Identified knowns and recognized unknowns
In an August e mail despatched to the primary company purchaser and seen by ADWEEK, a Google rep was discussing the shopper’s YouTube media purchase and famous that they need to attempt to seize the unknown class too, as a result of there might be teenagers there.
“I was shocked it was that explicit,” the primary company purchaser stated.
The primary purchaser and one other purchaser stated they’d no thought teenagers have been within the unknown group and wouldn’t have sought to focus on these customers with out being knowledgeable by Google gross sales reps.
The primary purchaser has been focusing on the unknown class for greater than six months throughout a number of campaigns for one shopper, and can proceed to since that is their shopper’s technique.
When teenagers enter the advert focusing on chat
The primary purchaser was working with a shopper already seeking to goal teenagers in oblique methods, like focusing on the dad and mom of teenagers (the logic being it’s okay to focus on adults who give their children permission to look at YouTube with them).
Google reps reached out proactively to a second purchaser at a model prior to now two months to attempt to attain customers above 16 as a result of they could have some disposable earnings, that purchaser stated. Google stated the model may attain these 16-year-olds by focusing on the unknown pool of customers. The second purchaser declined Google’s supply.
In early 2022, a big leisure model was seeking to goal teenagers for a youth program. Meta permits focusing on teenagers, however Google doesn’t (although Meta added extra restrictions to how advertisers may goal teenagers in 2023), stated a 3rd purchaser, who labored on the company representing the leisure model.
The leisure model’s frustrations at not with the ability to attain teenagers on YouTube escalated to a gathering with Google reps, in accordance with the third purchaser who was current on the assembly. Google stated focusing on teenagers was in opposition to its coverage, however when the shopper threatened to maneuver their Google spend to Meta, the Google reps advised focusing on unknown customers as a result of some teenagers is likely to be in there, stated the third purchaser.
The third purchaser was capable of ultimately persuade their shopper to not goal through the unknown class, on condition that the reporting could be much less detailed (as a result of their identities aren’t recognized, attribution is tougher).
However later that yr, the leisure model requested Google if it may add a listing of its personal first-party knowledge on teenagers to match with YouTube knowledge after which let YouTube goal these teenagers. This might additionally appear to violate Google’s basic teen focusing on coverage.
The Google rep stated the leisure model can identify their knowledge set what they need, however any identify within the platform that signifies that it’s in opposition to coverage might be eliminated and deprecated, the third purchaser stated of the trade.
The model in the end didn’t use its first-party knowledge on teenagers to focus on on YouTube.
Though Google didn’t reply to particular examples of its representatives undercutting the coverage to not goal teenagers, a spokesperson did say the corporate could be refreshing its coaching to make sure that gross sales representatives perceive that they might not help advertisers in attempting to particularly goal delicate audiences.
