YouTube campaigns in DV360 vs in Google Ads

YouTube continues to grow popularity in Poland, with over 12 million users* already watching on their smart TVs. Beyond the TV screen, YouTube reaches 25 million real users, capturing 98% of the online video audience and 81% of internet users. Given these substantial benefits, it's clear that YouTube campaigns should be a cornerstone of any effective media strategy. Advertisers can purchase YouTube inventory through Display & Video 360 (DV360) or Google Ads. While we purchase the same YouTube inventory through both platforms, the campaign capabilities differ. 

The structure of a DV360 campaign differs from that of Google Ads - it is more granular. As a result, in DV360 there are more possibilities to manage the frequency cap, i.e. to determine the maximum number of times an ad should be exposed to one user. DV360 allows advertisers to create insertion orders and line items tailored to different ad formats, campaign types, bidding strategies, and device types in a single campaign. This enables holistic frequency management, ensuring that users are not overexposed to ads with a unified approach and reach the goal of minimising user fatigue and media wastage.

When comparing running YouTube campaigns in DV360 vs. Google Ads, it is also worth noting the targeting options. Targeting options in DV360 are more precise than in Google Ads. For instance, in DV360, you can target specific device models, such as the iPhone 15 Pro, while in GAds you can target Apple devices, but not a specific model.

Across the GMP ecosystem, we use a single conversion measurement unit - the Floodlight activity. By tracking conversions via Floodlight activity, the same method is used across all campaigns, so campaigns can meet a mutual goal. You can achieve more effective bidding results by leveraging Floodlight optimization. By optimizing for deduplicated conversions, you gain precise cross-channel campaign insights.

When running YouTube campaigns in DV360, they can be reported jointly with other display, video, audio or CTV campaigns. Reporting on YouTube campaigns running in DV360, also provides insight into reach metrics such as Unique Reach: Impression Reach (Co-Viewed), Unique Reach: Click Reach, Unique Reach: Total Reach (Co-Viewed), Unique Reach: Average Impression Frequency (Co-Viewed). These metrics are significant in reach campaigns as they allow the total reach to be reported.

In the DV360, the YouTube CTV surface can be purchased, among other things, via a dedicated Insertion Order - YouTube & Partners on CTV. By default DV360 is geared towards prioritising the purchase of smart TV inventory.

Running a YouTube campaign on DV360 is also unique with the Instant Reserve feature available in the Marketplace. Instant Reserve allows you to purchase YouTube formats in a reservation model in just a few minutes. Deals from Instant Reserve  allow you to reserve a targeted number of impressions at a fixed CPM for your specified budget and flight dates.

It is possible to buy this way, among others:

• CPM (Cost per mile) and CPH (Cost per hour) Masthead

• YouTube Select Lineups - Local market packages of pre-configured groups of top-performing YouTube channels within specific categories. These lineups offer advertisers a curated selection of high-quality content from trusted creators, making it easier to reach a targeted audience and ensure brand safety. e.g. YouTube Top creators for specific country, Travel or Music: Top 100    Charting Artists (for specific country)

• QR codes as CTA in the CTV environment - Redirect the viewer from an advertisement on CTV to your website

• First position ads - the very first pre-roll ad your audience sees when they start their YouTube session or the first ad your target audience sees in the Shorts feed with guaranteed impressions

• Pause ads - Ads that appear when the video is paused 

• 30-second Non-Skip ads on CTV

These formats can also be purchased on Google Ads by reservation, but the process is longer and requires Google's support. In this case, the user does not have as much flexibility as in DV360, where you can check rates in real time, accept the offers or ensure that a particular offer is blocked for 72 hours. 

DV360 gives advertisers autonomy to run Brand Lift and Search Lift studies without external support, providing deeper insights into campaign performance, , which you can read about in our recent article.

What's more, campaigns that you may be familiar with from GAds - Demand Gen have recently been introduced into DV360. With this change, all YouTube activities can be run through DV360, so all activities can use the same conversion tags and all activities can be reported in one place. 

Running YouTube campaigns within GMP (DV360) can generally boost productivity with centralised management. You can gain efficiencies through cross-channel media management using agency centric features such as automated click tracking to minimise manual overhead. 

Beyond the technical comparison, it's worth noting that Salestube, as a GMP partner, provides support during the launch of your first campaigns. This valuable assistance streamlines the process and helps you maximize the immediate impact of your DV360 investment

*Source: YouTube Google Internal data via Reach Planner, estimates for June ‘23, All 18+

TV data: Nielsen Audience Panel, maximised 1+ reach campaign, All 18+