Alveena Ahmad
Beginning in September, Google will combine its display network and YouTube content suitability levers for advertisers.
What is evolving:
- Several content label exclusions will be removed for YouTube ads (DL-G, DL-PG, DL-T, DL-MA, “not yet labeled”) but remain for Display
- “Embedded YouTube videos”, “Live streaming”, and “Families” exclusions only available account-wide, not per YouTube campaign
- Many topic-based exclusions still offered at campaign and ad group levels
Why it matters to us:
Advertisers will want to stay ahead of the updates as they may have an impact on campaign targeting strategies, brand suitability, and ultimately return on ad spend for YouTube and Display campaigns.
The significance of it:
The modifications are intended to maintain advertiser flexibility while streamlining Google’s suite of brand suitability controls.
Key details.
- Changes impact both existing and new campaigns created after September
- No action required for advertisers currently using affected exclusion settings
- Google’s core ad policies prohibiting violative content remain in place
The overall picture:
Google is seeking to simplify suitability options and controls throughout all of its advertising platforms in order to maintain brand safety as a top priority.
What comes next?
When September rolls around, check account-level suitability settings to see if anything needs to be adjusted.
