Google Ads bug mislabels Demand Gen campaigns as Display Network

A reporting glitch in Google Ads is causing confusion among advertisers, with Demand Gen campaigns incorrectly showing as Display Network placements.

Why we care. This misrepresentation could lead to inaccurate performance analysis and campaign management decisions for affected advertisers.

The latest. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin has confirmed the issue is a bug, not a feature change.

Details:

• Bug reporting start date: Week of July 8, 2024
• Affected: Demand Gen campaign reporting

What they’re saying. “This is due to a bug that led to the Google Display Network label appearing in error in some Demand Gen campaign reporting,” Marvin stated on X, promising more information to come.

We have identified an issue with Demand Gen campaign reporting that led to the Google Display Network label appearing in error. We are taking action to resolve this miscategorization.

Google spokesperson.

Between the lines. The confusion is ill-timed as advertisers are currently waiting for Google to fix reporting issues as well as product and product listing glitches seeing advertisers unable to edit product groups. 

First seen. We were first alerted to this error from Leslie Drechsler’s X:

The bottom line. Advertisers running Demand Gen campaigns should be aware of this reporting error and await further updates from Google before making significant campaign adjustments based on current data.