GDN vs DV360: Choosing The Display Media Platform That’s Right For You

What is DV360?

DV360 is Google’s programmatic ad platform that allows you to buy display, video, and native ads on an impression-by-impression basis. DV360 gives you more control over where your ads are shown and offer more transparency into the auction process.

DV360 allows you to access Google’s inventory, but with it, you also gain access to non-operated Google inventory via 50+ supply sources-like PubMatic and Smaato. You may target users utilizing the same strategies as GDN, with the addition of first-party and third-party data segments, in DV360.

To target audiences, you can utilize demographic variables like age and gender along with custom Google segments, as well as third-party data. DV360 also includes a direct integration with DCM, Google’s ad server, for advertising hosting, audience visibility in user cookie overlap reporting, and audience discovery reports.

Key Features of DV360

Scalability

DV360 is designed to help you scale your Display campaigns. With DV360, you can quickly launch and manage multiple ad campaigns across various channels, geographies, and devices. You can also customize your ad delivery schedule to ensure that your ads are delivered when your target audience is most likely to be online.

AdX is Google’s Ad Exchange, and it’s a powerful tool that allows you to buy and sell ad space in real-time. AdX is integrated with DV360, so you can utilize both platforms to scale your Display campaigns quickly and efficiently. You won’t have to seek sites that you believe would be a good fit for your product or service since AdX will discover them for you among one of the biggest pools of publishers available.

Audience Targeting

With DV360, you can target users based on their interests, demographics, behaviors, and even where they are in the buyer’s journey. You can also create lookalike audiences to reach new potential customers who are similar to your current customer base.

In addition, DV360 allows you to partner with an extensive database of data providers to build custom audiences. This allows you to target specific groups of people—like new parents or small business owners—with laser precision.

Suppressing audience lists is often an essential part of managing ad campaigns. With DV360, you can quickly and easily suppress audiences that you don’t want to target. This helps to ensure that your ads are seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in them, allowing you to get the most bang for your advertising buck.

End-To-End Campaign Management

Isn’t it annoying when you have to manage multiple ad campaigns across various platforms? DV360 offers end-to-end campaign management, so you can launch and manage all of your Display campaigns from one central location. In fact, multiple teams can work together to manage a single campaign in DV360.

This feature is handy if you’re running Display campaigns in multiple countries or languages. With DV360, you can easily duplicate your campaigns and make the necessary adjustments for each location. Five modules come together to create a cohesive campaign management system:

• Audiences
• Inventory
• Insights
• Creative
• Campaign

When you put all of these modules together, you get a robust analysis of your ad campaigns and a clear picture of how to optimize them for maximum results.

When to use GDN vs DV360

So, when should you use GDN vs DV360? Well, it depends on your objectives. Let’s take a closer look at when you should use each platform.

When to use Google GDN

Google Display Network ads allow you to reach potential customers while they’re browsing the internet. Whether the consumer is watching a Youtube video, checking their email, or using general search, your ad has the opportunity to be seen. In fact, Google GDN reaches 90% of global internet users. This happens across millions of websites and apps in their network.

Google GDN is best for awareness building and top-of-the-funnel marketing objectives like brand awareness and reach. If you want to increase brand awareness or drive more traffic to your website, GDN is a great option.

GDN is best for: 

• Brand awareness campaigns
• Reach campaigns
• Remarketing campaigns
• Site retargeting campaigns

Here’s why you should use GDN: 

• High-quality inventory: GDN offers inventory that other ad platforms can’t match. You may advertise on any page on the internet, and there are no limitations. You have unobstructed access to AdSense’s entire portfolio of content, as well as non-AdSense material.

• Higher eCPM prospect: eCPM is the cost per thousand ad impressions. A higher eCPM indicates that your ads are generating more revenue. DV360’s eCPM is half that of GDN’s, making Google Display Network a better choice if you want to generate revenue from your ad campaigns.

• Better reporting abilities: Since AdWords GDN is a part of Google, it offers insights that are unavailable on other networks. You can set up numerous reports throughout GDN to show how your ads are performing, and figure out where you need to make adjustments.

• Granular reporting: Speaking of reporting, the granular reporting GDN offers is unrivaled. You can see not only how your ads are performing but also where they’re being placed and what type of impact they’re having. This level of detail allows you to make the necessary changes to ensure that your ad campaigns are as effective as possible.

• Better ad delivery: The flexibility provided by GDN’s ad delivery system is unmatched. You’re able to choose between standard and accelerated delivery, as well as set a daily budget. This ensures that your ads are being seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in them.

When to use DV360

DV360 is a demand-side platform (DSP) that allows you to buy ad space on various websites and apps. It’s designed for performance-based marketing, so it’s best for campaigns with specific objectives, like lead generation or sales.

If you have the expertise, DV360 can be a powerful tool. However, it’s worth noting that DV360 is not for everyone. The platform requires a certain level of knowledge and understanding in order to be used effectively.

Here’s why you should use DV360: 

• High-quality inventory: Not only does DV have access to better inventory than GDN, but it also incorporates a filtering mechanism that eliminates low-quality traffic.

• Specific targeting: DV360 has less wastage, as it only targets consumers who are most likely to convert. That means you’ll receive higher quality leads that are more likely to convert into customers.

• More reporting options: DV360 is a highly targeted platform, and as such, it provides more comprehensive reporting options. This allows you to track your campaign’s progress and make the necessary adjustments to ensure its success.

• Flexible: DV360 is a very flexible platform when it comes to ad delivery. You’re able to deliver your ads in real-time or schedule them to be delivered at a later date through programmatic buying.

• Cross-Device Targeting: A unique feature of DV360 is its ability to target ads across devices. This provides better reach and allows you to connect with your target audience no matter where they are.

When weighed against each other, DV360 comes out on top if you’re targeting specific ads or if you have extensive optimization experience. With GDN, however, there’s more opportunity for high performance due to the increased flexibility over other platforms.

DV360 is best for: 

• Performance-based campaigns
• Lead generation campaigns
• Sales campaigns
• Engagement campaigns