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Google Ads campaign type
Google Ads Demand Gen Campaign Management
Demand Gen is the Google Ads campaign type that works most like social media advertising. Image, video, carousel and product feed ads run on YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail and now the Google Display Network. We use it to catch attention before someone searches. Unlike Performance Max, most of the control over creative and audiences stays with us.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this format for?
We use Demand Gen to reach people in their YouTube, Discover and Gmail feeds who have not searched yet but are likely to care about the product. Our goals are to find new customers with lookalike segments, drive conversions from image and video ads, and carry on the work of the old Video action and Display campaigns in one structure. We judge its impact across the whole journey, not on last click.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
Demand Gen vs. Performance Max: three controls you keep
Performance Max leaves channel selection entirely to Google. In Demand Gen we can choose which channels the ad appears on, define the audience as direct targeting rather than a signal, and see which creative each ad serves with. That is why we use Demand Gen for campaigns where the message and visuals matter to the brand and where we want to test creative.
- Channel controls: you can choose YouTube Shorts only, or Discover and Gmail only.
- Audience control: lookalike segments, customer lists and interests are targeted directly.
- Creative control: each ad's performance is reported separately, and we pick the winner.
Lookalike segments: the seed list decides the result
Lookalike segments are the most useful feature in Demand Gen. Google finds new users who resemble a seed list of past buyers, website visitors or YouTube channel viewers. When we use a narrow, valuable group, such as people who bought twice in the last 180 days, instead of all site visitors, results improve noticeably. We refresh customer lists from the CRM on a regular schedule.
Demand Gen creative specs and what works in the feed
Demand Gen shows images in the user's feed, between organic content. Images that look like banners, with heavy text on top, do not work here. We get better results with visuals that show the product in use and look as if they were shot on a phone. We prepare all three image ratios, 1.91:1 landscape, 1:1 square and 4:5 portrait; vertical video is a must for Shorts.
Carousel ads take 2 to 10 cards, each with its own headline. When a product feed is linked, Merchant Center custom labels can be used in Demand Gen since June 28, 2026, so we can build separate ad groups that push only high-margin products. We back up creative choices with findings from our ad creative analysis.
Which campaign types Demand Gen replaced
Discovery campaigns became Demand Gen in 2023-24. All remaining Video action campaigns were moved to Demand Gen as of April 2026. In June 2026, Google opened the migration tool for Display campaigns to move into Demand Gen. So today, conversion-focused YouTube ads, and ads running only on Display Network inventory, are run through Demand Gen.
How we measure Demand Gen beyond last click
Demand Gen sits at the start of a journey in which the person later searches and buys. A last-click report does not show that contribution, so the campaign can look expensive and get paused. We read data-driven attribution in GA4, changes in branded search volume and view-through conversions together. When the budget allows, we measure the campaign's real effect with Google's conversion lift study.
Demand Gen: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- E-commerce and consumer brands that can produce images and short videos
- Brands that want to introduce a new product before people start searching for it
- Former Video action campaign users who want conversions from YouTube
- Businesses with customer lists large enough to build lookalike segments
We don't recommend it
- Accounts that expect sales within the same week and have short attribution windows
- Campaigns that cannot fund a daily budget of 10 times the target CPA
- Brands that cannot produce any image or video content
How we manage Demand Gen
- Seed listsWe pull valuable customer lists from the CRM and prepare them for lookalike segments.
- Channel choiceBased on the creative set, we decide whether to run on all channels or only Shorts or Discover.
- Creative setWe prepare three image ratios, vertical video and carousel cards around the same message.
- Bids and budgetWe start with Maximize conversions and move to Target CPA or value-based bidding once data builds up.
- Impact reviewWe read channel and creative reports together with GA4 attribution and the lift in branded search.
Demand Gen: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- Cost per conversion
- View-through conversions
- Spend by channel
- Click-through rate by creative
- Branded search lift
- New customer rate
What you need to get started
- Google Ads conversion tracking
- Images in 1.91:1, 1:1 and 4:5 ratios, plus vertical video for Shorts
- A list of recent buyers to seed lookalike segments
- Optional Merchant Center feed for product ads
Official sources
The Brand Move Google Ads Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about Demand Gen or other Google Ads ad formats, contact The Brand Move Google Ads team today.
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ExploreFrequently asked questions
Demand Gen: frequently asked questions
What is a Demand Gen campaign in Google Ads?
It is a campaign type that shows image, video, carousel and product feed ads in YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail and the Display Network. It reaches people while they browse rather than search, and it replaced Discovery campaigns as well as Video action campaigns.
Can Demand Gen run only on YouTube Shorts?
Yes. With channel controls we can limit the campaign to specific YouTube surfaces, Discover or Gmail. Even so, we prefer to keep all channels open at first and narrow down once we see which channel actually brings conversions.
Can we use the same creative for Demand Gen and Meta ads?
Largely, yes. Vertical video and 4:5 images work on both platforms. YouTube viewers keep sound on more often, though, so in Demand Gen videos we make sure the voiceover delivers the message in the first seconds.
Can we exclude the Display Network inside Demand Gen?
Channel controls make that possible. For brands sensitive about brand safety on Display inventory, we keep the Display Network off at first, start with YouTube, Discover and Gmail, and open it once the placement report looks clean.
How much budget does a Demand Gen campaign need?
With Target CPA bidding, the daily budget should be at least 10 times the target CPA. Campaigns that cannot meet that level struggle to gather enough data, so we start with Maximize conversions and move to Target CPA once conversions build up.
Let's run a first Demand Gen review together.
In a free call we review your search terms report, conversion settings and budget split, then send you the first three fixes in writing.
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No sales pressure. Just findings.