Media Monday

Search Themes Added to Performance Max

By Arlene Espino , Director of Search & Analytics

Google recently added a new, optional signal called 'search themes' to Performance Max. This is a new way for advertisers to provide information about a business or customers to help improve performance. This may include topics that lead to conversions or search queries customers are likely to use. This gives advertisers an easy way to inform Performance Max to serve on placements that you may not be reaching yet.

By leveraging this new beta, advertisers can now fill in gaps by adding information about your business that you expect to perform well, combining expertise with Google AI to further expand reach and going beyond using assets, feeds and landing pages to predict campaign-level performance. Advertisers are encouraged to use search themes in several scenarios, including when they lack comprehensive product or service information on their landing pages, when entering new markets or launching new products without a performance history, during holiday season promotions, to expand reach within Performance Max, and to optimize campaign performance more quickly.

Advertisers can add up to 25 unique search themes per asset group, and these themes will respect brand exclusions and negative keywords. Results from search themes will direct customers to specific landing pages. Search themes will have the same prioritization as phrase match and broad match keywords in Search campaigns, and advertisers can access insights about the search categories their ads matched to.

Learn more about search themes here .

YouTube’s Global Push Against Ad Blockers

By Rachel Denny , Media Group Director

YouTube is taking a stance against ad-blockers. The platform has begun sending warning messages to users employing ad-blocking software, explicitly notifying them of potential breaches of its terms of service. This action is a pivotal component of YouTube’s global initiative to encourage users to either allow advertisements or consider subscribing to YouTube Premium at a monthly cost of $14, as confirmed by Christopher Lawton, YouTube’s Communications Manager, during a recent interview with Adweek.?

This strategic move is anticipated to augment YouTube’s substantial advertising revenue by becoming more stringent in combating ad-blocking. Insider Intelligence Principal Analyst Ross Benes suggests that this measure could enhance advertisers’ reach, particularly targeting users who are adept at circumventing advertisements.?

The ramifications of ad-blockers for marketers have been significant, resulting in substantial revenue losses. Recent searches for “YouTube ad blocker” have surged since October, according to Android Authority. An April 2023 analysis by Blockthrough, a company focused on recovering ad revenue for businesses, revealed that 19% of users in the US employ ad-blockers.?

In short, YouTube’s proactive measures against ad-blockers underscore its commitment to maintaining a robust advertising ecosystem. This move aims to strike a balance between user preferences and the financial sustainability of the platform. Will the proactive push be enough to reshape how users prefer to engage? Only time will tell.