Ads Decoded

Google

Ads Decoded goes beyond the headlines to connect you with the people and teams behind Google Ads.

Hosted by Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin, each episode brings you into the room for candid conversations about the mechanics and nuances of the platform - stripping away the jargon to reveal how things actually work. Tune in for practical insights to help you navigate change, be in the know about new and upcoming products, and ultimately get more value from Google Ads.

Subscribe to Ads Decoded on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when new episodes drop.

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S2 · E6
Today · 19 min
Demand Gen campaign creative, explained: asset variety, testing, and fatigue
Producing a steady stream of high-impact video and image assets for YouTube can feel like the biggest thing standing between you and your first Demand Gen campaign. The good news is that the creative you already have is a stronger starting point than you might think. You don't need a perfect set of bespoke YouTube assets to get going, you just need to know which gaps to fill and how. Join Ginny Marvin, Ads Product Liaison at Google, as she sits down with Alejandro Osio, Product Manager for Demand Gen and YouTube performance ads, to bust a few myths about asset testing and asset fatigue, and to walk through the newest tools for simplifying your creative process Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter - https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. #GoogleAds #PPCChat #AdsDecoded #DemandGen #AssetStudio #YouTubeAds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E5
September 18 · 32 min
How to drive better Google Ads lead gen with first-party data
In this special live edition of Ads Decoded at Google's Rethink ROI event in New York City, host Ginny Marvin sits down with Stephen Chang (First-Party Data Management and Measurement Specialist) and Natalia Boehm (Conversion Solutions Specialist) to break down why a strong data foundation is the real engine behind successful lead gen, and how to feed Google AI the signals it needs to find more of your best customers. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter -> https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E4
September 17 · 25 min
How to prepare your Google Ads retail campaigns for holiday shopping
In this special episode of Ads Decoded, recorded live at Google's Rethink Retail event in New York City, host Ginny Marvin sits down with Enric Durany, Group Product Manager for retail advertiser experiences. Together, they unpack actionable strategies to help performance marketers and retailers capture holiday demand, connect with shoppers at every step of their purchase journey, and maximize campaign efficiency. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter -> https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E3
September 2 · 35 min
One year testing Meridian: Real agency results and takeaways
Media mix modeling used to feel out of reach for many businesses, locked behind high software fees and specialized data science teams. With open source models like Meridian and AI coding assistants, the technical barrier has shifted, making advanced measurement accessible for everyday marketing teams. In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin sits down with Patrick Gilbert, CEO of AdVenture Media, and Nechama Teigman, Director of Marketing Analytics. Together, they share an unvarnished look at their first full year implementing Meridian across their client base, covering everything from data preparation to major campaign breakthroughs. Check out the video series Ginny mentions to help you get started with Meridian here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI5YfMzCfRtYvZ9AYp1wrtBM4apIsDc1i Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E2
September 2 · 29 min
Attribution, incrementality & MMM: The modern measurement trifecta
Navigating media measurement today can feel complex and overwhelming. However, learning how to calibrate attribution, incrementality, and MMMs powers both sides of your marketing: giving you a complete picture of performance while fueling your AI-powered campaigns. And it’s possible even if you don’t have a dedicated data science team on hand. Join Google’s Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin as she sits down with Senior Director of Product Management John Chen to discuss the distinct roles of attribution, incrementality, and media mix modeling, bust the single North Star myth, and explore new tools like open-source Meridian and Qualified Future Conversions. Check out the video series Ginny mentions to help you get started with Meridian here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI5YfMzCfRtYvZ9AYp1wrtBM4apIsDc1i Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter -> https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E1
August 19 · 27 min
How to get your product data holiday ready on Google Merchant Center
