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Earlier this month, Google made changes to the types of inventory that get included in certain YouTube ad buys by default, the latest example of platform algorithms choosing where ads ultimately run.
Google introduced brand consideration tool, Video View campaigns, which places ads across in-stream, in-feed and Shorts placements. The company introduced the format in beta in June. By October, the tool was availability widely. It became the default brand consideration campaign in Demand & Video 360 and Google Ads. Previously, the default for these consideration campaigns was only in-stream videos, which are ads that play on a horizontal video player.
In-feed placements appear in YouTube search results, YouTube Watch Next and the YouTube app home feed. Shorts are YouTube’s vertical video TikTok replica. Google uses machine learning technology to reformat horizontal ads for Shorts.
The change rankled some buyers who see this as another move by Google to give buyers less control over ad buying. As the tech giant embraces artificial intelligence in its media buying products, algorithms are starting to get more of a say in where ads run, a decision previously made by media executives.
This is also playing out in the growing popularity of Google’s AI-powered tool Performance Max, which buyers have complained does not ultimately place ads where they would want and lacks transparency.
“It’s Performance Max for awareness and consideration advertisers,” said one media buyer of the new default, who requested anonymity to protect industry relations. “The changes that they make continue to be combining things and less transparent. It just seems that they’re on that path.”
Buyers, however, still can opt-out of Video View Campaigns with one click and run campaigns that are either exclusively in-stream or in-feed, said Austin Wignall, managing director of product management for YouTube Brand Advertising. Buyers using the tool can see how impressions and spending break down by ad format in their campaign reports, he added.
“We recently introduced YouTube Video View Campaigns in both Display & Video 360 and Google Ads to provide advertisers with a simple way to get the most views across ad formats, while improving performance,” Wignall told Adweek. “On average, VVC campaigns get up to 40% more views and 30% lower cost per view than in-stream skippable CPV campaigns.”