Implementation Training:

Customer Match

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Product Background

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Introducing Customer Match

Customer Match targeting brings together the power of your data and
the reach of YouTube, Search and Gmail.
The power of
first party data
Customer Match enables
you to reach customers
and build new audiences
more effectively with the
right message

Reach of YouTube, Search

and Gmail
Regardless of advertising
objectives, you can engage
your audience across some
of the most powerful
platforms on the web

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Single view of a
consumer
Using email addresses as
an identifier enables
enhanced cross device
targeting. Engage or
exclude specific audiences
across screens

Availability

Devices

Platforms

Search: Note - PLA/Shopping ads will not be compatible at launch

Display: Gmail Ads
Video: TrueView in-stream ads (including vertical formats, e.g. app promo and Shoppable trueView)

Frontends

Desktop: Y (YouTube, Gmail and Search if signed in)

Tablet: Y (YouTube, Gmail and Search apps if signed in)
Mobile web: Y (YouTube, Gmail and Search if signed in)
Mobile app: Y (YouTube, Gmail and Search apps if signed in):

Note Gmail Android will not show Customer Match targeted ads at beta launch, coming 1-2 weeks
later.

AdWords frontend: Remarketing Picker

API: Early October (not at launch): you can upload an audience list, delete an audience list, add users,
remove users, and edit configurations through an API call.

Similar Audiences

Gmail & YouTube only; available in beta beginning early October.

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How it works: Deep dive

Upload your list of email addresses

Email addresses are matched with Google accounts

3
4

Important note
Matched audience lists can
be targeted to TrueView,
Search and Gmail campaigns.

Raw email addresses are connected with Google accounts

Email lists are deleted

Once lists are matched to Google accounts, original csv files are deleted

After processing, audience lists are targetable

These lists can be either directly targeted or excluded within an ad
group.

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On Gmail, only @gmail.com

matched accounts are
targetable (since ads show
in the Gmail environment).
On YouTube and Search, all
matched accounts are
targetable.

Policy & User Controls

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Policy Requirements
When using Customer Match, you may only upload customer information that you have collected in the firstparty contexti.e., information you collected from your websites, apps, physical stores, or other situations
where customers shared your information directly with you. Examples:

You collected an email address from a customer who had purchased an item from your website.
You collected an email address from a customer who registered to receive marketing messages
through your apps
You collected an email address from a customer who signed up for your loyalty program in your
physical store.

During list creation, you must

indicate that you will abide by these policies

provide a link to a website where a user can manage their preferences for receiving emails from you

See our Customer Match Policies for more details

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User Controls
Users have multiple ways to control the ads they see on Google.

When a user sees an ad that was served to them based on their status on your Customer
Match list, they will see:
An explanation for why they saw that ad (Why This Ad)
An option to mute or block the ad so they do not see it again

A link to Googles Ads Settings, where they can control your advertising preferences,
including opting out of personalized ads

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Step-by-Step Implementation

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Implementation Must-Knows
1.

All email lists are uploaded via SSL. Lists can be hashed or un-hashed, depending on your
preference.

2.

Individual files can be no larger than 17MB (~500k email addresses) and must be in a .csv
file format.

3.

Can target against primary email address (i.e. a majority of primary emails are @gmail.
com, but dont have to be; we do not match backup email associated with Google account).
Only @gmail.com addresses can be used for Gmail ads

4.

Rules for list creation: Advertisers may only upload email addresses they collected in a firstparty context, meaning they collected them directly from your customers (more info)

5.

Should consider not only lists to target, but also lists to exclude (e.g. to focus on new
customers)

6.

Must provide link to page where customer can manage email preferences if your
customers no longer wish to receive marketing information

7.

API documentation
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Step 1: Open Audience Lists in Shared Library

Open Shared library from left menu (bottom left) when viewing
all campaigns in AdWords frontend

Choose View from Audiences menu

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Step 2: Create New List for Customer Emails

Choose Customer emails option under Remarketing List menu

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Step 2: Create New List for Customer Emails

Name your new list

TIP: Use descriptive names for

lists so its easy to identify later

TIP: Remember that the max

file size is 17MB

Choose file to upload

Once list is uploaded, you must

confirm it meets data policies

Provide link where user can manage preferences for receiving

emails from you, including opting out of any email lists they
may be subscribed to (Mandatory)

