Google Ads · Status at source date: Newsletter archive
AI Max adds a Branded Searches control with three serving options
Google Ads has given AI Max campaigns a dedicated Branded Searches control, surfaced by Thomas Eccel. Advertisers can now choose exactly how AI Max handles brand queries with three settings: show ads on all relevant searches (the default), control branded searches through brand inclusions and exclusions, or show ads only on unbranded searches.

What changed
The third option addresses a long-standing concern: advertisers running a separate branded Search campaign can now stop AI Max from cannibalising that traffic. The control gives back a level of brand-query precision that the original AI Max rollout lacked.
Why it matters for advertisers
For you, this means advertisers running dedicated branded campaigns should review the new control to prevent AI Max overlap. Worth setting AI Max to unbranded-only where a separate brand campaign already covers those queries, then monitoring the shift in branded impression share.
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Original newsletter text and archive evidence
AI Max adds a Branded Searches control with three serving options
Google Ads has given AI Max campaigns a dedicated Branded Searches control, surfaced by Thomas Eccel. Advertisers can now choose exactly how AI Max handles brand queries with three settings: show ads on all relevant searches (the default), control branded searches through brand inclusions and exclusions, or show ads only on unbranded searches.
The third option addresses a long-standing concern: advertisers running a separate branded Search campaign can now stop AI Max from cannibalising that traffic. The control gives back a level of brand-query precision that the original AI Max rollout lacked.
For you, this means advertisers running dedicated branded campaigns should review the new control to prevent AI Max overlap. Worth setting AI Max to unbranded-only where a separate brand campaign already covers those queries, then monitoring the shift in branded impression share.
Source captured . No explicit first-contributor label was provided for this update.





