Google’s DV360: How to Prepare for Demand Gen Campaigns

If you're using Display & Video 360 (DV360) and have been running YouTube Video Action Campaigns (VACs), there's an important update coming in October 2024 that you need to be ready for. Demand Gen campaigns will become a core feature in DV360, offering a new, more powerful way to manage your campaigns with expanded reach, more creative formats, and advanced audience targeting.

This transition will fundamentally change how you manage your video campaigns, so it’s essential to understand the differences, how to prepare for the switch, and what steps you can take to maximize the effectiveness of Demand Gen campaigns in DV360.

What is Demand Gen in DV360?

Demand Gen is a new campaign format designed to help advertisers drive conversions through multi-format creative storytelling. This feature allows you to run both video and image ads within the same line item, giving you much more flexibility and streamlining your campaign management process. Here’s a breakdown of what makes Demand Gen such a game-changer for advertisers:

 1. Expanded Reach

With Demand Gen, you can engage up to 3 billion monthly users across Google’s platforms, including YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. This means your campaign’s reach won’t be confined to YouTube anymore, significantly expanding your audience and opportunities for conversions.

• Benefit: Reach users not just on YouTube, but across a wide array of Google properties, allowing you to target people at different stages of the customer journey.

 2. Multi-Format Ads

A key feature of Demand Gen is its ability to run video and image ads together within a single line item. This saves time and effort compared to managing separate campaigns for each ad format. By combining formats, you can tell a more cohesive and engaging story while ensuring your assets work together to achieve the best results.

• Benefit: Simplified campaign management with the flexibility to leverage multiple creative formats to engage audiences across touchpoints.

 3. Advanced Audience Targeting

With Demand Gen, you can target lookalike audiences, helping you reach new customers with behaviors and interests similar to those who already engage with your brand. This advanced targeting feature allows you to grow your customer base while maintaining relevance and engagement.

• Benefit: Use data-driven targeting to reach high-potential customers who are likely to convert, based on their similarity to your existing audience.

According to Google’s internal data, advertisers who uploaded both video and image assets to their Demand Gen campaigns saw a 20% increase in conversions at the same cost per action compared to those using video assets alone. This highlights the power of combining creative formats to drive more effective outcomes.

Transition from YouTube Video Action Campaigns to Demand Gen

For many advertisers, YouTube Video Action Campaigns have been the go-to format for driving conversions through video ads. However, as of March 2025, YouTube Video Action Campaigns (VACs) will be phased out and replaced by Demand Gen line items. Here’s what you need to know about this transition:

 What’s Changing?

• New Campaigns: Starting in March 2025, you will no longer be able to create new YouTube Video Action Campaigns in DV360. Instead, you’ll need to set up Demand Gen campaigns to continue running video ads and utilizing advanced targeting features.

• Existing Campaigns: If you have active YouTube Video Action Campaigns, they will continue to run as usual. However, it's important to start transitioning your strategy to Demand Gen to take full advantage of the new features and maximize your campaign performance.

Although some features from YouTube Video Action Campaigns, such as Floodlight optimization and third-party verification, will remain available in Demand Gen, it’s important to start familiarising yourself with the new tools and features. Getting comfortable with Demand Gen now will help ensure a smooth transition when the change takes place in 2025.

Steps to Prepare for Demand Gen in DV360

To make the transition to Demand Gen as smooth as possible, here are the steps you can take right now to prepare:

 1. Explore Demand Gen Campaigns in DV360

If you haven’t yet explored Demand Gen, now is the time to start. Set up a test Demand Gen campaign in DV360, and experiment with uploading both video and image assets. This will help you understand how the multi-format campaign works and how your creative assets can be optimized together for better performance.

• Action Point: Run a few test campaigns to get a feel for how Demand Gen works, and see how it compares to the performance of your existing YouTube Video Action Campaigns.

 2. Utilise Lookalike Audiences

One of the standout features of Demand Gen is the ability to target lookalike audiences. Lookalike audiences help you reach new prospects who share similar behaviours and interests with your existing customers. Test out this feature now to see how it performs, and start gathering data on how to refine your audience targeting.

• Action Point: Begin using lookalike segments to expand your reach while maintaining the relevance of your campaigns. This will allow you to find new customers who are most likely to convert.

 3. Organise Your Creative Assets

With Demand Gen, you’ll need to have both video and image creatives ready to upload into a single line item. If you’ve primarily focused on video ads, now is the time to start building out your image assets to complement your video content.

• Action Point: Review and optimize your current creative strategy by ensuring you have both video and image assets available. This will help you maximize the potential of Demand Gen campaigns.

 4. Monitor the Transition Timeline

As mentioned, March 2025 is the key date when YouTube Video Action Campaigns will be phased out. Keep track of this timeline and begin transitioning your campaigns to Demand Gen well in advance of this deadline.

• Action Point: Mark the transition deadline on your calendar and start transitioning campaigns early to avoid any disruptions once VACs are no longer available.

 5. Optimise for Floodlight and Brand Safety

If you use Floodlight optimization or rely on third-party verification for brand safety, rest assured that these features will remain available with Demand Gen campaigns. Make sure your team is aware of these features and optimize your campaigns accordingly to ensure seamless tracking and brand safety compliance.

• Action Point: Familiarise yourself with the continued availability of Floodlight and third-party verification tools in Demand Gen, and optimize your campaigns for maximum tracking and protection.

Why the Change Matters

The shift to Demand Gen is not just about changing campaign types; it's about unlocking new possibilities for marketers. With Demand Gen, you’ll have access to a massive audience, enhanced creative flexibility, and more advanced targeting capabilities. These changes are designed to help you scale your reach, boost conversions, and optimize your campaigns more effectively.

If you're looking to expand your reach beyond YouTube or improve the performance of your creative assets, Demand Gen offers a powerful new tool to achieve those goals. By combining different ad formats and targeting more specific audiences, you’ll be better positioned to drive higher engagement and conversions.

Conclusion

As Demand Gen becomes a core feature in DV360, it’s important to start preparing now to make the most of this new opportunity. By exploring the platform, testing new features like lookalike audiences, and optimizing your creative assets, you can ensure a smooth transition and start reaping the benefits of multi-format campaigns. Get ahead of the curve and start optimizing your campaigns today to ensure you're fully prepared for the shift in 2025.