Preparing your product data for holiday retail campaigns can feel daunting. But as search behavior shifts toward more detailed, natural questions, it’s no longer just about basic product specs. Adding conversational attributes, high-quality video and image assets, and accurate shipping, returns, and promotion information is the best way to tell richer stories about your products and provide context for these conversational experiences. In this Season 2 kickoff episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin sits down with Google product experts Scott and Bhaskar to share practical, step-by-step strategies for getting your Merchant Center product data ready for the holiday season. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter -> https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW. Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E9
May 28 · 41 min
Google Marketing Live: Backstage with our product experts
Join us for the season one finale of Ads Decoded: a special live recording at Google Marketing Live with the product teams behind the day’s biggest announcements across Search, YouTube, agentic commerce, creative and measurement. First, host Ginny Marvin is joined by Google’s Head of Ads and Commerce, Vidhya Srinivasan, fresh off the keynote stage. They discuss how Gemini is fundamentally transforming intent understanding to keep with consumer behavior and deliver ads on longer, more complex searches, as well as unlocking performance on YouTube. Vidhya also shares the skills and mindsets she’s seeing in the teams who are succeeding in adapting and rewiring for the AI era. That’s followed by an in-depth, technical roundtable with product leaders to double-click on the why and how behind the headlines: - Reinventing ads for AI Search: Chris Monkman, Senior Director for Ads in AI Experiences, breaks down how AI Max and Performance Max deliver ads that provide rich answers to complex queries in AI Mode, and how the new AI Brief delivers the brand control and audience constraints you need. - Graduating measurement from report card to performance driver: Christine Turner, Managing Director for Measurement, Data & Audiences, talks about the compounding effects of data strength and details the rollout of new metrics like Campaign Type Attribution for Demand Gen, Attributed Branded Searches, and Qualified Future Conversions - Generating high-performing ad creative at scale: Josh Moser, Advertising Platform Senior Director, shares how bringing our most advanced AI models into Asset Studio really is allowing advertisers to quickly build and scale creative assets that are optimized for performance. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter → https://goo.gle/3NO45ZW Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E8
May 6 · 35 min
On-brand, at scale: Driving performance with AI creative
Is generative AI leading to a "sea of sameness" in advertising? This week, we’re tackling the creative burden - from the pressure to produce endless aspect ratios for YouTube to the fear of losing brand control in an automated world. In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin sits down with Charles Boyd (Group Product Manager - Creative, Google Ads) and Sarah Hathiramani (Director of Product Management, YouTube Ads) to bridge the gap between brand fidelity and AI-powered scale. In this deep dive: - Avoiding the sea of sameness: How to use generative AI to stand out rather than blend in. - Understanding Ad Strength: Why it’s a diagnostic metric for discovery, not a pass/fail performance report - Advertiser-in-the-Loop controls: Using text guidelines to steer AI while maintaining brand control - PMax Asset Experiments: How to use the new "guided A/B testing to isolate creative impact. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E7
April 22 · 41 min
Why your Google Ads strategy needs the voice of YouTube Creators
For a long time, creator marketing was seen as a "big brand" awareness play or best suited for retail businesses. If your focus is on performance, B2B, or lead generation, creator content might not have been in your toolkit - until now. In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin is live from the YouTube NewFronts stage with Melissa Hsieh Nikolic, Director of Product Management for YouTube Ads. They dive into how Google is making it easier for brands of all sizes and across sectors to integrate authentic creator voices directly into their performance campaigns within Google Ads and DV360. They cover: -The trust factor: Why creators help drive meaningful results for businesses across every industry - including finance and healthcare. -Finding your match: How to use AI-powered search in the Creator Partnerships hub in Google Ads to identify the right YouTube creator for your brand, no matter how "niche" your business might be. -Creative freedom vs. rigid specs: Why the magic happens when brands trade strict editorial scripts for a creator’s authentic voice. -Measuring success: Using Brand Lift with Search Lift and Conversion Lift studies and unified organic/paid reporting to prove performance Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E6
