Google has long been at the forefront of digital advertising, offering a suite of products designed to help businesses of all sizes reach their target audiences. From Search and Display to YouTube and Shopping, Google’s advertising solutions empower marketers to connect with consumers in meaningful ways.

In 2021, Google launched Performance Max, a game-changing campaign type that leverages the power of AI to optimize ads across all Google channels. Now, with the introduction of Performance Max for Travel Goals earlier this year, Google is taking a significant step forward in helping travel brands navigate the complexities of digital advertising, streamline their campaigns, and maximize their reach and impact in a highly competitive industry.

 

Defining Performance Max for Travel Goals

If you are already familiar with Performance Max, you’ll know it was originally designed for retail marketing. Recently, Google has expanded this campaign type to focus specifically on the travel industry. PMTG is now available to hotels and travel brands, helping them connect with customers across the Google ecosystem through added channels and hotel feed capabilities. This innovative solution leverages AI to deliver personalized and data-driven ad campaigns that maximize reach and conversions.

PMTG enables advertisers to run campaigns across Google networks, including Search, Display, Gmail, Maps, Discover, YouTube, HotelAds, and Property Promotion Ads. Both Hotel Ads and Property Promotion Ads are new additions to Performance Max, tailored specifically for the hospitality industry. By integrating various ad formats and automating campaign management, Performance Max allows travel brands to efficiently target potential travelers, improve their advertising ROI, and adapt to the dynamic travel industry landscape.

 

Performance Max for Travel Goals: Serve ads across 7 Google channels

This program not only expands on its available channels for travel but also integrates hotel feed data across the entire channel set. The feed connection enables ad units to display rates and room details throughout the Google ecosystem. While this feature previously required Hotel Ads and Property Promotion Ads, it now enhances the value of ad units like Search and Display. By providing a richer experience to potential customers, it drives intent-based traffic to your website from traditionally upper-funnel sources.

 

How PMTG Works

PMTG automatically creates diverse ad units across Google’s inventory to drive performance. This campaign type streamlines the tactical strategy for channel allocation by leveraging real-time auction insights and rich user data to power algorithms that uniquely target customers likely to convert for your hotel. Not only does it utilize its own data to drive the bidding algorithm, but it can also incorporate your increasingly valuable first-party data to further enhance its strategies.

To put it simply, you only need to provide budgets, goals, and assets to set your campaign live with an automated strategy across seven different channels in the marketing funnel.

This campaign has the potential to be a key asset in achieving your advertising goals, and while it is straightforward, simple doesn’t mean easy. That’s where Koddi comes in. As industry experts, we address gaps and provide critical insights to help you leverage PMTG to its fullest potential and drive profits.

• Budgets: Provide targets curated specifically for your hotel needs and with an understanding of brand support strategy.
• Assets: Work with brands and content houses to ensure your properties look their best across the channels while providing the flexibility to integrate your own assets.
• Goals: Ensure you’re in alignment with the best practice industry standards and support tracking your performance to drive the best value to your property in conjunction with brand efforts.

 

Benefits of PMTG

PMTG offers unparalleled reach, precision targeting, and optimized campaign management across all Google ad channels. Key benefits include: 

Comprehensive reach: Performance Max campaigns can access all Google ad channels, such as Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps, ensuring extensive reach and engagement with potential travelers. 

AI-driven optimization: Leveraging Google’s advanced AI and machine learning, Performance Max automatically optimizes ad performance by analyzing vast amounts of data and adjusting bids, placements, and creative elements in real-time. The platform’s automation and AI capabilities allow travel brands to quickly adapt to market changes, traveler behaviors, and seasonal trends, ensuring ads remain relevant and effective. 

Enhanced personalization: The platform uses audience signals and real-time data to deliver highly personalized ads, making it easier to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time. 

Simplified campaign management: By consolidating multiple ad formats and channels into a single campaign, Performance Max simplifies campaign setup and management, saving time and resources. 

Data-driven insights: Performance Max provides detailed performance insights and reports, helping travel brands understand their campaigns’ effectiveness and make informed decisions for future campaigns.

Improved ROI: With automated optimization and better targeting, travel brands can achieve higher conversion rates and better returns on investment for their advertising spend. 

PMTG equips travel brands with the tools needed to navigate the complexities of digital advertising, ensuring they can effectively reach their target audiences, maximize their ROI, and stay ahead in a competitive industry. Koddi can facilitate leveraging this powerful tool with ease, delivering maximum value. 

 

Considerations When Using PMTG

To ensure successful implementation of PMTG, it’s essential to address several critical considerations. From sourcing accurate brand assets and maintaining brand safety to effectively prioritizing this channel among other investments, these factors play a pivotal role in optimizing campaign performance and achieving your marketing goals. 

• How do I source the correct brand assets?
• How do I ensure Google-sourced/AI assets are correct and brand-safe?
• Do I compete with brand efforts? How do I invest safely and efficiently?
• How do I ensure this campaign is driving performance for my hotel, specifically?
• How do I connect with my hotel feed? What is my hotel feed?
• How do I prioritize this channel within the spectrum of my Expedia or BNSA investments?

Testing into PMTG can give travel brands a competitive advantage as we continue to understand the incrementality and efficacy at both the brand and hotel level. 

Contact the Koddi team today, and one of our experts will support you through testing and adopting this new and exciting product from Google. Also, check back in for the continuation of this series, where we will dive deeper into some of these considerations and build out best practices for investing in Google’s newest campaign type!