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.
If you’ve run Demand Gen campaigns, you already know the pain:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
For agencies like ours, that’s a massive unlock.
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:
Basically, if you care about performance and understanding what’s working under the hood, this script is worth installing.
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.
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.
We'll get back to you within a day to schedule a quick strategy call. We can also communicate over email if that's easier for you.
New York
1074 Broadway
Woodmere, NY
Philadelphia
1429 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Florida
433 Plaza Real
Boca Raton, FL
info@adventureppc.com
(516) 218-3722
Over 300,000 marketers from around the world have leveled up their skillset with AdVenture premium and free resources. Whether you're a CMO or a new student of digital marketing, there's something here for you.
Named one of the most important advertising books of all time.
buy on amazonOver ten hours of lectures and workshops from our DOLAH Conference, themed: "Marketing Solutions for the AI Revolution"
check out dolahResources, guides, and courses for digital marketers, CMOs, and students. Brought to you by the agency chosen by Google to train Google's top Premier Partner Agencies.
Over 100 hours of video training and 60+ downloadable resources