Developing
The results come from Google's own early tests with two named partners and have not been independently checked.
In 60 seconds
- On September 28, 2026 Google introduced Vertical Video Unification with Display & Video 360 for buying and measuring vertical video across channels in one place.
- Google says Gemini powers the buying, campaign execution and full-funnel measurement, and helps prevent overexposure.
- In early testing with Unilever's Hellmann's and WPP Media, Google reports a 24% increase in unique reach and a 25% reduction in cost per unique user.
- Rollout dates were not given in the announcement we read.
Impact Layer
- What changed
- Google's DSP can now buy and measure vertical video across publishers and channels as one, using Gemini to run the process.
- Why it matters
- Vertical video is spread across social and publisher apps, so one place to buy it with shared frequency control is attractive, and it adds to Google's role in programmatic buying.
- Who is affected
- Brand and agency teams that buy programmatic video, and independent DSPs and social platforms competing for vertical video budgets.
- Martech stack area
- Analytics, Advertising
- Stack impact
- Check how reach and frequency are measured and whether results can be verified outside Google's own reporting.
- Business impact
- Moderate The reach and cost figures are from early tests with two partners, reported by Google. Control points for humans were not spelled out in the announcement.
- Related technologies
- Related vendors
- What to watch
- Rollout dates, which publishers are included, how much control buyers keep, and independent verification of the reach claims.
On September 28, 2026, Google introduced Vertical Video Unification with Display & Video 360 (DV360), its programmatic buying platform. It lets advertisers buy and measure vertical video across multiple channels in one place.
What Google says
- Gemini powers the buying process, campaign execution and full-funnel measurement, and helps prevent ads from being shown to the same people too often.
- In initial testing with Unilever’s Hellmann’s brand and WPP Media, Google reports a 24% increase in unique reach and a 25% reduction in cost per unique user.
- Executives from Unilever and WPP Media are quoted in the post. The announcement did not give rollout dates in the text we read.
What is not stated
MarTech Edition notes that the announcement leaves the points of human control unspecified. The test sample, duration and campaigns were not described, and the results are Google’s own.
Our read
Vertical video buying is fragmented across social and publisher inventory, and frequency is hard to control across it. Putting the buy and the measurement in one platform is the sensible fix, and it also makes Google’s DSP a stronger place to run video. Buyers should ask who verifies the reach figure and whether it can be reproduced outside Google’s reporting, then run a controlled test before moving budgets.
Sources
- Google: Vertical Video Unification with Display & Video 360 (opens in a new tab)
Source of the product, the Gemini role, the partners and the test results.
- MarTech Edition: Amazon, Meta, Discord and Google hand more ad buying to software (opens in a new tab)
Source of the comparison with other platforms and the note that human control points are not specified.