GENDER Criterion on AdGroup

[Pietro Galassi]

Hi,

we are setting a GENDER criterion at AdGroup level:

POST https://googleads.googleapis.com/v2/customers/XXXXXXXXXXXX/adGroupCriteria:mutate

{ "operations": [{ "create": { "gender": { "type": "MALE" }, "adGroup": "customers/XXXXXXXXXXXX/adGroups/YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY", "status": "ENABLED", "type": "GENDER", "negative": false } } ] }

criterion is created but when we log in into the GoogleAds console we see for all the 3 possible value (MALE, FEMALE, UNDETERMINED) with a "green" dot, so it seems that all the GENDER criterion are set.

Running this query:

{

  "query" : "SELECT ad_group_criterion.resource_name, ad_group_criterion.type FROM ad_group_criterion WHERE ad_group_criterion.ad_group= 'customers/XXXXXXXXXXXX/adGroups/ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ'"

}

Response:

{ "results": [ { "adGroupCriterion": { "resourceName": "customers/2017233623/adGroupCriteria/94848718794~10", "type": "GENDER" } } ], "totalResultsCount": "1", "fieldMask": "adGroupCriterion.resourceName,adGroupCriterion.type" }

How they works ? 

While the presentation of google ads console is inconstent with the set criterion?

Either, what means UNDETERMINED : both male and female or none of them ?

Regards,

Pierpaolo

[Google Ads API Forum Advisor Prod]

Hi Pietro,

Just like with age range criterion, you should explicitly exclude the age ranges you don't want targeted using the AdGroupCriterionService.

Regards,
Anthony
Google Ads API Team

ref:_00D1U1174p._5001USx0OR:ref

[ManzoniPlusTest ManzoniPlusTest]

Hi Support Team

I'd like to have a clarification about this behavior.

I am using Google ADS API towards HTTP Call, what i observed is the following

- I created a campaign with Ad group, but without any targeting

- I get the data by API , i found some "default" targeting associated (for DEVICE), but no data related to AGE_RANGE or GENDER

- I assigned from GUI a GENDER targeting and i saw all of them assigned , the one that i choose as to be included and the others as to be excluded.

For me is not totally clear the meaning and i'd like to have clarification on the following

- As i have to consider the status of targeting after the campaign creation ? 

- Can you clarify the difference between no criterion association and the association with a criterion with  "negative": true ?

- Suppose i want to create a gender targeting and later to remove it, what i have to do ? update everything with "negative": true or just remove all criterion (same status of fresh creation ?)

- How is considered by the system if I associate only the criterion with "negative" : false ? is the targeting working ?

Thanks

Patrizio

[Google Ads API Forum Advisor Prod]

Hi Patrizio,

I found the following behavior for both age and gender criteria:
1. Create campaign via API

2. Create 2 ad groups via API

3. Run report on ad_group_criterion
-No results from API
-UI shows all age ranges

4. Exclude one age range for one ad group

5. Run report on ad_group_criterion
-All age ranges for this ad group return. Added the field ad_group_criterion.negative in the query.
-Other ad group doesn't return results

If you want to later change targeting, you should update the rest to true.

[ManzoniPlusTest ManzoniPlusTest]

Hi Anthony

Thanks for the feedback, but consider that i am integrating API , so for me it's  difficult to understand how can i execute the step number 4 if from step number 3 i did no get any result.

This way of working from my understanding is google bug.

Moreover i did not find any clear documentation that explains how it should work.

Do you know where i can find some exhaustive reference documentation?

Thanks

Patrizio

[Google Ads API Forum Advisor Prod]

Hi Patrizo, 

As you can see from this document, creating a campaign will contain none of these criteria, which means they are all targeted by default.

[ManzoniPlusTest ManzoniPlusTest]

Hi Anthony ,

sorry for misunderstanding, the behavior where if it is no targeting select mean that all targeting are selected (for example if i don't select any age all of them are targeted for the campaign)for me it's clear.

I was asking a different question , you said:

4. Exclude one age range for one ad group

now I don't understand how can i change (from API ) one value that is not really showed\ returned from any get call.

Do you mean that i have to hard-code (or make call to retrieve ) the list of criterion Ids in my API and always push the full list?

What i should do from API prospective (execute the step 4 from UI it's quite simple, but no so clear from API prospective)

What if i push only the ones that i want to keep enabled? which difference if i push only the criterion to exclude or all the others ?

In other words, how does Google ADS execute a campaign if in the step 4 i add only a criterion that i want to apply (e.g. age 25to34) ?

[Google Ads API Forum Advisor Prod]

Hi Patrizo,

If you want to target only one of the age groups, you can either target the one age range or exclude the other ranges, whichever you prefer. Either way will yield the same results. Likewise if you want to exclude one of age ranges, you can either exclude one of them or target the rest. The IDs for these ranges can be found here.

Cheers,