Overview
- Google will stop using the legacy Display campaign type and manage Google Display Network inventory inside Demand Gen, folding GDN placements into the same workflow that serves YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.
- The company plans a phased migration that includes a migration tool arriving in June 2026 and automatic moves of remaining eligible campaigns through 2027 if advertisers do not migrate first.
- Demand Gen adds specific features not available in classic Display including carousel ads, expanded video formats, lookalike audience segments, generative-image tools, channel-level reporting, Google Maps inventory in beta, and new bidding options.
- The switch shifts control from manual placement targeting and granular exclusions to AI-driven asset assembly and predictive placement, so advertisers should inventory placement exclusions, managed placements, and app or brand-safety controls before migration.
- Marketers and creative teams will need a steady supply of images, video clips, and headlines plus reliable conversion data and backend integrations because performance will be optimized around business outcomes like ROAS and customer acquisition costs rather than single-format metrics.