Google has added new features to its Demand Gen advertising product on YouTube, expanding creative tools, distribution options and measurement features for advertisers.
The changes, announced as part of Google's latest marketing product updates, are focused on helping brands use creator content, product feeds and campaign automation across YouTube and other Google properties.
One part of the update centres on ad creation. Advertisers can now use multimodal video creation in Asset Studio to build YouTube ads from a small number of prompts, with the aim of producing more relevant campaign creative.
Google has also changed the Demand Gen setup process so advertisers can promote creator partnership videos directly through the asset picker, giving brands a more direct way to use existing creator-led material in paid campaigns.
Retailers are also included in the latest changes. Merchants will soon be able to upload videos to Google Merchant Centre and distribute them dynamically across Demand Gen campaigns based on user interest.
Broader reach
Google is also expanding where Demand Gen ads can appear. New inventory on Google Maps is intended to put brands in front of people exploring local areas, extending the product beyond YouTube and other established Google surfaces.
For online shopping, checkout links are being expanded to nine additional markets, a move designed to shorten the path from product discovery to purchase.
Product feeds are also being extended to more surfaces and industry categories, including automotive. Advertisers will be able to show inventory with more detailed information across a wider set of Demand Gen placements.
Google said advertisers with large product selections typically see a 33% increase in conversions after adopting product feeds in Demand Gen campaigns, though it did not provide further detail on the sample size or methodology behind that figure.
Campaign tools
Another set of additions is aimed at campaign setup and optimisation. AI-assisted Demand Gen campaign creation can now import settings from an existing campaign, such as Performance Max, and apply Demand Gen best practices with one click before advertisers review and publish the result.
Advertisers will still be able to view all campaign settings and make changes before a campaign goes live. The change reflects a broader industry effort to balance automation with user oversight as ad platforms add more AI-based tools.
Measurement is another focus of the update. Advertisers can use Campaign Type Attribution to isolate conversions generated by Demand Gen campaigns and compare results with other channels, including paid social advertising.
Google is also introducing Uplift Experiments to measure how Demand Gen works alongside Performance Max. The feature is intended to help advertisers judge whether the two campaign types complement each other.
Third-party integrations have also been expanded with partners including TransUnion. The aim is to link YouTube exposure with broader business outcomes across a company's media mix using what Google described as privacy-safe methods.
YouTube strategy
The update underlines YouTube's role in Google's effort to attract both brand and performance budgets on the same platform. Advertisers are increasingly looking for ways to combine upper-funnel video campaigns with direct-response tools that can show clearer links to sales and other outcomes.
Creator content is also becoming more central to digital advertising strategies, especially as brands seek material that feels less formal than traditional commercials. By making creator partnership videos easier to use in Demand Gen, Google is trying to position that content closer to transaction-focused advertising.
The retail and automotive changes point in a similar direction. More detailed product feeds, dynamic video distribution and checkout links suggest Google wants Demand Gen to play a larger role not just in awareness campaigns, but also in product-led advertising tied more directly to shopping behaviour.