Customize list duration if desired (default is 180 days, which is also the max)

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Step 3: Upload and Save List

Save your list after uploading to begin processing

Status bar will indicate progress

List will take a few hours to process, check back for account notification when ready

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Step 4: Verifying List Details

Once processed, will show

upload as successful, as well as
campaigns and ad groups
associated with the list
Note that exact volume of
matched emails will not be
shown

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Targeting lists across channels

From here, the process differs depending on if you are setting up
Customer Match for YouTube, Gmail or Search. Follow the right
path:

Gmail
YouTube
Search

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Step 5a: Target the list in a Gmail ads ad

group

TIP: You can also create a new

Display Network only
campaign for Gmail.

When creating a new ad group, choose Interests

and remarketing when planning on using an email
list for targeting
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Step 5a: Targeting the list (Gmail)

Select customer email lists from dropdown menu

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Step 5a: Targeting the list (Gmail)

Use selector to move
list over to targeting list

Choose relevant list(s) to associate

with ad group

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Step 5a: Targeting the list (Gmail)

Deselect audience
expansion options. When
using Customer Match, we
recommend using Similar
audiences (when
available) to expand
audience lists

Save and continue

After saving your ad group, youll be asked to create ads. Remember to customize
creative based on list type. For example, for existing customers, a special offer or
loyalty program could be promoted.

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Important: Bid only v. Target and bid

Like Search/RLSA, its important to understand the difference between bid
only and target and bid when setting up a new Gmail ads ad group:

"Bid only" means you will set a bid adjustment for users in your
audience list, and will continue to serve to non-audience traffic

"Target and bid" means you will only compete in auctions for users on
your audience list

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Step 5b: Target the list in a new TrueView

ad group
Create TrueView ad group
- in-stream or in-display

Create TrueView campaign using

new Video campaign type

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Step 5b: Target the list (TrueView)

Customer List

Click to narrow your

targeting and select
Remarketing

Choose relevant list(s) to

associate with ad group
Tip: Email list will live under
AdWords Remarketing Lists NOT Video Remarketing
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Use selector to
move list over
to ad group
targeting.
Then, save ad
group.

Step 5c: Target the list on Search

IMPORTANT: Search must be layered on top of
keywords like RLSA campaigns
As a reminder, much like standard RLSA, it is important to consider:

"Bid only" means you will set a bid adjustment for users in your
audience list, and will continue to serve to non-audience traffic
"Target and bid" means you will only compete in auctions for users on
your audience list

On the next slides, you will see the various ways in which you can add an
audience list, and the default bid/targeting setting that occurs in each.
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Step 5c: Getting started in an Ad Group

Navigate to the Audience Tab

Choose Remarketing

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Step 5c: Targeting a list (ad group view cont.)

Pick Customer email lists under Interests &

remarketing
Add the desired list
and choose to target
and bid or bid only

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Editing Lists

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Editing an Existing List

Open list from Shared

Library, and select
edit icon in upper right

Choose to add or remove email

addresses in a given list, with same
verification of compliance as when new
list is created. Save and continue

Note: Soon youll be able to add or remove email addresses from all lists if desired
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Best Practices

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Quick Tips & Tricks

Inventory

You can view your list size in the remarketing picker and use the reach
widget during ad group creation to estimate your potential volume.

Bidding /
Targeting

Bid most aggressively in ad groups that contain your most valuable lists.
Adding geo, content and rigorous device targeting will reduce your scale careful not to over target!

Assets

Align your creative messaging and list targeting strategies as closely as

possible to maximize your performance.

Reporting /
measurement

Establish a unique measurement framework tailored to your objectives awareness, consideration, conversion or loyalty - to measure accountably.

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Best practices

Targeting

Create unique ad groups for different audiences (e.g. new customers v.

high value customers)
To maximize performance and drive awareness with new customers,
leverage Similar Audiences (in beta). You can also exclude a list to reach
only those outside of your known customer base.
The size of your list will have an impact on your reach, which will ultimately
impact your performance. Avoid getting too granular uploading lists.
Remember: the size of your list does not equal your reach. Your reach will
be reduced the more geo, device and other targeting you layer on.
(TrueView) Combining lists:

When you combine customer match list in the same ad group with keywords, topics or demos,
youll reach the intersection of the criteria.
When you combine a CM list in the same ad group with an affinity or in-market audience
segment, or remarketing list, theyll be targeted as an OR, not an AND.

