Paid Media News & Opinion #148

YouTube Masthead & Premier Reach is rolling out for all accounts

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> What’s happening

YouTube’s premium Masthead and Premier Reach ads have become available for some Google Ads accounts, but without going through a Google rep.

Masthead ads allow advertisers to book the top YouTube Home feed spot across devices with a video ad, purchased on a CPM or CPH (Cost Per Hour) basis. CPM is done on a reserved and fixed volume of impressions, while CPH guarantees 100% Share-Of-Voice for the hours you purchase.

Premier Reach is similar to standard Reach ads but have more control over the formats (e.g. in-stream, bumper) and includes Pause ads.

> Why we care

For larger advertisers who have been interested in these formats before but faced a few roadblocks, this is a big opportunity if it’s rolled out globally. Removing the need for a Google rep makes the process faster and more efficient.

Given the guaranteed share-of-voice of Masthead CPH, this will be of particular interest to those looking to pair a big campaign push with digital media.

As the inventory opens up to move advertisers, it will be interesting to see how CPMs are affected, as they are likely to increase, especially for competitive markets like retail, finance and insurance.

Google introduces new global ‘Sponsored results’ label across search

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> What’s happening

Google is introducing an ad labelling change, rolling out a new “Sponsored results” header across both desktop and mobile globally. The update is designed to make advertising on Google Search more transparent, easier to identify, and more user-controlled.

All types of paid content including text ads and shopping ads will now appear grouped together under a clear “Sponsored results” header.

Previously, paid ads were marked individually with small “Ad” or “Sponsored” tags. The new header gives users a more consistent understanding of which results are paid placements and where organic listings begin.

For the first time, users can now hide entire groups of sponsored results directly from the search results page. The change is being implemented worldwide, affecting all Google Search users across devices. The goal is to make it clearer when users are interacting with paid results, while continuing to support advertisers by maintaining visibility for relevant ads.

> Why we care

While the update focuses on user experience, it has an impact on advertisers, particularly around click-through rates (CTR), audience intent, and ad creative performance.

With clearer labelling and the ability for users to hide sponsored results entirely, click behaviour is likely to change. CTR may decline slightly among casual users who tend to scroll past anything marked as sponsored. However, clicks that do occur may come from more intentional and higher-quality users, people who understand they’re engaging with a paid placement and are genuinely interested in the offering.

This could lead to fewer but more qualified clicks, improving conversion efficiency over time.

The ability to hide sponsored results puts greater focus on advertisers to ensure their ads are relevant, valuable, and contextually aligned with user intent. High-quality ad creative, strong copywriting, and precise keyword mapping become even more critical.

One of the most important takeaways is that clearer labelling could actually benefit advertisers in the long run. Users who know they’re engaging with sponsored results, and still choose to click, are more likely to trust the brand and complete meaningful actions.

Google tests View-Through Conversion Optimisation for Demand Gen

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> What’s happening

Google Ads is introducing a new optimization option designed to help advertisers better measure and drive upper-funnel performance. Called View-Through Conversion Optimisation (VTC Optimisation), it is currently being tested in Demand Gen campaigns.

Many campaigns, especially on YouTube and other visual-heavy channels, influence users in more indirect ways than just clicks. That’s where view-through conversions (VTCs) come in. VTCs track when a user sees an ad but doesn’t immediately click, only to return later to convert, a pattern that’s especially common for video and upper-funnel activity.

The new VTC Optimisation toggle allows advertisers to include view-through conversions in their automated bidding strategies, alongside click-based conversions. By allowing Google’s AI to consider VTC data, the system can identify which impressions actually influence conversions, even when a click isn’t the direct cause.

This means advertisers will be able to train Google’s algorithms faster, and optimise campaigns based on a wider set of valuable user actions, not just those tied to immediate clicks.

The addition of VTC Optimisation reflects Google’s broader strategy to make Demand Gen campaigns more competitive with rivals like Meta’s Advantage+ and TikTok’s Smart Performance. Both of those platforms already leverage impression-driven optimisation signals, rewarding ads that contribute to downstream conversions, even if users don’t click.

> Why we care

This update could change how advertisers approach upper-funnel and video campaigns, especially for brands that rely on awareness and consideration as part of their conversion journey.

One of the challenges with video advertising, especially on YouTube, has been proving its value. View-through conversions bridge that gap by showing how ad impressions contribute to future actions.

With this new optimisation setting, advertisers can now train Google’s AI to value those delayed conversion signals, helping improve both short-term performance and long-term ROI.

This is particularly valuable for brand campaigns that drive interest and intent but not immediate clicks, high-consideration purchases, like automotive or financial products, where decisions take days or weeks, and performance marketers looking to improve the efficiency of upper-funnel campaigns.

By including view-through data in the optimisation loop, Google’s machine learning models get a fuller picture of user intent, learning faster which creatives, audiences, and placements actually drive sales over time.

This could mean faster ramp-up for new campaigns, better delivery efficiency across YouTube placements, and more consistent conversion volume, even when click-based data is limited.

However, it also means advertisers will need to be more considered about how they define success. With view-through conversions included, performance metrics may shift, requiring new benchmarks and attribution models to interpret results effectively.

What else we've been talking about:

• Google to expand ads in AI Overviews to more markets

• Google updates Misrepresentation policy for Shopping Ads and free listings

• Google Ads now flags low-quality images

• Google Performance Max adds support for vertical 9:16 image ads

• Google Search rebounds as Amazon steps back: Q3 ad report

• Google says you need certification for prescription drug advertising