Google Marketing Live Expands Paid Media Toolkit

Now that the bright lights of Google Marketing Live have dimmed, we wanted to shift our focus to the products and features that will make a difference sooner rather than later. To Google’s credit, the 2019 version of the much-ballyhooed event introduced several products that we’re excited to put to use, especially in our paid media campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of what came out of the event and how it can be used when available for all.

Image source: Search Engine Land

Google is Monetizing the Discover Feed

In September 2018, Google introduced Discover, an updated feed that delivered interest-relevant content to 800 million users, according to the official release.

As Google stated in the release: “Think of it as your new mobile homepage where you can not only search, but also discover useful, relevant information and inspiration from across the web for the topics you care about most.”

At Google Marketing Live, Google introduced Discovery ads, a new ad type that will allow advertisers to place native ads in Google Discover feeds as well as YouTube home feeds and social and promotions tabs in Gmail. The native ads on Discover and YouTube mimic paid ads that your might find on Facebook or Instagram.

A Discovery campaign targets users based on Google audience data, which gauges interest, in-market, and affinity qualities in addition to available profile behavior across all Google properties.

Performance reporting is tied to overarching Discovery campaigns and not the individual channels (Discover, YouTube, Gmail) that make up a campaign. That will make it more difficult to optimize campaigns, but Discovery ads and campaigns are certainly on our radar for testing.

Image source: PPC Hero

Performance Planner Now Available in Google Ads

Performance Planner is another new tool within Google Ads. Originally tabbed Budget Planner, the updated tool gives advertisers performance projections based on campaign history and auction data, which is then validated through machine learning. Advertisers can use these projections to more efficiently allocate budgets for Google Ads campaigns based on ROI, customized KPIs, seasonality, and previous campaigns.

This is strictly a planning tool, but if it proves to be accurate, it could be an important resource for advertisers who want to responsibly showcase to clients the relationship between incremental spend and lead volume. For Location3, that means our customer success team will be able to provide franchisees with more accurate performance projections based on the size of allocated budget.

Gallery Ads “Bringing Instagram to Search”

Google has been testing Gallery Ads for a few months, but Google Marketing Live provided a few more details on the new ad type.

Gallery Ads are search-based ads, but instead of text, provide searchers with a swipable carousel of large images that “makes it easier for you to communicate what your brand has to offer,” according to Prabhakar Raghavan, SVP of Google Ads and Commerce.

It’s important to note that Gallery Ads are not a new campaign type and will compete in the same auction as text ads. Furthermore, they’re limited to the top spot in Google search results on mobile devices (for now).

We know that interactive, visual ads are appealing to consumers, and “…on average, ad groups including one or more gallery ad have up to 25% more interactions – paid clicks or swipes – at the absolute top of the mobile Search results page,” according to Raghavan. That makes Gallery Ads an enticing option for e-commerce brands that feel their products are best showcased visually.

Google’s early positioning of the ad type is that it isn’t focusing on direct conversions, but on offering a more diverse brand experience at the beginning of the customer journey. But products and services like Gallery Ads and Google Shopping indicate Google’s greater push toward a one-stop shopping experience that can compete with Amazon and Instagram.

New Planning Tool for Display & Video 360

One feature in Google Display & Video 360 that we’re excited about is a planning tool that helps advertisers estimate reach based on budget and campaign settings. Above is an example of a YouTube forecast . This feature is live, and we plan to incorporate it into our video planning process.

When it comes to practical products and services in paid media, Google Marketing Live did not disappoint. We’re excited to see how these new tools can help us plan, execute, analyze, and direct future campaigns for our paid media clients.