When creating rules for display 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 pet lovers to see a different variant than cooking enthusiasts. You would create two rules, one for each variant: one with the "Pet Lovers" audience 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 signals of different types for display projects:
Audience
Select affinity and in-market audiences to define who should see your ad according to their interests.
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
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.
Schedule
You can specify when users can see your ads.
Select a timezone (local or UTC) and a start date and time. You can also enter an end date and time.
Add multiple schedules in order to show your ad during more than one range of dates or times.
Topic
Select topics to show ads on content that's about specific subjects.
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.