April 8 · 40 min
How to build a retail growth engine in 2026
Conversational shopping in AI Mode. Virtual try-on. Agentic checkout. Business Agent on Search. Google Lens in YouTube Shorts. Shoppable CTV. The secret powerhouse behind them all? Your product data. It’s no longer just a list of SKUs; it’s the high-resolution infrastructure for the next era of retail. In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin is joined by Firas Yaghi, Global Product Lead for Retail Solutions, and Nadja Bissinger, Group Product Director for Retail on YouTube. They separate the hype from the strategic essentials, discussing the practical steps retailers can take now to deliver high-performing ads across Search, YouTube and new AI-powered experiences. In this conversation: -The product feed as foundation: Enriching your data with lifestyle images and rich descriptions to power multi-modal discovery. -From competing to compounding: Why it’s time to stop viewing campaign types as competitors and use a surround sound-style approach. -The signal shift: How Lookalikes have changed from rigid targets to multi-dimensional signals that give the AI the flexibility to find your next best customer. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E5
March 25 · 44 min
Beyond the form fill: Mastering lead quality in the AI era
From tracking fragmented online-to-offline user journeys to navigating conversion windows that can stretch for months, lead gen marketers face a set of challenges that are uniquely complex. In this episode of Ads Decoded, we’re looking past the simple form fill to discuss how practitioners can master lead quality in an era of signal loss and AI-driven consumer behavior. Join Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin, Mimi Forsythe (Global Head of Lead Gen Solutions) and Lydia Azaret (Lead Gen Measurement PM) as they break down the steps needed - from lead scoring to data hygiene - to enable your campaigns to deliver high quality lead volume. In this episode: -The offline gap: Why mapping the full lead-to-sale journey is foundational to driving performance with Google AI. -Value-centric measurement: How to implement proxy values and lead scoring to tell the bidder what "good" looks like. -Data Manager: Navigating the one-stop hub for connecting CRMs and first-party data. -Tactical must-dos: Understanding the nuances of Enhanced Conversions for Leads (ECL) and Google Tag Gateway (GTG) Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E4
March 11 · 24 min
Budgets, bidding & AI-powered campaigns: Best practices for 2026
Getting your bidding and budget dialled in has always been a vital part of campaign success, but it takes on new significance in the era of AI. The strategies and settings you use do more than manage spend - they’re how you signal your business priorities to the system, so it can more effectively deliver on those goals. Join host Ginny Marvin as she sits down with Kristina Park and Carlo Buchmann, Google Ads product managers who specialize in budgets and bidding, to discuss modern best practices and the new capabilities AI is unlocking in these areas. We cover: Smart Bidding ‘cold starts’: Why you no longer need lots of conversion data to launch new campaigns with confidence. Mastering fixed-budget events: How campaign total budgets and seasonality adjustments can maximize your promotions. Finding growth: Using targets to scale with efficiency. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as @adsliaison / https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E3
February 25 · 36 min
Search ads: How Google is reimagining experiences that drive value
Ever wondered why the text asset you meant as a headline is showing as a sitelink? Or why Google introduced a button that lets users hide ads on Search? Changes to how text ads show up - especially as AI experiences like AI Overviews and AI Mode drive a total reimagining of Search - can make advertisers feel out of step with the mechanics of their campaigns. So in this special episode of Ads Decoded, we’re pulling back the curtain on the design and testing process behind these new ad experiences on Search. Join host Ginny Marvin, Abby Butler (Ads UI Product Manager) and Adam Bullock (Search Ads UX Lead) as they discuss the "ecosystem balance" between user trust and advertiser value that guides every change that makes it to the results page. In this deep dive: Testing for trust: The specific data points and rigorous vetting process required to move a new format from hypothesis to global rollout. Beyond the click: Why optimizing for user agency (like the new "hide" button) actually builds the long-term trust necessary for better advertiser ROI. Asset variety is key: Why you shouldn't get hung up on the impressions of a single asset, and focus on asset breadth to meet the specific intent of complex, conversation-driven queries Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as @adsliaison - https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E2
February 11 · 47 min
Is your Search campaign structure holding back performance?
