Advertisers React to Discovery Ad Campaigns After First Look

After an early look, here’s what advertisers have to say about Google‘s Discovery ad campaigns.

In May 2018, Google started testing ads in Discover with a select group of marketers. One year later, the company extended the Discovery campaign to other advertisers in a closed beta.

Now the verdicts are in.

According to Search Engine Land, advertisers who have been using the Discovery ads campaigns are impressed with the initial result. And that’s not surprising.

Discovery ads campaigns are machine-powered and run across multiple Google properties automatically. Along with Discover feed, Discovery ads also serve Gmail and YouTube‘s homepage.

According to Google, the ads can reach as much as hundreds of millions of people.

Be that as it may, the report could not ascertain the level of satisfaction with the new campaign type. Some advertisers reported a few problems that involve a lack of controls and visibility.

Lack of Controls and Visibility Issues on Discovery Ad Campaigns

The report suggests that advertisers using this form of campaign can’t distinctly target ads to the feed alone.

However, the limitations may not be a deal-breaker. The marketers pointed out that the Discovery Campaign results have limited control and visibility.

In a statement to Search Engine Land, group media director at MMI Agency, Moses Chang said:

“We are OK with the lack of channel reporting right now since the benefits outweigh the lack of transparency.”

Formerly known as Google Now and Google Feed, Discover appears on the home page of the Google app for both iOS and Android. Users of Google.com page on mobile also have access to the feed.

Users can personalize the feed to show stories, news, and other topics of interest. Expectedly, it’s based on users’ search, browsing behavior, location history, and location settings.

Facebook‘s news feed ads have enjoyed tremendous success as Google+ fizzled in the last decade. But, the Discovery Ads campaign could grow to become the mobile feed winner that Google wants.

It’s still too early to tell.