Demand Gen 2026: Replacing YouTube Ads and Maximizing Discovery

May 12, 20269 min

Demand Gen 2026: The Must-Have Campaign

Since early 2026, Demand Gen fully replaces Discovery campaigns and integrates YouTube Shorts, Gmail, and the YouTube home feed in a single format.

**Combined reach**: YouTube Shorts (2B users/month), Gmail, Discover — one single buy

**Lookalike targeting**: create audiences similar to your best customers directly in Demand Gen

**Native video formats**: 6-second Shorts outperform long formats in engagement

Campaign 1: Awareness → 60% of budget, max reach, 6s videos + lifestyle images

Campaign 2: Consideration → 40% of budget, site clicks, 15-30s videos with strong CTA

CPV: target < €0.01 on Shorts

CTR: target > 1% on Gmail

View-through conversions: upper-funnel impact indicator

Our team offers a free audit of your campaigns.