What Is Demand Gen Campaign?
Demand Gen is Google Ads' upper-funnel visual campaign type running across YouTube (Shorts and in-stream), Discover feeds, and Gmail. It replaced Discovery campaigns in 2024 with expanded YouTube inventory and better creative tools.
Typical use
A DTC brand runs Demand Gen with 6 short-form videos and 12 product images, targeting Lookalikes of past purchasers plus interest audiences. Delivery goes 60% YouTube Shorts, 30% Discover, 10% Gmail. Goal: cheap reach + video views to seed retargeting, not last-click conversions.
Benchmarks
- Typical CPM: $2 to $8 in most markets.
- Best judged on assisted conversions and MER lift, not last-click ROAS.
- Requires 5+ image + 3+ video assets to serve properly.
Why it matters
Demand Gen is Google's answer to Meta's cold-prospecting cheap-reach layer. Judged on last-click it looks weak; judged on MER lift and creative reach it fills a gap PMax doesn't.
Common mistakes
- 1.Judging Demand Gen on last-click ROAS. Wrong scoreboard.
- 2.Uploading only 1 to 2 assets. Won't serve properly.
- 3.Running Demand Gen with a hard tCPA target. It's an upper-funnel format.
Put Demand Gen Campaign to work
Free calculators
Related services
FAQs about Demand Gen Campaign
How is Demand Gen different from PMax?
PMax is cross-inventory with Search + Shopping baked in. Demand Gen is upper-funnel visual only (YouTube + Discover + Gmail), no Search intent capture.
Should I run Demand Gen and PMax together?
Yes, if budget supports both. Demand Gen seeds; PMax closes. Watch for cannibalisation on YouTube inventory.
What is Demand Gen in Google Ads?
Demand Gen is Google Ads' upper-funnel campaign type that serves visual ads (image and video) across YouTube Shorts, YouTube in-stream, Discover feed and Gmail promotions. It replaced Discovery campaigns in 2024.
What does Demand Gen mean?
In Google Ads, Demand Gen means a visual campaign type built to create new demand, not capture existing search intent. Think of it as Google's equivalent of Meta's cold-prospecting layer.
What is a Demand Gen ad?
A Demand Gen ad is a single image, carousel or video ad served through Google's Demand Gen campaign type. It runs on YouTube, Discover and Gmail. Minimum recommended: 5 images plus 3 videos per ad group for full delivery.
How do I set up a Demand Gen campaign?
In Google Ads, click New Campaign, pick Sales, Leads or Website Traffic, then choose the Demand Gen campaign type. Add lookalike or interest audiences, upload 5+ images and 3+ videos, set a CPA or value target, and let the auction learn for 7 to 14 days.
Is Demand Gen worth it?
Yes for brands that need cheap upper-funnel reach to seed retargeting or lift MER, no if you judge every campaign on last-click ROAS. Demand Gen shines on assisted conversions, not last-click.
Related terms
Google's cross-inventory campaign driven by asset feeds and audience signals.
Google's banner and native inventory across 2M+ partner sites.
Cost to serve 1,000 impressions, the auction's price signal.
Revenue attributed to ads ÷ ad spend, the fastest efficiency read.
Total revenue ÷ total ad spend, the blended, attribution-free ROAS.
Non-skippable 6-second YouTube ad optimised for reach and recall.
Skippable in-stream ad, you only pay when someone watches ≥ 30s.