When Performance Max campaigns first launched, they promised advertisers to reach customers across all Google surfaces with a single campaign: Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover.
However, advertisers had limited visibility into how performance was distributed across those channels. While automation brought efficiency, it came at the cost of transparency. Until recently, that “black box” nature made it nearly impossible to tell which channels were driving results within PMax.
To bridge that gap, Google introduced Channel Performance reporting, a tool designed to break down PMax results by channel and surface. This allowed advertisers to see how their ads performed on Search versus Display or YouTube, along with diagnostics, segments, and metrics like ROAS / CPA.
The New ‘Campaign Type’ Attribute: What Changed
Recently, a new column option appeared in Channel Performance called “Campaign Type”—a field that is currently non-functional (i.e. selecting it returns no data).
Selecting it in the Google Ads interface does nothing for now, but its existence suggests Google is laying the groundwork for broader functionality.
This arrived alongside other small but significant upgrades, including long-awaited ROI metrics such as Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), which advertisers have been requesting since the feature’s beta launch.
For weeks, a tooltip in the interface has stated: “Channel performance data is only available for Performance Max campaigns at this time.” The phrasing “at this time” has always hinted that expansion was coming.
Why This Update Matters
Although the new attribute is not yet functional, it signals several deeper changes in Google’s reporting structure and strategy:
- Laying The Foundation
Google is preparing the technical framework to include multiple campaign types (not just PMax) within the same Channel Performance environment.
- Unified Reporting
By allowing “Campaign Type” to filter or categorise, Google may be moving toward merging parts of the legacy “Network Report” or other cross-campaign reports into Channel Performance.
- API and Automation Capabilities
Once “Campaign Type” becomes active, Google Ads scripts and API users will likely be able to pull this data, opening the door for deeper analysis, automated reporting, and integration into Looker Studio or third-party dashboards.
- Larger Rollout Strategy
Google has a pattern of gradually merging specialised reports into standardised ones. For example, PMax’s “Search Term Insights” eventually merged into the general “Search Terms” report.
Which Campaign Types Might Be Added First?
While Performance Max remains the only campaign type currently supported, the next logical step is to include Demand Gen campaigns.
Here are all likely candidates for expansion into Channel Performance:
Demand Gen
Why: Google has been promoting Demand Gen (discovery-style, cross-surface campaigns). It’s a natural next step to unify its reporting.
Why not: It may require new logic to map format and channel breakdowns.
Search and Shopping Campaigns
Why: These are core formats for many advertisers. Bringing them into the same view would allow a cross-campaign comparability of how Search and PMax work together.
Why not: Their existing reporting pipelines differ. Merging them may be complex.
Video / YouTube Campaigns
Why: Since the report already deals with cross-surface performance, adding standalone Display or YouTube campaigns would extend insight into creative and reach efficiency.
Why not: Video campaigns have different metrics (views, view rate) that may not align cleanly.
App Campaigns
Why: Google may want to break silos and give advertisers a full view of app campaigns and “unified surface” campaigns.
Why not: Attribution, conversions, and app events are structurally different.
Each of these expansions would require aligning metrics and data models.
What Advertisers Can Expect When It Launches
When the “Campaign Type” field becomes functional, advertisers will likely gain the ability to:
- Filter and group data by campaign type, enable comparison across Search, Display, PMax, and Demand Gen within a single interface.
- View unified metrics such as conversions, cost, ROAS, and CPA side-by-side for different campaign categories.
- Access data programmatically through the Google Ads API for use in custom dashboards and BI tools.
- Benefit from enhanced visualisations, as Google continues to refine its charts and performance breakdowns by channel and network.
Over time, the Channel Performance report may even replace the older Network Report, consolidating fragmented datasets into a single view: one of Google’s ongoing efforts to streamline how advertisers measure success.
How Advertisers Should Prepare For The Change
Advertisers can start preparing for the inevitable expansion now by taking a few practical steps:
Audit Your Campaign Portfolio
Understand which campaign types you’re running and how they align in terms of goals, audiences, and creative assets.
Standardise KPIs Across Campaigns
Ensure that conversions, conversion values, and attribution settings are consistent. This will make cross-campaign comparisons meaningful once they appear in the same report.
Update Reporting Workflows
If you use Looker Studio, Supermetrics, or custom scripts, prepare for potential new fields (like “Campaign Type”) and metrics in API responses.
Use Current PMax Insights:
Even before new data arrives, use the existing PMax Channel Performance report to establish performance baselines by channel. Contextualise future comparisons.
Monitor Google Announcements:
Keep a watch on Google Ads’ official updates, as this change will likely roll out gradually, possibly beginning with beta accounts.
Potential Challenges and Risks
As with any major reporting change, a few potential issues may arise:
- Data Gaps in Early Rollouts: Initial implementations might have missing or incomplete data for certain campaign types.
- Misleading Comparisons: Comparing ROAS or CPA across very different formats (e.g., Search vs. YouTube) can be misleading without context.
- Channel Splits: The temptation to “optimise by channel” might conflict with campaign-level holistic optimisation.
- Complex Attribution: Unifying data sources may introduce overlap or double-counting unless attribution models are carefully aligned.
- Report Complexity: More data can mean more confusion if advertisers don’t clearly define what insights matter most.
Why This Matters: Bigger Strategic Implications
This move isn’t just a UI tweak. It signals a shift in Google’s underlying philosophy around advertiser reporting:
From Silos to Unification
By bringing multiple campaign types under a single reporting umbrella, Google is pushing toward a unified view of account performance.
Increased Transparency
Part of the long-standing criticism of PMax has been its opacity. Extending cross-campaign visibility strengthens advertiser trust and decision power.
Competitive Positioning
Other ad platforms (Meta, Amazon, TikTok) already allow comparison across campaign types. Google is aligning itself to compete on transparency and cross-type insight.
Algorithmic Coordination
Google can better coordinate bidding, allocation, and insights between campaign types if they share a unified reporting backbone.
Simplified Management for Advertisers
For advertisers with many campaign types, a unified report reduces complexity and accelerates analysis, especially useful for agencies and large accounts.
What to Watch For
The newly added “Campaign Type” field might not do anything today but its appearance is anything but trivial. It marks the beginning of Google’s next phase in reporting: unifying campaign data across all surfaces and campaign types.
In time, this could transform how advertisers analyse, compare, and optimise their campaigns. For now, it’s a quiet but unmistakable sign: Google Ads reporting is evolving, and the Channel Performance report is the foundation on which that evolution will be built.
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