Forget the myth that Google Ads Demand Gen campaigns must always be about conversions. Have you ever wondered if it makes sense to optimize this campaign type for clicks? We took a closer look at how this strategy can attract relevant traffic even in a highly competitive environment.
🚩 The Problem
During the Christmas season, we faced a challenge: How to maximize reach and engagement for a client with a limited budget?
Standard Demand Gen campaigns optimized for conversions were failing to deliver the required traffic volume at acceptable costs during this peak period.
💡 The Solution: Setting clicks as a campaign goal
We decided on an unconventional approach and let the campaign run “free” without setting a maximum cost-per-click (Target CPC) limit.
Goal: Clicks.
Audiences: Broad audience using demographic filters.
Formats: A combined mix of horizontal and vertical videos.
Budget: Flexible redistribution based on real-time performance.
📊 Results in Numbers
The campaign delivered surprisingly high efficiency despite the peak holiday season.
Fun Fact: The top-performing video in the campaign reached an individual CTR of up to 4.76%.
🎬 Creative Insights
The data revealed a clear difference in how users respond to Demand Gen across different formats:
Horizontal Videos: Dominated with a CTR of 3.48% – 4.52%.
Vertical Videos (Shorts): Achieved a CTR of only 0.75% – 1.37%.
This result confirms that in specific segments, the classic “YouTube-like” format still wins in its ability to drive users to a website.
🏁 Conclusion and Comparison
Demand Gen for clicks proved to be an ideal tool for Building Awareness and Traffic Generation.
In a direct comparison with our evergreen In-stream campaign (optimized for conversions), this approach delivered 2.3x more unique users at nearly identical costs.
Want to know more? On 6Clickz Podia, you can find our complete range of courses and scripts – everything you need to manage your campaigns more effectively.
