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Google Ad Manager expands postal code targeting to Spain and Italy

Google Ad Manager enables precise postal code targeting for Spanish and Italian markets as programmatic advertising becomes increasingly location-specific.

Luis Rijo

• 5 min read
Spain and Italy maps showing postal code targeting zones with location pins for digital advertising
Spain and Italy maps showing postal code targeting zones with location pins for digital advertising

Google Ad Manager introduced postal code targeting support for Spain and Italy on June 16, 2025, expanding geographic advertising capabilities across two significant European markets. The feature enables publishers and advertisers to target specific postal code areas within these countries, joining an existing framework that previously supported the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom.

According to the Google Ad Manager release notes, advertisers can now implement postal code targeting through the platform's existing geographic targeting interface by selecting "Enter text" in the targeting section and pasting comma-separated postal code lists. The functionality follows established format requirements that vary by country, with country codes being optional for implementation.

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Summary

Who: Google Ad Manager publishers and advertisers operating in Spanish and Italian markets, particularly local businesses, retailers, tourism operators, and service providers seeking precise geographic targeting capabilities.

What: Postal code targeting functionality enabling advertisers to target specific postal code areas within Spain and Italy through Google Ad Manager's geographic targeting interface, supporting comma-separated postal code lists with country-specific formatting requirements.

When: June 16, 2025, as announced in Google Ad Manager release notes, with immediate availability for all publishers using the platform's geographic targeting capabilities.

Where: Spain and Italy join existing postal code targeting support for United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, India, and United Kingdom markets within Google Ad Manager's programmatic advertising platform.

Why: European digital advertising markets demonstrate increasing demand for granular location targeting as publishers seek to optimize local campaign performance while maintaining privacy compliance under GDPR frameworks and regulatory requirements.

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The Spanish postal code system utilizes five-digit codes where leading zeros must be preserved for validation. For example, postal codes beginning with zero, common in certain Spanish regions, require the complete five-digit format including initial zeros to function properly within the targeting system. Italian postal codes follow a similar five-digit structure with mandatory leading zero preservation. The Italian postal code 00185, covering central Rome areas, must include both initial zeros for proper system recognition.

Google's postal code targeting infrastructure maintains minimum privacy thresholds to protect user data while enabling geographic precision. The system only serves advertisements when sufficient user populations exist within targeted postal code areas. Targeting small geographic regions or limited postal code sets can significantly reduce impression volume and delivery potential, according to the platform documentation.

Publishers using the enhanced targeting capabilities can exclude specific postal codes by targeting all codes within a geographic area except those requiring exclusion. Alternatively, they can exclude neighborhoods or similar geographic areas that approximate desired postal code boundaries. The system processes postal codes that meet population and geographic size requirements while rejecting codes deemed too small for privacy compliance or accuracy concerns.

The implementation affects both line items and yield groups within Google Ad Manager, though postal code targeting remains limited to line items rather than yield groups. Publishers creating line items can access the geographic targeting section through the delivery interface, navigate to targeting options, and select geography settings to configure postal code parameters.

European digital advertising markets have demonstrated increasing demand for granular location targeting as marketers seek to optimize local campaign performance. Location-based advertising has emerged as a critical component of digital marketing strategies, making precise geographic targeting capabilities essential for publishers operating across European regions.

Mobile traffic targeting considerations affect postal code accuracy for both Spanish and Italian markets. Geographic targeting functions normally for Wi-Fi connected users, while carrier traffic requires country-level targeting recommendations due to data quality variations from carrier providers. The accuracy of mobile geotargeting depends entirely on carrier-provided data quality, which varies significantly across different network operators.

The expansion follows Google's broader geographic targeting enhancements throughout 2024 and 2025. Amazon DSP streamlined location targeting in May 2024 by consolidating region and location targeting into unified interfaces, while Amazon launched Geographic Insights and Activation in June 2025 to help advertisers identify untapped markets using retail data.

European advertising regulations continue shaping location targeting capabilities across programmatic platforms. Publishers must ensure compliance with local data protection requirements when implementing postal code targeting, particularly regarding user consent and data processing transparency under GDPR frameworks.

The postal code targeting system integrates with Google Ad Manager's existing geographic options including countries, regions, cities, airports, counties, designated market areas, neighborhoods, and states. United States targeting provides the most granular options including postal codes and neighborhoods, while international markets receive varying levels of geographic specificity based on data availability and regulatory requirements.

Publishers targeting users in Crimea, Cuba, So-called Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Iran, North Korea, or Syria cannot utilize these locations regardless of postal code availability. Google's advertising policies maintain restrictions on these geographic areas, requiring publishers to target compliant regions instead.

Spanish postal code targeting enables advertisers to reach specific metropolitan areas, tourist regions, and commercial districts with unprecedented precision. Madrid's business districts use postal codes beginning with 280, while Barcelona's commercial areas utilize codes starting with 080. The granular targeting capabilities support retail advertisers, local service providers, and tourism businesses seeking specific geographic reach within Spanish markets.

Italian postal code targeting provides similar precision across major metropolitan areas and regional markets. Milan's commercial center uses postal codes beginning with 201, while Rome's central business district employs codes starting with 001. Fashion retailers, tourism operators, and local service businesses can leverage this targeting precision to reach specific Italian market segments.

Reporting capabilities within Google Ad Manager may display "N/A" values when geographic data remains unavailable for specific user impressions. Publishers pulling reports on geographic dimensions more granular than their targeting parameters may encounter missing data points where user IP addresses provide country-level information without city or postal code specificity.

Publishers implementing postal code targeting should consider impression volume implications before activation. Targeting small geographic areas significantly reduces potential reach, requiring careful balance between precision and scale. Testing broader geographic parameters initially, then narrowing to specific postal codes based on performance data, often produces optimal results.

The feature update represents Google's continued investment in programmatic advertising infrastructure across European markets. Location-based advertising has emerged as a critical component of digital marketing strategies, with 78% of marketers citing localized personalization as critical to campaign success.

Technical implementation requires publishers to understand postal code formatting requirements for each country. Spanish codes follow five-digit formats without spaces or additional characters, while Italian codes maintain similar five-digit structures with mandatory leading zero preservation. Publishers entering invalid postal codes receive system notifications explaining format requirements or privacy-related restrictions.

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