Living module. Automated campaign news known as of 22 August 2026. Reviewed every month.
1 · Demand Gen Drops: features in batches
Google releases Demand Gen improvements in periodic "drops". From the January 2026 one (announced at GML 2025, now available):
- Shoppable CTV: in YouTube ads on TV sets, the viewer can browse and buy products from the feed. Google cites additional conversions at the same return.
- Attributed branded searches: it quantifies the searches for your brand on Google/YouTube that were generated by Demand Gen campaigns (the "upper funnel effects" signal from module 2, now as a metric; needs to be enabled with your rep).
- Travel feeds: a connection to Hotel Center for dynamic video ads with price, rating and availability.
Class: optional and relevant (ecommerce with video and CTV; hotels; anyone, for the attributed branded searches).
What it means: attributed branded searches are the most useful piece of news for judging Demand Gen by a fair yardstick (lesson 5 of module 2): ask for it. Shoppable CTV demands a clean feed and quality images (modules 6-7).
2 · The "Channel performance" report in PMax
What changes: PMax shows performance by channel (Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps) with per-channel suggestions.
Class: available (reading).
What it means: the black box opens a crack (module 1, lesson 3). There are still thresholds and still no cost by placement, but the split of cost by channel against conversions per click can now be read. Action: add it to the monthly audit of every PMax.
3 · Video action campaigns → Demand Gen (completed)
What changes: since 2025 you cannot create video action campaigns; the existing ones have been migrated to Demand Gen, which also reaches Google video partners.
Class: mandatory (already in force).
What it means: all conversion-focused video lives in Demand Gen (module 2). Check that the migrated campaigns have video partners unticked if they were never measured, audiences at ad group level and the account exclusions applied.
4 · Discovery improvements: feeds and product-level reporting
What changes: Discovery formats now take product feeds and offer product-level reporting.
Class: optional and relevant (ecommerce).
What it means: Shopping Ninja's product-level analysis extends to one more channel: the margin label is still the key.
5 · Asset Studio with Gemini
What changes: generation and adaptation of creatives (image, video, market variants) with Gemini inside Google Ads, to scale one creative across many formats.
Class: optional.
What it means: it helps you cover aspect ratios and formats (vertical, Shorts, CTV) without your own production; it does not replace a creative with an idea behind it. The fatigue and refresh rules (module 2) apply just the same to generated material. Action: use it for variants, review every output, and keep the creative bank.
6 · Automatically created assets and generated text everywhere
What changes: in PMax, Demand Gen and Search, Google generates text, images and videos automatically more often and by default.
Class: on by default.
What it means: check in each campaign which automatically created assets are active (module 1, lesson 2) and switch off any that show messages you haven't approved. Generated material is "functional"; your own is what sets you apart.
Summary of actions (August 2026)
- Ask for attributed branded searches in Demand Gen.
- Add the channel report to the audit of every PMax.
- Review the Demand Gen campaigns migrated from video action (partners, audiences, exclusions).
- Asset Studio for variants, with review and a bank.
- Audit automatically created assets in every campaign.
💡 Ninja trick: every change in this group adds a new report and a new default. The reports get picked up by the scripts (the Demand Gen Optimizer will read attributed branded searches once the API exposes them; the Shield already reads the PMax report); the defaults are watched by the Agent (automatically created assets switched on, video partners ticked). Keeping up with the news is, to a large extent, knowing what got switched on without you asking.
What you should remember
- Demand Gen: shoppable CTV, attributed branded searches, travel feeds; VACs are now Demand Gen.
- PMax: channel report available; still no cost by placement.
- Discovery with feeds and product-level reporting; Asset Studio for variants.
- Automatically created assets on by default everywhere: audit them.