Display & Video 360 FAQs

DV360 is a Demand Side Platform (DSP). DSPs allow advertisers to automate the buying process of digital ad space across multiple sources, ie addressing the “demand” of advertisers for ad space.

This is different from Supply Side Platforms, which, as their name implies, are aimed at the “supply” side of the ad offering, i.e. publishers offering advertising inventory.

DV360 functions as a programmatic advertising platform. It facilitates the automated buying and selling of digital ad space through the utilisation of advanced targeting and real-time bidding technologies.

While DV360 can operate as a self-serve platform, it isn’t available directly to all advertisers. This means that brands and smaller agencies have to go through resellers to get access to a DV360 “seat”.

Once your organisation has access to a DV360 advertiser account, your marketing team can directly control various aspects of their digital advertising campaigns, including planning, purchasing, and measuring.

Google Ads primarily focuses on search and display advertising within Google’s properties and the Google Display Network, offering various ad formats and targeting options.

On the other hand, DV360 is a programmatic advertising platform that covers a broader range of ad formats, channels, and inventory sources beyond Google. DV360 is designed for advanced programmatic buying, providing more sophisticated targeting options and automation features compared to Google Ads.

Advertisers can make direct deals with publishers via DV360. This enables access to premium inventory on popular websites – e.g. the homepage banner on the Wall Street Journal or takeovers of a certain section of The Guardian, which is not possible via Google Ads’ Display Network.

The choice between the two depends on specific campaign objectives and the desired scope of advertising efforts.

DV360 is designed to be part of a broader Google Marketing Platform ecosystem, seamlessly integrating with other Google products to streamline your advertising workflow and enhance campaign performance. Here are some key integrations:

• Google Analytics 360:
  • Link DV360 to Analytics 360 data for audience creation and targeting, campaign measurement, and performance analysis.
  • Gain deeper insights into user behaviour and optimise campaigns based on website interactions.
• YouTube:
  • Access YouTube inventory directly within DV360, including Google Preferred, YouTube Reserve, and TrueView formats.
  • Manage YouTube campaigns alongside other video and display campaigns on a unified platform.
• Google Ads:
  • Leverage Google Ads audiences for targeting in DV360 campaigns.
  • Import conversion data from Google Ads for cross-platform campaign measurement.
• Google Merchant Center:
  • Use product feeds from Merchant Center to create dynamic product ads in DV360.
  • Showcase relevant products to users based on their interests and search queries.
• Campaign Manager 360 & Ads Creative Studio:
  • Create rich media display and video advertisements at scale.
  • Import display creatives from Campaign Manager 360 for use in DV360 campaigns.
  • Streamline campaign management across different ad formats and platforms.
• Looker Studio:
  • Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) provides a seamless way to visualize your DV360 data for deeper analysis and presentation.
• Additional Integrations:
  • DV360 also integrates with various third-party data providers, measurement platforms, and DSPs.

The cost of advertising via DV360 consists of four separate components: the media cost, which is the amount paid to publishers for ad impressions on their websites or apps, platform fees, which is the amount you pay to Google to use their platform – typically calculated a percentage of media spend run through the platform, data fees for the use of any third-party audience segment data, and any partner costs such as the reseller fees for using Display & Video 360, a third-party ad server, or a third-party ad serving verification service.

Google does not publicly disclose specific pricing details for DV360. The cost generally depends on various factors such as the scale and particulars of the advertising campaign, including elements like ad reach, targeting options, and the type of media being purchased.

To access DV360, most advertisers need a “seat” from one of the Google-approved resellers, who will typically charge an additional fee, which is usually a percentage of the amount spent via the platform.

While a number of ad sizes are available on the platform as a whole, and additional custom creative sizes may be available on individual publisher sites, the most common ad sizes are:

• 300 x 250
• 300 x 50
• 300 x 600
• 320 x 100
• 728 x 90
• 970 x 250

For detailed creative specs on DV360 click these links for image ad specs and video ad specs.

Text can be added either on top of a static image, or as part of a rotating banner. We recommend using 12px or 14px font as a minimum. Keep the restrictions below in mind, so that the text remains legible.

• 300×250:
  Headline: 15-20 characters
  Description: 70-80 characters
• 300×50:
  Headline: 10-15 characters
  Description: 30-40 characters
• 300×600:
  Headline: 20-25 characters
  Description: 90-100 characters
• 320×100:
  Headline: 12-18 characters
  Description: 40-50 characters
• 728×90:
  Headline: 20-25 characters
  Description: 90-100 characters
• 970×250:
  Headline: 25-30 characters
  Description: 100-120 characters

DV360 includes a comprehensive suite of reporting and analytics features to track campaign performance and gain valuable insights:

• Real-time reporting: with customisable dashboards and alerts.
• Granular reporting: across dimensions like demographics, devices, placements, and creative.
• Attribution insights: to understand how different touchpoints contribute to conversions.