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Best practices

Assets

Consider your audience when creating ads and developing messaging.

The more aligned your message is to your audience, the more relevant
your ad will be.
Test multiple ad creatives to learn what resonates best with your
audience.
Take advantage of TrueView interactivity, ad extensions on search, and
the large, customizable creative canvas on Gmail.
If running across multiple channels, be sure to create ads for each. For
example, Gmail ads can only run on Gmail, while video assets are
required for TrueView, etc.

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Best practices

Measurement

Every list has the potential to perform differently. Establish a

measurement framework before you launch that is customized towards
your objectives & audience targeting strategy.
Leverage metrics from Brand Lift Surveys, Google Analytics, YouTube
Analytics & AdWords reporting
Recommended metrics to monitor based on your objective could
include...

Sales: conversions, site traffic, lift in purchase intent

New customer awareness / consideration: website traffic, time on site &
lift in awareness and consideration, unique reach
Loyalty: channel subscriptions & earned metrics, lift in favorability

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Frequently Asked Questions

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What do I need to know about uploading a

list?

Whats the max file size to upload?

Is there a limit to the # of lists I can create?

It can take several hours (12 max)

Your list upload status will read In Progress

How will I know when its ready to target?

No

How long will it take to process?

Frontend: 17MB (~500K email addresses)

API: 10K email addresses

Status will change from In Progress to successful

Your campaign must also reach 1,000 or more active visitors

Whats my list size?

List size can be seen under the Google Properties column in the remarketing picker.

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What do I do if I got an error when I uploaded

my email list in the front end?

Incorrect file type: Make sure the file you upload is a .csv file.
File too large: Make sure the file you upload is less than 17MB (approx. 500k email
addresses) when uploading via the front end.
Incorrect email address format: All submitted email addresses must follow these
rules:

Must contain an @ sign

Must contain a .

Followed by a top level domain such as com

Can't contain spaces
Can't contain consecutive dots [..*]
Does not start or finish with a period .

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Note: We will include what % of the list was

accepted, as well as the row numbers of first 10
problematic emails

Whats the difference between the email opt-out link

required when creating a list and controls available to
users from Google?

Google requires that you provide a link to a website where users can manage their email
preferences. Google will show this link in the Why This Ad pop-up as a courtesy to users.

The email opt-out is not meant to be a way for users to control the ads they see on Google.

Users may control the ads they see on Google by muting or blocking ads from certain
advertisers or by opting out of personalized ads in Googles Ads Settings?

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What happens to a file after its uploaded?

Google only use your uploaded lists to create a matched list for your marketing use.

The file is deleted once our matching and compliance checks have been completed
after a maximum of 7 days, as will be outlined in the external HC for launch

Emails that we do not match to Google account email addresses, as well as duplicate
email addresses, are ignored.

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What happens when I edit my email list?

How does editing an audience list impact duration? Will matched customers be
active for different periods of time?

You can upload additional email addresses or re-upload email addresses

audience list anytime.
The max duration period will be reset for these email addresses.

Can I create custom combinations?

Yes! You can create custom combinations using the same Customer Match list
type only.
Customer Match lists cannot be combined with other types of audience lists,
such as video or rule-based remarketing lists.
Standard remarketing combinations, such as AND and OR, are supported.

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How does hashing work?

Note: you are not required to upload hashed emails but we recommend it.
All email addresses - hashed or unhashed - will be uploaded via SSL.
Advertisers can upload lists using the secure hashing algorithm 256 (sha256), a oneway hashing mechanism that can not be unencrypted.

Hashing method: SHA256

ID format: 32 bytes id in hex
Example: example@gmail.com ->
264e53d93759bde067fd01ef2698f98d1253c730d12f021116f02eebcfa9ace6
Canonicalization: You must make sure pre-hashed emails are all lowercase, and there there
are no spaces before or after the email addresses

We will match your uploaded emails to our own database of hashed users, without
ever seeing unhashed data. Your email lists are never shared with us.

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Timeline
Monday, September 28th at 3pm EDT:
Phased roll-out of Customer Match begins! You can
expect to see Customer Match in your AdWords account
within 2-4 weeks.
Late October:
Similar Audiences targeting on YouTube and Gmail will
be available for all Customer Match clients.

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Thank You!

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