Demand Gen Campaigns in Google Ads
Ads in the YouTube, Discover and Gmail feeds that reach people before they start searching. Visual ads, lookalike audiences and conversion-based bidding turn that interest into leads and sales.
- Funnel stageDemand
- Setupfrom ₴24,000
- Managementfrom ₴12,000/mo
Discover in the Google app: someone scrolls through articles, a sponsored Glowra card with a large photo appears between them, and they tap “Learn more”.
The Gmail Promotions tab: a Brewnest ad row sits at the top of the list; a tap expands it like an email with a photo and an “Order now” button, which is tapped.
A sportline.ua carousel ad in the Google app feed: someone swipes through product cards with photos and prices, the dots show the position, and they tap the third card.
YouTube Home: someone scrolls the feed, a Motorika image ad with a photo and a “Book now” button appears between the videos, the button turns blue and they tap it.
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YouTubeDemand Gen explained in 40 seconds
Demand Gen: the essentials
Demand Gen is a Google Ads campaign for the middle of the funnel. It shows videos, images, carousels and products where people scroll through feeds: on YouTube (in-stream, in-feed and Shorts), in Google Discover, in Gmail and on Google Display Network sites. The logic is closer to social media advertising: people aren't searching for the product, but they see it at a moment when they're open to something new, and Google finds them based on interest and intent signals.
Today it's the central visual format in Google Ads. Video action campaigns have been moved into Demand Gen, and starting in 2026, standard Display campaigns are gradually being migrated as well. The reason is simple: one campaign with multiple channels, mixed formats and lookalike segments gives the algorithm more room to find conversions, while giving advertisers channel controls and per-channel reporting.
How it works under the hood
- 01
Audience signals
We define who to look for: lookalike segments based on your customers, custom segments based on search terms, remarketing, interests and intent. Optimized targeting can expand delivery beyond these signals.
- 02
Creatives for every channel
We upload landscape, square and portrait images and videos, carousels or a product feed. The system assembles ads from them to fit the format of each placement.
- 03
Bidding for results
The campaign optimizes for conversions, conversion value or clicks. The algorithm predicts which viewers are more likely to submit a lead or buy and raises bids specifically for them.
- 04
Testing and scaling
We compare audiences and creatives through ad groups and Google Ads experiments, analyze the channel report and shift budget to where conversions are cheaper.
When to use Demand Gen
E-commerce with a visual product
Apparel, cosmetics, home decor, furniture: products people want to buy the moment they see them. A product feed lets you show specific items with prices right in the feed.
Building demand for a new product
When search volume is still low, Demand Gen finds people similar to your customers and builds interest that later reaches Search.
Businesses already advertising on Meta
Creatives and approaches from Instagram and Facebook adapt well to Demand Gen, and Google's audience complements your social media reach.
Online courses and education products
Videos with the instructor, reviews and lesson excerpts explain the value better than text, and optimization targets sign-ups or payments.
Re-engaging people who already showed interest
Website visitors, abandoned carts, channel viewers: remarketing with a different creative and a new argument, not the same banner.
Ad formats and their anatomy
Image ads
Images in 1.91:1, 1:1 and 4:5 formats, a headline, description, logo and button. The main format for Discover, Gmail and the Display Network.
Carousel
2 to 10 swipeable cards. For a product range, process steps or several benefits in a single ad.
Video ads
Horizontal, square and vertical videos for in-stream, in-feed and Shorts. One set of videos covers all YouTube placements.
Product ads
A linked Google Merchant Center feed adds specific products with prices to your videos and images. Delivery can be limited to selected product groups.
What we set up in the campaign: 11 steps
No templates: we adapt every item to your niche, margins and goals. Here’s what our launch checklist looks like.
- 01 Pre-launch conversion audit We make sure conversions are passed correctly, with values and enhanced conversions: without clean data, Demand Gen optimizes blind.
- 02 Lookalike segments from a quality source We build lookalikes based on buyers or qualified leads, not all visitors, and choose the reach level: narrow, balanced or broad.
- 03 Custom segments based on search terms We add people who searched your key queries and competitor queries on Google: the strongest intent signal outside the search results.
- 04 Channel controls We decide where to show: all channels or only YouTube, Discover and Gmail. We enable the Display Network and video partners deliberately and evaluate them separately.
- 05 Ad group structure We split cold audiences, lookalike segments and remarketing into separate ad groups, with separate locations and languages at the ad group level when needed.
- 06 Creatives for every aspect ratio We prepare 1.91:1, 1:1 and 4:5 images, vertical video for Shorts and horizontal video for in-stream, so the campaign doesn't lose inventory or show cropped frames.
- 07 A product feed without the excess We connect Merchant Center and, through product groups, show items that have healthy margins and stock, not the whole catalog indiscriminately.
- 08 New customers and exclusions We enable the new customer acquisition goal or exclude existing buyers, and add account-level placement exclusions and content suitability settings.
