Ads Decoded

Hyper-granular campaigns used to be the gold standard. But in 2026, holding onto that legacy structure might be your biggest hidden cost.Host Ginny Marvin joins Brandon Ervin, Director of Product Management for Search Ads, to discuss why simplifying your Search campaigns is the key to unlocking the full potential of AI Max and Smart Bidding. Learn how to stop chasing keywords and start capturing intent across the entire customer journey.Want Ginny’s key takeaways and tips from this conversation? Subscribe to the Ads Decoded newsletter.In this episode, we cover:Aligning your campaign structure with your business goals, not just keyword permutationsHow to sandbox your restructure on lower-priority campaigns firstUsing ad group-level geo-targeting and brand exclusions to steer performance without segmentation.Community Q&A: AI Overviews eligibility and how autocomplete impacts matching.Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's face it, the transition to GA4 wasn't easy. If that hurdle has left you feeling disconnected from your data, this episode is the re-introduction you need to help turn Google Analytics from complicated chore to strategic advantage.It’s time for a fresh start. Over the past year, a ton of new features and capabilities have rolled out to help advertisers get more out of Google Analytics. That includes more ads reporting capabilities. But what’s really exciting is that Google Analytics is becoming an activation engine for your campaigns – across your marketing mix.In this episode of Ads Decoded, Ginny Marvin sits down with Eleanor Stribling, a Group Product Manager, Google Analytics, for a candid reset. We’re moving past the migration headaches to reveal what GA4 actually is today: an activation platform for predicting, planning, and enabling your next media opportunity. Also in this episode:Why ‘Data Strength’ is your new competitive advantageThe measurement audit: Is your setup firing on all cylinders?Feature spotlight: ask questions and get insights from your data by chatting with Analytics AdvisorCommunity Q&A: Why don't my Google Analytics and Google Ads data match?Find Ginny at linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin and @adsliaison on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the keyword dead? Do you really need to restructure everything for AI? And what’s actually happening during those learning periods?You’ve got questions about Google Ads. Ads Decoded gets you the answers.Join Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin as she brings you into the room for candid conversations with the people and teams behind Google Ads. No jargon, no fluff - we're going beyond the headlines and getting into the mechanics and nuances of the platform to reveal how things actually work. Tune in for practical insights to help you navigate change, be in the know about new and upcoming products, and ultimately get more value from Google Ads.Subscribe to Ads Decoded on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get alerted when new episodes drop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final episode of 2025, host Ginny Marvin sits down with six Google Ads product experts to hear their personal picks from a year packed with new launches and features. From Charles Boyd’s deep dive into Nano Banana Pro in Asset Studio to Natalie Wertz’s breakdown of Performance Max Channel Reporting, we reveal the tools that stood out most to the people working on them. You’ll hear why Smart Bidding Exploration beats simply lowering ROAS targets and why three different leaders all landed on the exact same data-driven priority for 2026. Tune in to discover if your strategy is built on a strong foundation or if you're just playing ""whack-a-mole"" with your optimization.Check out the recap of the year’s biggest new AI innovations in Google Ads: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16756291 Find Ginny at www.linkedin.com/in/ginnymarvin/ and @adsliaison on XLearn more about the products and features in this episode → Channel reporting: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/google-ads-tutorials-channel-performance-reporting-in-performance-max/AI Max: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/ai-max-for-search-campaigns/Analytics Advisor: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/announcements/google-ai-advisors-agentic-tools-to-drive-impact-and-insights/Demand Gen: https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/resources/articles/create-convert-demand-with-demand-gen/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Google's Ads Decoded podcast, host Ginny Marvin speaks to Google product leads Sylvanus Bent and Charles Boyd to explore the evolving landscape of Google Ads, focusing on automation, AI, and key campaign strategies with the Power Pack. The episode also covers the need for a test and learn mindset in today's AI-driven world. Plus, Ginny answers questions from the Ads community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready to master Google's Demand Gen campaigns? In this episode, we'll share the latest updates and best practices to drive performance, including the recent expansion of inventory options, the importance of optimizing product feeds, and the nuances of targeting and bidding strategies.We'll break down how to effectively use Demand Gen campaigns as part of your broader AI-powered marketing strategy to get the best results. Plus, we've got answers to top questions from the Google Ads community with Google’s own Ginny Marvin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Ads Decoded, host Ginny Marvin is joined by Google Ads product experts Tal Akabas and Caren Zeng to dive into the launch of channel performance reporting in PMax, and share insights on how advertisers can get started with AI Max for Search campaigns. Plus, Ginny answers some top questions from the ads community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.