Google · Advertising · 2023 launch
Demand Gen: creating one clear campaign-building experience across Google’s most visual surfaces.
I led the end-to-end UX architecture for a new campaign construction experience spanning YouTube, Discover, and Gmail—bringing AI-powered tools, insights, and performance workflows into a more cohesive system.
The opportunity
Deliver a campaign construction experience that optimized for image and video campaigns in a familiar way.
The work required us to reimagine the decades-old experience to build ad campaigns for Google. Originally focused on text based search ad campaigns, Google Ads did not offer advertisers a way to build image and video based campaigns, which were key to growth for YouTube, Gmail, and Google Discover ad surfaces. The goal was to deliver a comprehensive experience with terminology and campaign hierarchy that felt familiar to social first advertisers.
Launch & outcomes
From a new campaign type to Google’s primary visual demand-generation environment.
Launch
Google introduced Demand Gen as the successor to Discovery campaigns: a visual, audience-first campaign type spanning YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.
Performance maturation
Google added AI optimization, more creative formats, product feeds, and channel controls, then migrated Video Action Campaigns into Demand Gen. By September 2025, cumulative improvements had increased conversions per dollar by 26% in one year.
A major Google Ads platform
Demand Gen expanded into Maps and the Google Display Network. With traditional Display campaigns moving into Demand Gen, it is becoming Google’s primary visual, non-Search demand-generation environment.
Performance signals
Demand Gen in numbers
+26%
Conversions per dollar
Year over year · September 2025
+30%
Conversions or conversion value
Average increase from 2025 improvements
+14%
More conversions
With added Search and/or Performance Max
+20%
More conversions at the same CPA
Using both image and video assets
18%
Higher share of new customers
Versus paid-media average
3B+
Monthly active users
Across Google’s visual surfaces
Leadership contribution
End-to-end UX
Defined a cohesive campaign-building framework across key Google surfaces.
AI-powered workflows
Set the UX direction for integrating generative capabilities while preserving trust and clarity.
Scale & alignment
Aligned product, engineering, and design around a high-stakes global launch.