Retail Features:
- Deeper product discovery, displaying full product details within ads.
- Real-time local product availability, helping shoppers find nearby stores with in-stock products.
- Omnichannel bidding, optimizing campaigns for both online and in-store sales.
Additionally, Google is launching a beta program allowing advertisers to integrate product feeds with local offers, making it easier to drive foot traffic and online conversions simultaneously.
New Reporting Features for Cross-Platform Comparison
Marketers running cross-platform campaigns will benefit from new reporting columns in Google Ads. These updates will provide better insights into campaign performance, helping advertisers allocate their budgets more effectively.
Key Reporting Additions:
- View-through conversions, allowing better comparison with social ad measurement.
- Dedicated Demand Gen impact reporting, isolating its performance from other Google campaigns.
These insights will help advertisers optimize spending and measure Demand Gen’s effectiveness compared to paid social campaigns like Facebook Ads.
The Transition from Video Action Campaigns
Google is officially phasing out Video Action campaigns and transitioning them to Demand Gen. Here’s the updated timeline:
- March 2025 – Google launches an upgrade tool to migrate Video Action campaigns.
- April 2025 – Advertisers can no longer create new Video Action campaigns.
- July 2025 – Google will automatically upgrade any remaining Video Action campaigns.
Advertisers who migrate early will retain full control over settings and benefit from new Demand Gen features immediately.
What This Means for Advertisers
Google is doubling down on Demand Gen campaigns, providing advertisers with more tools, better insights, and greater flexibility to enhance their digital marketing strategies. With:
- Expanded placement controls
- AI-powered creative enhancements
- Retail-focused product integrations
- New cross-platform reporting
Demand Gen campaigns are now positioned as a strong competitor to paid social advertising platforms.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t started using Demand Gen campaigns, now is the perfect time to experiment. As Video Action campaigns disappear, early adopters of Demand Gen will have the advantage of learning the platform’s full capabilities before it becomes the default choice for performance-driven advertisers.
What do you think about these updates? Will you be using Demand Gen campaigns for your next advertising strategy? Share your thoughts in the comments!
