This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, Google announced the release of a direct response ad format for YouTube, designed to make ads more shoppable and closely integrated with a brand's Google Merchant Center account.
The new ad format creates a browsable feed of products within an ad, linking users from the YouTube video to the brand's own product page.
According to YouTube sales VP Adam Stewart, the idea behind this format is to make video ad campaigns a potential 'storefront' for e-commerce companies.
Stewart emphasized that YouTube's storefront unit is not meant to rival commerce offerings from Facebook-Instagram or Snapchat, but rather serves as a natural counterpart to television advertising.
DR advertising on TV is often stigmatized, but Stewart noted that these ads are not limited to brands that traditionally lean into DR campaigns.
For instance, the apparel brand Aerie piloted the YouTube product as part of a broad national branding campaign, adding products with a personalized call to purchase as users engaged with the ad or showed signs of intent.
