Overview
Google has rolled out a fresh set of updates for its Demand Gen campaigns that lean heavily on automated creative adjustments and expanded measurement. The changes, announced in a Google blog post and reported by Anu Adegbola at Search Engine Land, aim to make it easier for advertisers to adapt video and image assets for YouTube placements, use Gemini to optimise creative before launch, and trace web-to-app conversions more reliably. See Google’s announcement and the Search Engine Land write up for the primary details.
What has changed
Expanded video resizing
Demand Gen campaigns will soon support automated video resizing across more aspect-ratio transforms, including vertical-to-square, vertical-to-landscape and square-to-landscape. The intention is straightforward: let a single piece of creative serve more placements without the cost and delay of manually producing multiple masters. That is useful for advertisers running across YouTube Shorts, in-feed placements and wider video inventory.
Gemini integrated into creative workflow
Google is adding Gemini-powered guidance into the asset selection process. When advertisers upload images and video, Gemini will recommend which assets are likely to perform better on YouTube and suggest optimisations before a campaign goes live. This is a step beyond simple automated cropping; it is an attempt to bake AI judgement into early creative decisions.
Improved web-to-app measurement
Demand Gen now includes Web to App Acquisition Measurement, which attributes app installs that originate from web experiences influenced by Demand Gen ads. That gives marketers a fuller picture of how visual, discovery-led campaigns contribute to app acquisition and return on ad spend.
Why marketers should care
Better reach and fewer edits
For creative teams, the practical benefit is obvious. Smaller teams and tight budgets can get more mileage from a single creative by letting Google handle resizing and format adaptation. That reduces production friction and time-to-market.
Faster creative learning
Gemini’s recommendations promise to speed up the feedback loop between creative and media. If the AI can reliably surface stronger assets, teams can iterate campaigns with less waste. That said, the quality of those recommendations will determine whether Gemini becomes a genuine time-saver or just another layer of opaque automation.
More complete performance signals
Web-to-app attribution fills a common blind spot for advertisers who run discovery-focused campaigns. Being able to link a web interaction to an eventual app install will help marketers quantify the full value of Demand Gen beyond immediate clicks and on-site conversions.
A reality check for Irish advertisers
Consolidation of power
These updates deepen Google’s control over both creative optimisation and measurement. For advertisers that already trust Google’s ecosystem, that can be efficient. For independent agencies, publishers and app developers, it increases reliance on a single vendor’s black-box signals. Anyone who favours competition, transparency and control should be cautious about migrating too many decision layers straight into Google’s AI.
Data and privacy implications
Web-to-app measurement is valuable, but it also raises questions about what data is used, how long it is retained and how transparent attribution models are. Irish advertisers operating under GDPR must ensure measurement implementations meet legal obligations. Technical teams should insist on documentation and controls before adopting new attribution features.
Creative standards and brand safety
Automatically resizing video is practical, but it is not a substitute for strong creative strategy. Some formats require bespoke editing to preserve messaging, timing and brand safety. Reliance on automated resizing without human review risks mechanical, lower-performing ads that undercut brand perception.
What advertisers should do next
Audit creative assets
Make an inventory of current video and image assets and identify which pieces are good candidates for automated resizing and which require bespoke edits.
Test Gemini recommendations
Run controlled A/B tests that compare Gemini-suggested asset selections against existing editorial choices. Measure results on meaningful KPIs, including incremental reach and new-customer conversions.
Validate measurement
Before switching budget, validate web-to-app attribution against internal analytics and any server-side tracking. Ask Google for clear documentation of attribution windows, modelling and how post-click and post-view credit are assigned.
Keep a channel-agnostic strategy
Use Google’s tools where they demonstrably add value, but maintain independent measurement and a media mix that does not overconcentrate spend in a single platform.
The bottom line
Google’s Demand Gen updates add practical automation for creative and tighter measurement for app acquisition. For many advertisers the improvements will reduce production workload and reveal previously hidden conversion paths. However, marketers should balance convenience against increased vendor dependence, ask for clear documentation on measurement and test the AI’s recommendations rather than accepting them blindly. For further reading, see Google’s blog post announcing the features and Anu Adegbola’s coverage at Search Engine Land.
