The Google Display Network and the newer Demand Gen format are often lumped together, but they do different work. Display covers banner placements across millions of partner sites and apps. Demand Gen replaces what used to be Discovery: visually-driven ads in the Discover feed, Gmail promotions, and YouTube's home and Shorts feeds.
Cold prospecting on the open Display Network is, in our experience, almost always a poor use of budget. Without strong audience signals and aggressive placement exclusions, the budget drifts towards low-quality apps and click-bait sites that produce traffic but not customers.
Every Display campaign we run includes substantial exclusion lists — categories, content types, low-value app placements. We update these monthly. It is unglamorous work but it is where Display budgets are saved or lost.
Demand Gen suits visually distinctive products and brand stories. It is closer to social-feed advertising than to traditional search work — creative quality dominates outcomes, and ad fatigue sets in quickly. We use it where the creative budget exists to support a proper rotation.
Display attribution is messier than Search. View-through conversions exist, but we treat them with healthy scepticism and report click-based results alongside, so you can see both pictures.