Google completes Performance Max brand guidelines rollout for all UI campaigns
All new Performance Max campaigns through Google Ads interface now require brand assets at campaign level.

Google announced on July 14, 2025, the completion of its brand guidelines rollout for all new Performance Max campaigns created through the Google Ads user interface. According to Sarah Pollack from the Google Ads API Team, "the brand guidelines rollout is now complete for all new Performance Max campaigns created through the Google Ads UI, with API-created accounts soon to follow."
The announcement marks the culmination of a phased implementation that began with the initial December 2024 announcement when Google first revealed plans to enable brand guidelines for Performance Max campaigns starting January 20, 2025. The technical change fundamentally alters how brand assets are managed within Google's automated advertising platform.
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Summary
Who: Google Ads API Team, specifically Sarah Pollack, announced the completion along with implementation affecting advertisers and developers using Performance Max campaigns.
What: Google completed the rollout of brand guidelines for all new Performance Max campaigns created through the Google Ads user interface, requiring business name and logo assets to be managed at the campaign level rather than asset group level.
When: The completion was announced on July 14, 2025, following the initial rollout that began January 20, 2025, with automatic migration for existing campaigns expected to finish by October 30, 2025.
Where: The changes apply to Performance Max campaigns across Google's advertising network including Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps properties.
Why: The implementation provides advertisers with greater control over brand representation in automated campaigns while maintaining AI-driven optimization capabilities, addressing longstanding industry concerns about brand safety and consistency in automated advertising environments.
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Technical implementation details
Brand guidelines represent a structural shift in Performance Max campaign architecture. Previously, brand assets including business names and logos were associated with asset groups. According to the Google Ads Developer Blog, "for any PMax campaign with brand guidelines enabled, these brand assets are now stored at the campaign level."
The migration affects three specific asset types identified as BUSINESS_NAME, LOGO, and LANDSCAPE_LOGO. These elements now utilize the CampaignAsset resource rather than the AssetGroupAsset resource for campaigns with brand guidelines enabled. According to the documentation, developers can determine if brand guidelines are enabled by checking the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field.
This architectural change provides advertisers with centralized control over brand representation across automated ad formats. "With brand guidelines rolling out to more Performance Max campaigns, it is crucial to understand how this impacts campaigns you interact with via the API," the announcement stated.
API compatibility requirements
For marketing technology vendors and agencies utilizing the Google Ads API, the changes necessitate code modifications to maintain compatibility. Applications that query or modify brand assets for Performance Max campaigns must now check both CampaignAsset and AssetGroupAsset locations depending on whether brand guidelines are enabled.
According to the documentation, "accounting for both asset locations in your application is vital to ensure your integrations continue to function as expected." The technical requirement addresses the transitional period where campaigns may exist with either asset management approach.
Brand guidelines will become the default setting for API users beginning with version 21 of the Google Ads API. According to Google, developers can optionally disable brand guidelines by setting the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field to false during campaign creation. For supported versions through v20, the default behavior remains disabled for campaigns created via the API.
Manual activation options
The announcement outlined two methods for manually enabling brand guidelines through the API. Starting with version 19, developers can enable brand guidelines during campaign creation by setting the Campaign.brand_guidelines_enabled field to true. The Google Ads API Team referenced their "Add Performance Max Campaign" code sample as an implementation example.
For existing campaigns, Google provides the CampaignService.EnablePMaxBrandGuidelines endpoint. According to the documentation, setting auto_populate_brand_assets to true "automatically populate[s] the campaign with top-performing brand assets." The system does not support disabling brand guidelines after campaign creation.
Automatic migration process
Google continues executing an automatic migration for existing campaigns that meet specific criteria. According to the announcement, "only campaigns that use the same logos and business name across all asset groups will be automatically migrated." The company anticipates completing the migration for all applicable customer IDs by October 30.
The migration operates on a rolling basis by customer ID, targeting campaigns with consistent brand assets across asset groups. Google's initial migration announcement outlined the phased approach that began May 1, 2025, for UI-only advertisers and June 1, 2025, for API users.
Marketing impact and industry context
The brand guidelines implementation addresses longstanding advertiser concerns about brand control in automated campaigns. Performance Max campaigns utilize machine learning to display advertisements across Google Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps, often with limited advertiser oversight of creative execution.
The change "represents a substantial shift in how brand assets are managed within the Google Ads ecosystem and introduces new technical requirements for advertisers and developers." The implementation coincides with increased industry focus on brand safety in automated advertising environments.
The announcement follows other Performance Max enhancements including increased negative keywords limits to 10,000 in March 2025, addressing advertiser requests for greater campaign control. These developments reflect Google's response to feedback about automated campaign limitations while maintaining AI-driven optimization benefits.
Performance Max campaign ecosystem
Performance Max campaigns have become central to Google's advertising strategy, serving as the default campaign type for new advertisers. The platform combines search campaigns with other Google properties to maximize conversions across the advertising network. According to Google data from Microsoft Advertising's competing Performance Max implementation, combining Performance Max with search campaigns can lead to 32% decreases in cost-per-acquisition.
The brand guidelines feature builds upon existing Performance Max functionality while addressing advertiser concerns about creative control. Google's comprehensive Performance Max FAQ released in February 2025 tackled transparency issues, with the brand guidelines serving as another step toward greater advertiser control.
Third-party measurement providers have also enhanced Performance Max support. IAS expanded its brand safety measurement to include Performance Max campaigns in June 2024, reflecting industry recognition of the campaign type's growing importance.
Implementation timeline and business considerations
Organizations managing Performance Max campaigns should verify their current asset management approach before the October 30 migration deadline. The automatic migration applies only to campaigns meeting specific consistency requirements, leaving other campaigns unchanged until manual intervention.
For businesses utilizing marketing technology platforms, the changes may require vendor updates to maintain compatibility. Development teams should prepare for the version 21 API default change by implementing code that handles both asset management approaches during the transition period.
The phased rollout approach provides organizations with flexibility in migration timing while ensuring system stability across Google's advertising platform. Companies can utilize the existing migration endpoint to manually update campaigns to brand guidelines at their preferred pace rather than waiting for automatic migration.
Timeline
- December 18, 2024: Google announces brand guidelines for Performance Max campaigns starting January 20, 2025
- January 20, 2025: New Performance Max campaigns created through UI begin requiring brand guidelines by default
- March 11, 2025: Google raises Performance Max negative keywords limit to 10,000
- March 28, 2025: Google announces automatic migration timeline for existing campaigns
- May 1, 2025: Automatic migration begins for UI-only advertisers
- June 1, 2025: Automatic migration begins for API users
- June 4, 2025: Google Ads API v20 introduces Performance Max negative keywords
- July 14, 2025: Google announces completion of brand guidelines rollout for all new UI campaigns
- October 30, 2025: Expected completion date for automatic migration of existing campaigns