- 09 Data-driven bid strategy We start with Maximize conversions and move to Target CPA or Target ROAS once the campaign has built up stable statistics.
- 10 Creative A/B experiments We run Demand Gen experiments with a single variable (creative, audience or format) and a clear success criterion defined before the test starts.
- 11 Attribution and conversion windows We configure conversion windows and check the campaign's contribution in the GA4 conversion paths report: part of Demand Gen's impact shows up later, through Search.
The mistakes we find most often
If your ads are already running, let’s start with an audit. Here’s what usually eats up the budget in this campaign type.
Bidding for clicks instead of conversions
A Maximize clicks campaign collects cheap clicks from the Display Network and apps. The report looks great; the CRM is empty. Demand Gen should work toward a conversion goal.
One landscape image for everything
No square images or vertical video: the campaign doesn't make it into Shorts or looks out of place there, and part of the inventory is simply unavailable.
Lookalikes built from a junk list
The lookalike segment is built from all website visitors, including random ones. The algorithm looks for people similar to random visitors, not to customers.
Judging by last click only
Demand Gen gets switched off because the GA4 session source report shows few sales for it. Part of its impact comes through later branded searches, visible in conversion paths and Conversion Lift tests.
Constant changes during learning
Budgets, bids and creatives get changed daily, and the campaign never exits the learning phase. We make changes in batches and give the algorithm time to stabilize.
Uncontrolled Display Network
After the migration from Display campaigns, the GDN is on by default, and nobody opens the “Where ads showed” report. Part of the budget goes to games and made-for-advertising sites.
What we track
- Cost per conversion and ROAS The main metric: how much a lead or sale costs and how much each hryvnia invested returns. We evaluate it together with lead quality from the CRM, not just volume.
- Conversions by channel The channel report shows what works: YouTube, Discover, Gmail or the Display Network. That determines where to expand delivery and where to narrow it.
- View-through conversions Demand Gen counts actions after someone views a video or image without clicking. We track them separately from click-through conversions and check how many are truly incremental.
- Creative CTR and conversion rate They show which image or video grabs attention and whether the page delivers on the ad's promise. We replace weak creatives without waiting for the end of the month.
- New customer share If the goal is acquisition, we track how many conversions came from people who haven't bought before. Otherwise, the campaign quietly turns into expensive remarketing.
- Conversion Lift incrementality For larger budgets: a test with a control group that shows how many conversions the campaign drove beyond those that would have happened without it.
Bid strategies
Where this campaign type works especially well
Full-service Demand Gen: what it costs
You pay the ad budget directly to Google. Our fee is fixed — no percentage of spend below the Scale plan.
Questions and answers: Demand Gen
Didn’t find your answer? Ask us directly — we’ll advise for free.
How is Demand Gen different from Performance Max?
Performance Max runs across all Google channels, including Search and Maps, and allocates budget between them on its own. Demand Gen runs only in visual feeds (YouTube, Discover, Gmail and the Display Network) and gives you more control: channel selection, lookalike segments, and separate ad groups with their own audiences and creatives. For building new demand and testing creatives, Demand Gen is usually the more convenient choice.
What happened to Video action campaigns?
Google migrated Video action campaigns to Demand Gen: you can no longer create new ones, and existing campaigns were upgraded automatically. Demand Gen inherited their conversion optimization and added Discover, Gmail, the Display Network, image ads and lookalike segments. If the automatic upgrade left poor settings in your account, we review them and rebuild the structure.
Can Demand Gen run on YouTube only?
Yes, channel controls let you keep only YouTube or choose any combination of channels for each ad group. But the narrower the selection, the less room there is for optimization. We usually start broader and then cut channels that don't deliver conversions.
How do lookalike segments work now?
A lookalike segment is built from your list: customers, buyers or qualified leads. In 2026, Google is gradually switching these segments to signal mode, so the system can go beyond them if it predicts conversions there. That's why the quality of the seed list matters even more: it sets the direction for the algorithm.
How many creatives do we need to get started?
At minimum: several images in different aspect ratios, a logo, a few headlines and at least one video with a vertical version. The more quality variations you have, the better the system can match combinations to each placement. After that, we refresh creatives regularly, because in feeds they wear out faster than text ads.
Do we need Demand Gen if Performance Max is already running?
Often, yes. Performance Max is good at capturing existing demand, but it decides on its own how much budget to give YouTube and the feeds. Demand Gen gives you a separate, controllable budget dedicated to building demand and to clean creative tests. We separate campaign goals so they don't needlessly compete for the same people.
We’ll launch your campaign right from day one
Leave your contact — a specialist will review your ads or website and prepare a short breakdown with concrete next steps. No obligations, no hard selling.
- 01 A short call or chat We clarify your niche, goals and what you’ve already tried.
- 02 Ads and website review We check the account (read-only access), tracking and landing pages.
- 03 Action plan You get a list of issues and priorities — even if you don’t work with us.
We reply within 1 business day