Hyper-granular campaigns used to be the gold standard. But in 2026, holding onto that legacy structure might be your biggest hidden cost. Host Ginny Marvin joins Brandon Ervin, Director of Product Management for Search Ads, to discuss why simplifying your Search campaigns is the key to unlocking the full potential of AI Max and Smart Bidding. Learn how to stop chasing keywords and start capturing intent across the entire customer journey. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter. In this episode, we cover: Aligning your campaign structure with your business goals, not just keyword permutations How to sandbox your restructure on lower-priority campaigns first Using ad group-level geo-targeting and brand exclusions to steer performance without segmentation. Community Q&A: AI Overviews eligibility and how autocomplete impacts matching. Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as @adsliaison - https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E1
January 28 · 31 min
What Google Analytics is doing to win back advertisers
Let's face it, the transition to GA4 wasn't easy. If that hurdle has left you feeling disconnected from your data, this episode is the re-introduction you need to help turn Google Analytics from complicated chore to strategic advantage. It’s time for a fresh start. Over the past year, a ton of new features and capabilities have rolled out to help advertisers get more out of Google Analytics. That includes more ads reporting capabilities. But what’s really exciting is that Google Analytics is becoming an activation engine for your campaigns – across your marketing mix. In this episode of Ads Decoded, Ginny Marvin sits down with Eleanor Stribling, a Group Product Manager, Google Analytics, for a candid reset. We’re moving past the migration headaches to reveal what GA4 actually is today: an activation platform for predicting, planning, and enabling your next media opportunity. Also in this episode: Why ‘Data Strength’ is your new competitive advantage The measurement audit: Is your setup firing on all cylinders? Feature spotlight: ask questions and get insights from your data by chatting with Analytics Advisor Community Q&A: Why don't my Google Analytics and Google Ads data match? Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter: https://goo.gle/4ryu6uV Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as @adsliaison - https://goo.gle/3N2Q22r Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 21 · 34 sec
Introducing Ads Decoded podcast by Google Ads
Is the keyword dead? Do you really need to restructure everything for AI? And what’s actually happening during those learning periods? You’ve got questions about Google Ads. Ads Decoded gets you the answers. Join Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin as she brings you into the room for candid conversations with the people and teams behind Google Ads. No jargon, no fluff - we're going beyond the headlines and getting into the mechanics and nuances of the platform to reveal how things actually work. Tune in for practical insights to help you navigate change, be in the know about new and upcoming products, and ultimately get more value from Google Ads. Subscribe to Ads Decoded on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when new episodes drop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 9, 2025 · 16 min
What was the #1 Google Ads launch of 2025? We ask our product experts to choose
For our final episode of 2025, host Ginny Marvin sits down with six Google Ads product experts to hear their personal picks from a year packed with new launches and features. From Charles Boyd’s deep dive into Nano Banana Pro in Asset Studio to Natalie Wertz’s breakdown of Performance Max Channel Reporting, we reveal the tools that stood out most to the people working on them. You’ll hear why Smart Bidding Exploration beats simply lowering ROAS targets and why three different leaders all landed on the exact same data-driven priority for 2026. Tune in to discover if your strategy is built on a strong foundation or if you're just playing ""whack-a-mole"" with your optimization. Check out the recap of the year’s biggest new AI innovations in Google Ads: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16756291 Find Ginny at www.linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin/ and @adsliaison on X Learn more about the products and features in this episode → Channel reporting: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/google-ads-tutorials-channel-performance-reporting-in-performance-max/ AI Max: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/ai-max-for-search-campaigns/ Analytics Advisor: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/announcements/google-ai-advisors-agentic-tools-to-drive-impact-and-insights/ Demand Gen: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/create-convert-demand-with-demand-gen/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 15, 2025 · 36 min
Unpacking The Power Pack
In this episode of Google's Ads Decoded podcast, host Ginny Marvin speaks to Google product leads Sylvanus Bent and Charles Boyd to explore the evolving landscape of Google Ads, focusing on automation, AI, and key campaign strategies with the Power Pack. The episode also covers the need for a test and learn mindset in today's AI-driven world. Plus, Ginny answers questions from the Ads community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 3, 2025 · 32 min
How to Drive Performance with Demand Gen
Ready to master Google's Demand Gen campaigns? In this episode, we'll share the latest updates and best practices to drive performance, including the recent expansion of inventory options, the importance of optimizing product feeds, and the nuances of targeting and bidding strategies. We'll break down how to effectively use Demand Gen campaigns as part of your broader AI-powered marketing strategy to get the best results. Plus, we've got answers to top questions from the Google Ads community with Google’s own Ginny Marvin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 28, 2025 · 34 min
Top Updates in 2025 & Deep Dives
In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin is joined by Google Ads product experts Tal Akabas and Caren Zeng to dive into the launch of channel performance reporting in PMax, and share insights on how advertisers can get started with AI Max for Search campaigns. Plus, Ginny answers some top questions from the ads community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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