Google tests Animated Images for Demand Gen assets

What changed

Erik Beyer alerted Thomas Eccel to an Animated Images beta in Demand Gen. Thomas explicitly credits Erik in his published post. The saved screenshot shows the feature inside Asset optimisation, with an enabled switch and a description of motion effects applied to images. Thomas reports that the setting was enabled by default in the setup he saw.

The distinction between the discovery and the illustration matters here: Erik supplied the update, while Thomas published the explanation and the annotated image. Neither the post nor the still screenshot establishes the exact rendered motion in every placement. Advertisers should inspect the available preview in their own account rather than assuming that every product image will receive the same effect.

A static asset may have been approved with a particular crop, hierarchy and reading order. Adding movement can change where attention goes, even when the underlying photograph stays recognisable. Review product details, logos and any important text throughout the available animation. For a product with packaging text or small distinguishing features, a visually lively treatment is only useful if the customer can still understand the offer.

Why it matters for advertisers

The beta introduces another creative decision into campaign setup. Check the setting deliberately and include it in the approval record so a later performance review can identify what actually ran. Where testing is appropriate, compare business outcomes as well as engagement and retain the original asset as a reference. A higher click rate alone would not establish that the animated treatment attracts more suitable buyers or improves the economics of the campaign.