YouTube Ads creative generation contract
Use this reference for video briefs, storyboards, thumbnails, companion assets, and Demand Gen assets intended for YouTube inventory. Exact duration, skippability, ratio, resolution, file size, safe zone, thumbnail control, and copy limits depend on campaign subtype and placement. Verify them from current official sources and the selected Google Ads account.
Specification gate
For every intended in-stream, in-feed, Shorts, bumper, connected-TV, Demand Gen, or other surface, record objective, campaign subtype, inventory, geography, account eligibility, official source ID, duration, ratio, dimensions, file/codec limits, companion fields, safe areas, and skip or interaction behavior.
Return needs_input when a current load-bearing specification is absent. Do not
carry forward historical duration or skip rules, assume a custom thumbnail is
available, or state that a visual treatment universally improves CTR.
YouTube-specific review
- Treat the opening, narrative, brand reveal, CTA, captions, audio, and landing page as one concept; a single storyboard frame is not a completed video ad.
- Generate materially different hooks and stories. Color saturation, faces, shock, and curiosity are hypotheses to test, not psychological laws.
- Preview each horizontal, square, or vertical deliverable in its intended surface using current overlays. Avoid hardcoded safe-zone pixels without a dated template.
- Distinguish YouTube inventory from non-YouTube Demand Gen inventory in the asset manifest and subsequent report.
- Never claim the static image workflow renders a playable video. If no approved video capability is installed, deliver a brief, storyboard, and asset plan only.
Output contract
Record concept ID, surface, source IDs, duration, ratio, dimensions, format/codec, copy, captions/audio plan, checksum, provenance, rights, safety review, and preview results. Assets remain drafts until approved and upload-validated; no live YouTube write capability is implied.