If your buyers convert on computers and your Demand Gen campaign only has a vertical video, a setting that pushes phones away won't move the spend where you want it. Set device targeting to computers explicitly, and add horizontal and square versions of the video so the ad has something built for the screens you chose.
We rarely recommend Demand Gen for B2B. When a team runs it anyway, usually for YouTube retargeting, the device setting and the creative at least have to point the same way.
Cheap clicks from the wrong screen
On a follow-up mentoring call, a B2B software company was running YouTube retargeting through a Demand Gen campaign. Most of their leads came from computers, so mobile had been set to -100% in the campaign's device settings. The only video in the ad was a vertical, Shorts-style one.
The campaign was getting clicks for about $0.29 each, hundreds a week, and the team suspected the quality wasn't there. Computers showed impressions but no results. Our read on the call: with a vertical video as the only creative, the ad mostly found its place where vertical video lives, in Shorts, and that's why the spend kept going to phones even after mobile was pushed down. The fix we suggested was to upload a square or horizontal video alongside it.
How Demand Gen handles devices and video
- Devices are targeting, not bids. Device targeting is set at the campaign level: all eligible devices, or specific choices of computers, mobile phones, tablets and TV screens. Google lists bid adjustments as not supported in Demand Gen.
- Four video shapes. Horizontal 16:9, square 1:1, vertical 4:5 and vertical 9:16, which Google recommends for YouTube Shorts. You can add 1 to 5 videos per ad, at least 5 seconds long, and anything under 10 seconds won't serve on YouTube in-stream.
- Channels per ad group. Channel controls sit at the ad group level: YouTube in-stream, in-feed and Shorts, plus Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Display Network. Google's own example pairs a vertical creator video with Shorts only, for an optimal mobile ad experience.
- Format limits where ads can go. Google says a campaign using only one creative format, image or video, serves only on inventory eligible for that format.
Google doesn't spell out how orientation maps to devices. But its own pairing of vertical video with Shorts and a mobile experience is the same pattern we saw in the device report.
Make the settings and the creative agree
- Target computers directly. Use the campaign's Devices section rather than relying on an adjustment Demand Gen doesn't support.
- Add horizontal and square video. Keep the vertical one if you want Shorts, and add 16:9 and 1:1 versions so in-stream and feed placements have a fit.
- Check channels. If the ad group is set to Shorts only, no device setting will put it in front of desktop in-stream viewers.
- Read two reports. Segment by device, and segment YouTube traffic by format: skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts.
If what you really need is cheap retargeting for a B2B list, see why we use Meta for retargeting before adding more to a Demand Gen budget.
The takeaways
- In Demand Gen, device targeting is a campaign setting. Bid adjustments aren't supported.
- A vertical-only ad kept drawing cheap phone clicks on a B2B account that wanted computers.
- Add horizontal 16:9 and square 1:1 video alongside vertical. Google allows 1 to 5 videos per ad.
- Check ad group channel controls. Shorts only keeps the ad out of in-stream and feeds.
- Read device and format reports together before judging the campaign.
Common questions
Can I target only computers in a Demand Gen campaign?
Yes. Google says Demand Gen device targeting is set at the campaign level. In the Devices section you can show ads on all eligible devices or set specific targeting for computers, mobile phones, tablets or TV screens.
Does Demand Gen support device bid adjustments?
No. Google's Demand Gen migration guide lists bid adjustments, seasonality adjustments and portfolio bidding as not supported in Demand Gen. To control devices, use the campaign's device targeting instead.
What video sizes does Demand Gen accept?
Google lists horizontal 16:9, square 1:1, vertical 4:5 and vertical 9:16 for Demand Gen videos, with 9:16 recommended for YouTube Shorts. You can upload 1 to 5 videos per ad, at least 5 seconds long, and videos under 10 seconds won't serve on YouTube in-stream.
Can I run a Demand Gen campaign on YouTube Shorts only?
Google's channel controls page says yes: channel controls are set at the ad group level, and with Let me choose you can pick YouTube Shorts alone, which Google suggests for a vertical creator video. One older Google page says you can't buy only Shorts with Demand Gen, so check what your account offers.
How do I see which devices and formats my Demand Gen ads served on?
Use the device segment in your reports, and for YouTube traffic segment by ad format: Google lists skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts. Channel reporting is available at the campaign, ad group and ad level.