Google Ads EMEA Product Kickoff for H1 2024 [Collaborative Guide]

The Google Ads EMEA Product Kickoff for the first half 2024 revealed numerous updates focused on enhancing measurement, leveraging AI in advertising, and expanding Performance Max features.

With significant updates like Consent Mode Version 2 and the launch of Google Ads Data Manager, Google emphasised the importance of durable measurement solutions for the EMEA region. 

Consent Mode V2

Google has launched Consent Mode v2, necessitating advertisers who handle EU data to communicate user consent effectively. It includes offline audience data, an API for offline conversions scheduled to launch in Q2 2024, and the need for apps to transmit consent signals.

User-provided data (UPD)

User-provided data (UPD) is poised to become a central element of privacy-focused measurement within Google Analytics 4 (GA4), signalling a shift towards enhanced user privacy in data analytics.

Google Ads Data Manager

Google Ads Data Manager will be available to all accounts, providing a more efficient way to connect, activate, and measure first-party data within Google Ads. This launch brings 25 more new connectors, such as BigQuery and Salesforce, along with new endpoints to improve conversion tracking and simplify data management. The ultimate goal is to help enhance campaign performance.

Audience Customer Type

The recently released 'Audience customer type' feature in Google Ads allows advertisers to categorize audiences based on their stage in the customer journey. This tool is designed to enhance performance optimization by providing more tailored ad experiences that align with the users’ level of brand interaction.

Deferred Offline Conversion Adjustments (DOCA)

Google Ads beta tests Deferred Offline Conversion Adjustments (DOCA), allowing advertisers to update conversion values post-transaction.

This method acknowledges real-time profit margins and custom values, ensuring the most accurate data inform bidding strategies. It is a strategic step toward a more transparent and effective advertising ecosystem without cookies.

These enhancements aim to future-proof conversion data measurement and integrate first-party data, ensuring advertisers can navigate the cookieless future effectively.

Artificial intelligence is set to transform Google Ads with features like AI-powered Search Ads and Gemini-powered chat.

These innovations aim to maximize engagement and streamline the ad creation process. By optimizing ad assets and conversational experiences, they are expected to improve performance.

Headline 2 will appear at the start of ad descriptions

In a significant change, Google's AI-powered search now positions headline two at the start of ad descriptions, allowing dynamic image assets, sitelinks, and structured snippets to be used more effectively.

Google Ads integrates Gemini.

Google Ads has added Gemini to its conversational experience and is now launching an open beta for all eligible English advertisers in the US and UK.

Gemini now features personalized images created by generative AI. Advertisers can quickly identify these images through clear labelling. The automatically generated assets are now available globally in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Japanese, Dutch, and German.

The global beta rollout is expected by the end of March.

A new budget report will help businesses understand pacing.

The new Budget Report in Google Ads provides enhanced insights, allowing businesses to visualize and pace their spending effectively, discover budget optimization opportunities, and track budget changes for improved performance.

Performance Shifts Insights

Performance Shifts Insights will aid advertisers in identifying top-performing campaigns and significant changes, facilitating strategic adjustments to maximize ad impact and efficiency.

Sharper competitive edge with enhanced auction insights

Google Ads has updated its auction insights, providing advertisers with a more detailed and nuanced view of their performance compared to their competitors. The updated reports offer valuable information on performance changes, market-entry, and exit, which can help advertisers sharpen their decision-making regarding bidding and budgeting.

Re-engagement goal in Performance Max

Performance Max campaigns introduce a re-engagement goal to help advertisers optimize their efforts to win back lapsed customers, reduce churn, and complement acquisition strategies with available beta targeting options.

Performance Max gears up with vehicle feeds.

Performance Max introduces a vehicle feed feature for car advertisers to expand to more EMEA markets.

This feature aims to streamline the customer journey and boost online and offline conversions through targeted inventory ads.

Local touch to Performance Max campaigns [Closed Beta]

Google launched a pilot that enables Performance Max campaigns to embrace local formats with GMC feeds, offering additional local formats like Maps promoted pins and the local unit on Google.com, now available globally for omnichannel goals. Local format expansion for store goals with GMC pilot and PMax for SA360 is available in closed beta.

Self-upgrade to serve DSA in Performance Max

Google introduces a pilot allowing advertisers to directly serve DSA use cases in Performance Max, allowing them to experiment with transitioning their DSA campaigns.

Dynamic video ads from feed data

Google Ads is set to revolutionize feed-only campaigns with the ability to auto-generate videos using Merchant Center product feeds, text, and image assets, signalling a pivotal development for advertisers to "watch closely".

Tracking offline conversions at dealerships

Google introduces store sales measurement for auto advertisers, enabling a clear view of how digital ads convert to dealership sales, with the capability to integrate first-party sales data into bid strategies after confirming eligibility.

Refined measurement with store sales receipts

Google advances offline sales tracking by introducing receipt-based dynamic values in-store sales reporting powered by Google Opinion Rewards. This allows for sophisticated bid optimization in line with the complete consumer journey.

