What is a Google Demand Gen campaign?
Demand Gen is a Google Ads campaign type for image and video ads on Google's visual surfaces: YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network. It's built to catch people while they're scrolling and watching, so they discover your product before they search for it.
ShoaibUpdated 3 min read
Where do Demand Gen ads show?
According to Google Ads Help, Demand Gen can run on:
| Surface | What it is |
|---|---|
| YouTube | In-stream, in-feed and Shorts |
| Discover | The personalised feed in the Google app |
| Gmail | Ads in the inbox tabs |
| Maps | Google Maps |
| Google Display Network | Millions of partner websites and apps |
Google says Demand Gen can reach up to 3 billion monthly active users across these surfaces. By default all channels are on; you can switch to choosing them yourself per ad group.
What ad formats can I use?
Google Ads Help lists images (landscape, square, portrait), videos (horizontal, square, vertical), carousels, and product feeds, plus headlines, descriptions and calls to action.
Who can I target?
Besides your own data (website visitors, past buyers, people who engaged with your YouTube), Google highlights Lookalike segments: people similar to your existing customers. See custom and lookalike audiences for the idea behind them.
Why is it in the news in 2026?
Google has been folding older campaign types into Demand Gen: its help centre says Video action campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen, and Display campaigns are moving in too, with a migration tool from June 2026. See Google Display ads.
Is it right for my business?
It suits brands with good visuals or short videos that want new customers who aren't searching yet. If you want one campaign across every Google channel including Search, compare it with Performance Max.
Want Demand Gen campaigns with strong creative and proper tracking, as part of your digital marketing? See our Google Ads service.