Google is expanding its YouTube ad offerings by consolidating various formats into default YouTube ad buys. This shift, however, has left some buyers feeling uneasy, as it seems to limit their control over ad placements.
In recent changes, Google introduced the brand consideration tool, Video View campaigns, which automatically places ads across in-stream, in-feed, and Shorts placements. These alterations, which had been in beta since June, became widely available in October. They replaced the previous default of only in-stream videos, which are horizontal video player ads.
In-feed placements appear in YouTube search results, YouTube Watch Next, and the YouTube app home feed, while Shorts resembles YouTube's version of vertical TikTok videos. Google employs machine learning to adapt horizontal ads for Shorts.
This change has raised concerns among buyers who perceive it as Google relinquishing control over ad placement to algorithms, a shift away from previous human decision-making. This trend is exemplified by Google's AI-driven tool, Performance Max, which some buyers have criticized for not aligning with their preferred ad placements and lacking transparency.
Buyers, however, retain the option to opt-out of Video View Campaigns with a single click, allowing them to run campaigns exclusively in-stream or in-feed. They can also track impressions and spending breakdowns by ad format in their campaign reports.
Despite these changes, Google asserts that Video View Campaigns can improve ad performance, with up to 40% more views and a 30% lower cost per view compared to in-stream skippable CPV campaigns.
Buyers remain concerned that this default approach to multiple formats may lead to ads being placed ineffectively. For example, in-feed placements might be suitable for instructional makeup videos, while in-stream could be more appropriate for persuasive messaging. The default setting, however, doesn't take these distinctions into account, potentially leading to less relevant ad placements.
Ultimately, this shift reflects a trade-off between performance and control in the digital advertising space, where more hands-on approaches can provide better control but less cost-effective impressions, while automated solutions may optimize views at the expense of granular control.
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