Google AdWords for Video allows advertisers to create, target, optimize, and report on video campaigns via a specialized video dashboard. The new interface integrates with existing AdWords accounts and saves advertisers time by eliminating the need to log in and out of AdWords and YouTube to set up campaigns and track performance.
In order to access all features, AdWords and YouTube must be linked and the video option enabled. Once completed AdWords advertisers can access the below dashboards from their existing account.
The added interface allows for simplified campaign setup, and includes several views to help advertisers analyze campaign performance by segmenting ad formats, networks, videos and more.
Some of the benefits of the new platform include:
- -Simplified, faster campaign and creative set up
- -New centralized video dashboard
- -Improved targeting options
- -Improved reporting, insights, and optimization
- -Improved budget control
- -Ability to test several targeting groups within a single campaign
In the new video dashboard tool, AdGroups are replaced by “Targeting Groups” which allows advertisers to test multiple targeting combinations within a single campaign. Advertisers can layer in targeting groups based on user demographics, video categories, user interests, video placements. As more targeting options are included, a helpful visualization of the targeting group is created to show exactly how each targeting group will function.
All of the possible video ad formats were also re-branded under the “True View” umbrella which includes the “In-Search”, “In-Display”, “In-Stream”, and “In-Slate” ad formats.
Summary of True View Formats:
While the new dashboard is a nice new feature, there are still some challenges with running effective video campaigns. One thing that is lacking is integration with the AdWords Editor desktop software that allows larger advertisers to create and edit multiple campaigns in bulk. In addition, category targeting is still a challenge, as the video category is determined by the user uploading the video. So in many cases, videos within a category might not be relevant to the target audience. Even when categories are limited, a lot of negative matching of specific placements will be required to ensure relevant ad placement.
