When creating rules for video projects, you can select from a variety of signals to help you reach your intended audience. If your project contains variants that are customized for different groups, you would create rules using signals that reflect these groups in order to show each group the right message.
Parts of a rule
Rules are made up of:
- Signals – Signals determine when a rule applies according to audience traits or the viewing context, such as the viewer's geographic location or the topic of the page where the ad appears.
- Variants – Variants are the customized versions of your ad that you want shown when the signals match.
For example, you may want parents to see a different variant than cooking enthusiasts. You would create two rules, one for each variant: one with the "Parents" demographic signal, and the other with the "Cooking Enthusiasts" audience signal.
You can combine signals, even of different types, to define the right target for your message. If a rule includes multiple signals of the same type, the rule will apply when any of those signals match. If a rule includes multiple signals of different types, the rule will apply when all of the signal types match.
Signal types
Ads Creative Studio includes different types of signals for video projects, depending on the platform.
| Signal type | Google Ads | Campaign Manager 360 |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | ||
| Demographic | ||
| Language | ||
| Location | ||
| Schedule | ||
| Topic | ||
| Custom signal |
Audience
Select affinity and in-market audiences to define who should see your ad according to their interests.
Learn more about audience targeting in Google Ads.
Affinity audiences
Affinity audiences let you reach people based on their lifestyles, passions, and habits.
List of affinity audiences
- Banking & Finance
- Beauty & Wellness
- Food & Dining
- Home & Garden
- Lifestyles & Hobbies
- Media & Entertainment
- News & Politics
- Shoppers
- Sports & Fitness
- Technology
- Travel
- Vehicles & Transportation
Each category above includes more granular subcategories which can also be used as rule signals.
In-market audiences and life events
In-market audiences are useful for reaching people who are actively researching or planning a purchase.
List of in-market audiences
- Apparel and Accessories
- Arts & Crafts Supplies
- Autos & Vehicles
- Baby & Children’s Products
- Beauty & Personal Care
- Business & Industrial Products
- Business Services
- Computers & Peripherals
- Consumer Electronics
- Dating Services
- Education
- Employment
- Event Tickets
- Financial Services
- Food
- Gifts & Occasions
- Home & Garden
- Media & Entertainment
- Musical Instruments & Accessories
- Real Estate
- Seasonal Shopping
- Software
- Sports & Fitness
- Telecom
- Travel
Each category above includes more granular subcategories which can also be used as rule signals.
List of life events
- Business Creation
- College Graduation
- Home Renovation
- Job Change
- Marriage
- Moving
- New Pet
- Purchasing a Home
- Retirement
Demographic
Select your demographic targeting from the following categories:
- Gender
- Age
- Parental status
Household income targeting is not available in Ads Creative Studio, but may be available directly within Google Ads after the project has been imported.
Learn more about demographic targeting in Google Ads.
Language
You can select the languages your customers speak. Your ads will show to customers with these language preferences, or on sites with these languages.
The full list of languages can be browsed or searched within Ads Creative Studio.
Learn more about language targeting in Google Ads or in Campaign Manager 360.
Location
If your message is specific to certain geographic areas, you can select those places as target locations.
The full list of locations can be searched within Ads Creative Studio by state, city, postal code, airport, or university.
Learn more about targeting geographic locations in Google Ads or in Campaign Manager 360.
Schedule
Specify the times and days of the week when you want to serve your ad. You can set the schedule according to the user's local time, or in Eastern Time.
Learn more about time and day targeting in Campaign Manager 360.
Topic
Select topics to show ads on content that's about specific subjects.
Learn more about topic targeting in Google Ads.
List of topics
- Arts & Entertainment
- Autos & Vehicles
- Beauty & Fitness
- Books & Literature
- Business & Industrial
- Computers & Electronics
- Finance
- Food & Drink
- Games
- Health
- Hobbies & Leisure
- Home & Garden
- Internet & Telecom
- Jobs & Education
- Law & Government
- News
- Online Communities
- People & Society
- Pets & Animals
- Real Estate
- Reference
- Science
- Shopping
- Sports
- Travel & Transportation
- World Localities
Each category above includes more granular subcategories which can also be used as rule signals.
Custom signal
For video projects, you can also add custom signals. You may want to use custom signals if the segment that you want to target isn't supported as a signal in Ads Creative Studio, or if you're unsure of the exact signals that you should use. Custom signals can serve as placeholders to reference later while building the campaign so that you can still add rules and assign variants based on these custom signals.
You define custom signals by entering your own text when adding a custom signal. Any previously defined custom signals for this project will be listed in a drop-down when you click the text field, so that you can select from them.
Exporting custom signals
Like any other signals, custom signals will be exported with the project.
If you import your video information into Google Ads using a Google Ads Editor sheet, custom signals will appear as comments within the defined ad group. The campaign manager should be sure to check these comments for guidance as they finalize the campaign and ad group details.