Google India Expands “Demand Gen” Campaigns to All Advertisers
What Happened? Google Opens Demand Gen Campaigns to Indian Advertisers
Google India has announced the full rollout of Demand Gen campaigns to all advertisers, making its AI-driven, visual-first advertising format widely accessible across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. Previously limited to select accounts, the expansion marks Google’s push to compete more directly with Meta’s visual performance campaigns and short-form discovery ads.
Demand Gen blends creative storytelling + AI-powered targeting, designed to reach users earlier in their discovery journey — before they express direct search intent. This rollout comes at a time when Indian brands are shifting budgets toward video-led and creator-driven formats.
Most media reports shared surface-level feature descriptions. What they missed: the India-specific impact, creator economy alignment, and the relevance of Demand Gen i
Key Insights: Why Demand Gen Matters Now in Indian a mobile-first, visually driven market.
1. India Is a Video-First Market — Perfect for Demand Gen
Demand Gen placements appear across:
- YouTube Shorts
- YouTube in-feed video
- Google Discover carousel
- Gmail Promotions
India is YouTube’s largest market globally, making visual intent-building formats extremely powerful.
2. AI Audiences Boost Performance for D2C, Auto, BFSI & Tech Brands
Demand Gen uses Google’s AI to optimize for:
- conversions
- high-engagement audiences
- lookalike segments
- users with shopping intent
This is especially impactful for performance-heavy categories:
- beauty & skincare
- fintech & insurance
- ecommerce & D2C
- education & upskilling
- real estate lead generation
- mobility & automotive
3. Importing Social Creatives Makes Migration Easy
Brands can upload:
- Reels-style videos
- Shorts-style vertical assets
- image carousels
- influencer clips
- UGC samples
4. Designed for “Mid-Funnel” Growth — A Historically Weak Area
Performance Max dominates lower-funnel conversions.
Search dominates high-intent demand.
But the mid-funnel — where users are exploring but not ready to buy — has lacked strong tools.
Demand Gen fills this gap by:
- building brand recall
- creating interest
- nurturing discovery
- warming audiences for PMax and Search
5. Expected to Reduce CPM Volatility from Social Platforms
With increasing ad costs on Meta and TikTok alternatives, advertisers in India want more stable visual ad inventory.
Google’s Demand Gen offers predictable CPMs, strong brand safety, and vast Indian reach across YouTube and Discover.
Why This Matters for Indian Marketers, Designers & Business Teams
- Performance marketers: can integrate Demand Gen into full funnel models.
- Brand teams: get scalable video delivery without relying solely on Meta.
- Designers: must prioritize vertical-first motion creatives.
- D2C founders: gain a new discovery engine beyond social ads.
- Real estate & BFSI teams: benefit from high-quality lead warming and remarketing.
Final Takeaway — Demand Gen Will Reshape India’s Performance Funnels
The expansion of Demand Gen to all Indian advertisers signals a broader evolution in Google’s ad ecosystem — shifting from intent-only advertising to visual + AI discovery.
For brands, this means better storytelling, higher-quality users, and richer multi-surface reach.
Demand Gen works best when paired with creative testing, audience layering, and funnel integration. Digilogy helps brands build Demand Gen-ready assets and optimize Google Ads for discovery-to-conversion pipelines.
Get started with Digilogy today—unlock AI-powered discovery and visual performance on Google.
