By now, we all know that Google is pushing advertisers further into the machine. Campaign types like Performance Max and Demand Gen are engineered to streamline campaign creation and automate media buying decisions—at the cost of visibility. And while that tradeoff may be good for performance, it’s maddening for analysts, strategists, and clients who want to understand why something is working (or not).
That’s why the launch of Mike Rhodes’ Demand Gen Script is such a big deal.
Mike’s work has been foundational for Google Ads practitioners over the past few years, especially his Performance Max script, which cracked open the data black box and made it easier to make smart, human-informed decisions. This new script brings that same power to Demand Gen campaigns, which—until now—have been nearly impossible to analyze at a granular level.
Let’s break down what this script does, why it matters, and how we’re thinking about using it at AdVenture Media.
What’s So Great About the Demand Gen Script?
If you’ve run Demand Gen campaigns, you already know the pain:
- You get consolidated performance data across all assets.
- You can’t compare headlines or creatives directly.
- You’re stuck guessing which audience or format is driving your results.
The Demand Gen Script solves all of that. It connects to your Google Ads account via Apps Script and pulls detailed reporting on the elements inside your campaigns, including:
1. Creative Asset Performance
This is the big one. The script breaks down which images, videos, headlines, and descriptions are driving engagement and conversions.
If a particular video thumbnail is outperforming the others? You’ll know. If a weak headline is tanking performance? You’ll catch it fast.
No more "low," "good," or "best" labels. This is actual, data-backed asset-level reporting—the kind we’ve been begging for.
2. Audience Segment Performance
The script gives you visibility into how different audience signals are performing—whether it’s your custom intent audience, website visitors, or lookalike lists. This lets you double down on the audiences driving ROI and trim what’s not converting.
3. Placement and Channel Insights
It also tells you where your ads are showing—on YouTube, Discover, Gmail, etc.—and what each channel is contributing to your performance. This is essential for brands that want to understand the value of video vs. static creative, or who want to fine-tune budget allocation by platform.
Why This Script Is a Big Deal
This is about more than reporting.
Google is clearly investing in black-box campaigns that lean on automation. And that’s fine. We’ve seen great results with Demand Gen and PMax when the strategy is sound. But if you’re flying blind, you’re either going to overspend on mediocrity—or kill a campaign that was working for the wrong reasons.
Mike’s script gives you back control. It lets you:
- Optimize creative direction with data
- Make budget decisions with confidence
- Explain results without guesswork
For agencies like ours, that’s a massive unlock.
Who Should Use It
If you’re running Demand Gen campaigns at scale—or for a brand with a lot of creative in rotation—you need this script. It’s also incredibly valuable for:
- Creative strategists who want to test and validate messaging themes
- Media buyers looking to dial in audience targeting
- Marketing directors who want accountability and visibility
Basically, if you care about performance and understanding what’s working under the hood, this script is worth installing.
How to Get Started
The script is available here via Mike Rhodes’ Circle community, and like his PMax tool, it’s free. (Huge thanks to Mike and the team for continuing to support the community like this.)
Installation is straightforward if you're familiar with Google Ads Scripts, and setup instructions are included. Once it’s live, you’ll start seeing asset- and audience-level performance data in a clean, exportable format.
Final Thoughts
Google isn’t going to hand us transparency on a silver platter—but the right tools can help us. This Demand Gen Script is one of those tools.
It helps bridge the gap between machine learning and human strategy. It lets us do better creative, smarter media buying, and more honest reporting. And most importantly—it gives advertisers back the ability to actually learn from what they’re doing.
And that’s what makes it so exciting.
If you want help interpreting your Demand Gen data—or if you’re ready to build a creative testing strategy around what the script reveals—get in touch with us.