'Pickup Later' option in local inventory ads

Google's Merchant Center now includes the 'Pickup Later' option in local inventory ads, catering to consumers looking for online-only products to be shipped to a store within a few days, enhancing the shopping experience and convenience.

Google announced improvements in in-app campaigns and YouTube ads, including better data measurement for iOS systems and new Demand Gen features. These updates enhance user engagement and give advertisers more precise targeting and analytics tools.

App Campaigns

Improve Guidelines with Web-to-App Connect

Google Ads keeps promoting Web to App Connect, a streamlined solution that boosts web conversions by guiding advertisers through deep linking, conversion tracking, and optimized bidding. It promises a more cohesive web-to-app user journey.

Integration of Apple's SKAN (StoreKit Ad Network)

The integration of Apple's SKAN (StoreKit Ad Network) with Google App campaigns enters a limited beta phase. This update offers advertisers a way to leverage conversion value schemas for improved optimization on tCPA (target Cost Per Action) and tROAS (target Return On Ad Spend) campaigns. It promises an uplift in post-install conversions and more effective in-app event reporting.

It is now in limited beta, offering advertisers a more robust tCPA and tROAS bidding strategy by utilizing Apple's SKAN conversion value schema. The next phase will extend the post-install conversion window up to 35 days and integrate additional AdMob, YouTube, and Search inventory.

App campaigns with more nuanced GMC feed filtering

Google announces a beta for app campaigns with more nuanced GMC feed filtering, allowing advertisers to tailor creatives at the item level and improve campaign focus with refined reporting that is set to enhance user relevance and ad performance.

Next quarter, a new beta will offer feed filtering for app campaigns with GMC feeds and feed reporting on the item level.

Demand Gen

Reach Planner for Demand Gen

Currently, in beta, Reach Planner for Demand Gen is designed for planning across YouTube and Google Video partners and offers reach, views, and conversion-based forecasting in over 60 markets.

The tool is expected to become generally available in Q2’24.

Product feeds are now available with Demand Gen.

Product feeds are now integrated with Demand Gen campaigns across various Google platforms, offering advertisers a more dynamic and engaging way to create a virtual storefront and foster purchase consideration.

New creative preview function

Demand Gen campaigns will soon feature a new creative preview function, set to launch by the end of Q1'24. This function will enable visualization of multi-format ad combinations and easy sharing among teams.

YouTube

Video reach campaigns (VRC)

Google Ads and DV360 now offer Video reach campaigns (VRC), enabling advertisers to utilize reach-optimized video ad formats across unique surfaces like YouTube Shorts and feeds, promising more views and higher engagement at efficient cost-per-view (CPV) rates.

New awareness goals for Video Reach

Google Ads plans to introduce creative preferences in Video Reach and Video View Campaigns in Q2 of 2024. Additionally, new awareness goals for Video Reach Campaigns, such as efficient reach, completions, and target frequency, are expected to be launched later this year.

CPV formats across in-stream, in-feeds, and Shorts

The current CPV formats, which include in-stream, in-feeds, and Shorts, are now available. Furthermore, upcoming measurement solutions for reach, viewability, and brand safety verification are coming.

Creative Preferences for Demand Gen

In video reach campaigns (VRC) and video view campaigns (VVC), Google Ads will roll out creative preferences, letting advertisers anchor specific video assets to their desired format within demand generation campaigns and optimize context and performance.

A beta version of the product is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2024, followed by the official release in the second quarter of the same year.

YouTube Select

YouTube Select provides content packages for four placements, including lineups, custom, shorts, and sponsorships. This allows advertisers to connect with highly engaged users across various video ad formats.

QR code extensions and Pause Ads for CTV

Furthermore, innovative features such as QR code extensions and Pause Ads for CTV are expected to be launched, enhancing ad interaction and viewer engagement even further.

From Q2, pause ads will be limited to an EMEA pilot, and there will be more availability in the second half.

Efficient Reach 2.0 & Forecasting features for video

Additionally, Efficient Reach 2.0 has rolled out generally across Google Ads and Display & Video 360, offering advertisers advanced tools for reach optimization. Video forecasting features are now accessible to all users, enhancing campaign planning capabilities.

Revolutionizing travel with Demand Gen

Google Ads will launch Demand Generation with Travel Feeds in H2’24, utilizing Hotel Center Feeds to enhance ad performance and user engagement.

Hotel Center feeds will cater to app ads.

Google Ads' alpha release connects Hotel Center feeds to app campaigns, enabling content-rich, interactive ads that enhance visual appeal and unlock format diversity. This could boost installs by an average of 10%.

Performance Max now includes hotel ads.

Performance Max campaigns now include a seventh channel called the hotel ads channel, offering a comprehensive solution across seven channels for hoteliers and travel marketers looking to maximize their reach and booking potential.

Optimized returns with Target ROAS for hotels

Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) bidding is now an available strategy for hotel campaigns, recommended for advertisers aiming to increase bookings with a clear ROAS objective and is compatible with search conversion value rules.

And That's It ...

This article has been inspired by Adriaan Deeker & Gianpaolo Lorusso, so thanks for being the first ones helping the paid industry.

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