Video campaigns allow you to run video ads on YouTube as well as across websites and apps within the Google video partner network. This helps you promote your business and reach audiences beyond YouTube itself.
Benefits
Achieve your marketing goals
Video campaigns can help you increase sales, drive website traffic, improve brand awareness, and more depending on your objective.
Reach the right audience
You can connect with relevant viewers on YouTube and Google video partner sites using targeting options such as interests, keywords, topics, demographics, and more.
Measure performance
Track how your ads are performing directly in your Google Ads account. You can review metrics such as views, spending, and overall campaign performance to understand your results.
Tip: You can compare Video campaigns with other campaign types to decide which format best fits your marketing goals.
How Video Campaigns Work
Video campaigns support multiple ad formats designed to engage audiences in different ways across YouTube and Google video partners.
Skippable in-stream ads
These ads play before, during, or after a video. After 5 seconds, viewers have the option to skip the ad.
Non-skippable in-stream ads
These ads must be watched before the video continues. They are typically 15 seconds or shorter and are used when you want to deliver a complete message.
Bumper ads
Bumper ads are very short video ads (up to 6 seconds) that cannot be skipped. They are designed to increase reach and brand awareness with quick, memorable messaging.
In-feed video ads
These ads appear in discovery areas on YouTube, such as search results and recommendations. When users click the thumbnail, the video opens on a YouTube watch page or channel page.
Masthead ads
Masthead ads appear prominently at the top of the YouTube Home feed across devices. They are used for large-scale visibility and awareness campaigns, often planned in advance. These ads help maximize reach in a short time.
YouTube Shorts ads
Shorts ads appear within the YouTube Shorts feed in a mobile-optimized format. They can be video or image-based and are designed for quick engagement. Advertisers can also use YouTube creation tools to produce short-form ads up to 60 seconds long.
Note: Some non-skippable in-stream ads and bumper ads may also appear on YouTube TV, depending on eligibility.
When to Use Video Campaigns
Video campaigns are ideal if you want to advertise both on and off YouTube using video content.
They are recommended for advertisers at all experience levels because they are simple to create and manage. You can use existing videos from your YouTube channel and monitor performance just like other Google Ads campaigns.
Example Use Case
If you open a new restaurant and want to attract customers, a video campaign can help you reach people interested in food.
Your ads may appear on:
- Food blogs and recipe websites
- Restaurant review platforms
- YouTube viewers watching cooking or dining-related content
This allows you to reach audiences who are already interested in the type of food you offer.
