Google Ads quietly adds YouTube creator-based audience targeting feature
Digital marketer discovers new option in Google Ads allowing remarketing based on specific YouTube creator videos.
Five days ago, Georgi Zayakov, a Senior Consultant in Digital Advertising at Hutter Consult AG, stumbled upon a significant yet unannounced update to Google Ads' YouTube remarketing capabilities. Zayakov, known for his experience in digital marketing and e-commerce, shared his discovery on LinkedIn, revealing that advertisers can now create remarketing audiences based on viewers of specific YouTube creator videos.
Luís Daniel Rijo
This finding, which Zayakov posted about on his LinkedIn profile, marks a substantial shift in YouTube advertising capabilities. Previously, advertisers were limited to creating remarketing lists based solely on interactions with their own linked YouTube channels. The newly discovered feature expands these boundaries, allowing marketers to tap into the vast ecosystem of YouTube creators for their targeting efforts.
According to Zayakov's post, when setting up a remarketing audience for YouTube viewers, he noticed a new option to "Select a video made by a YouTube creator." This option wasn't present when he had set up similar audiences earlier that week, suggesting a recent, unannounced rollout of the feature.
The implications of this discovery are significant for digital advertisers. By enabling the creation of remarketing lists based on viewers of specific creator videos, Google has potentially opened up new avenues for targeted advertising. Marketers can now reach audiences that have engaged with content relevant to their products or services, even if that content isn't on their own channel.
While Google hasn't officially announced or provided detailed documentation on this feature, its functionality appears straightforward based on Zayakov's observation. Advertisers can now link YouTube creator videos to their Google Ads accounts, granting them access to organic view metrics and the ability to create remarketing segments based on these views.
This development raises several questions about the feature's potential impact on advertising strategies. How will advertisers leverage this new capability? Will it lead to more effective YouTube-based remarketing campaigns? These questions remain to be answered as marketers begin to experiment with and implement this new tool.
The timing of this feature's appearance is intriguing, coming as many advertisers are preparing for the holiday shopping season. The ability to create more targeted remarketing lists could be particularly valuable during this critical period for many businesses.
From a technical standpoint, the implementation of this feature represents a significant backend development for Google Ads. It requires the integration of data from across the YouTube ecosystem with Google Ads' remarketing capabilities.
While the feature is undoubtedly powerful, it's important to consider its potential limitations. Advertisers will need to carefully select which creator videos to link to their campaigns, as not all content will be equally relevant or effective for remarketing purposes. Additionally, the success of campaigns using this feature will likely depend on factors such as the popularity of the linked videos, the relevance of the content to the advertiser's products or services, and the overall strategy of the remarketing campaign.
As with any new advertising feature, there may be a learning curve as marketers figure out how to best integrate this tool into their existing strategies. It's likely that best practices will emerge over time as advertisers experiment with different approaches and share their results.
The discovery of this feature also raises questions about its potential impact on YouTube creators. Will popular creators see increased interest from advertisers looking to leverage their audience? Could this lead to new types of partnerships between brands and creators? These are areas to watch as the feature becomes more widely used and understood.
Key facts about the newly discovered YouTube remarketing feature
- Discovered by Georgi Zayakov, Senior Consultant in Digital Advertising at Hutter Consult AG
- Shared on LinkedIn five days ago (as of the time of writing)
- Allows creation of remarketing lists based on viewers of specific YouTube creator videos
- Provides option to "Select a video made by a YouTube creator" when setting up remarketing audiences
- Expands targeting options beyond advertisers' own YouTube channels
- No official announcement or detailed documentation from Google at the time of discovery
- Potential implications for advertising strategies and creator-brand partnerships yet to be fully understood