Google Ads Rolls Out Attribution Features to YouTube

Google Ads began the rollout of DDA tools, formerly known as search attribution, earlier this year to help marketers better understand how online audiences interact with different types of ads. The primary goal of DDA tools is to lead to better understanding of how each ad exposure brings a user closer to purchase.

John Chen, Google Ads’ group product manager of measurement, said the features will help marketers better focus their online ad-buying activity, and that the latest DDA tools are now in beta for a select group of YouTube advertisers.

The update means marketers will be able to use Conversion Lift metrics, such as website visits, sign-ups and purchases, within the Google Ads platform to better understand how their YouTube ad buys drive consumer behavior.

This is in addition to the Brand Lift and Search Lift metrics already available in Google Ads, which is additionally introducing measures to shorten the time marketers can get campaign insights on the platform.

“And to give advertisers a more holistic view of Google media, we’re also adding display ads to attribution reports in the coming months,” Chen wrote in a blog post. “DDA is our recommended attribution model because the constantly updating, machine learning-based approach ensures you are always getting accurate results that account for the latest changes in consumer behavior.”

Brands are increasingly calling for more holistic ways to understand how their online ad buying influences consumer behavior, with Procter & Gamble brand chief Marc Pritchard last month using the ANA Media and Measurement conference to issue a demand for improvements.

“We want a transparent and level playing field, where all players—digital and TV alike—participate in cross-platform measurement,” he told attendees, advising them on what he wanted in order to remain on his $4 billion-plus annual media plan.