Google Campaign Manager 360 vs. WordStream

I feel pretty neutral about Google Marketing Platform. For the longest time, my company wasn't using it because each of the features (Data Studio, Analytics, etc.) could be accessed separately. In fact, most of the time, I don't even go into Google Marketing Platform because it's easier to directly navigate to the individual platforms. There are very few features about GMP that can only be accessed from the GMP UI. The Integrations Center is probably the main feature I utilize from the GMP UI, which allows me to see a summary of the integrations I have in place across all my client properties and accounts.

Incentivized

WordStream is so beneficial to a green digital marketing team. If your team is new to paid ads, this will help immensely. It might not be as beneficial for a company that does not use AdWords and is strictly in social ads.

Incentivized

• Setting up tracking URLs is very easy and it also helps us identify if any errors have occurred with it. This allows us track all types of conversions to the most granular level.
• Accessing all accounts from Double Click significantly reduces the hours we spend on reporting. Any level of detail could be easily pulled out from the reporting tab.
• A very big strength of Double Click is that it's integrated with other publishers, too, besides AdWords.
• Automated bidding is available.

Incentivized

• Remove duplicates: The platform has a tool that enables marketers to easily identify duplicate keywords across campaigns, ad groups, and the account; from there duplicates can be paused in an effort to improve quality scores and account performance.
• Bid management: WordStream reveals which current keywords can improve campaign performance by increasing and decreasing their bids - updates can be made on the spot.
• Ad optimizations: WordStream scans paid search accounts to ensure each ad group is using high performing ads. Marketers can quickly create new ads, and pause ads based on the tool's recommendations.

Incentivized

• The process for on-boarding new users can be difficult if they do not already have a Gmail or Gmail-linked account.
• Difficult to troubleshoot technical issues (with the platform, with tags, etc.) because of the lack of customer support. Unclear if the agency has a dedicated team or individual to assist, and often have to deal with out-sourced support teams.

Incentivized

• This is definitely not for a beginner and require knowledge on how PPC/SEM campaigns are run unless you purchase the premium support package that includes a dedicated representative to which they are very helpful.
• We had some serious tracking issues and were unable to effectively track the clicks to our website. Because of this, I had to start from scratch and decided not to use WordStream.

Due to its adapting behavior with industry ad formats and seamless integration with publishers and DSP's, I don't see myself moving away from DCM. As we see the display advertising is getting more programatic and automated due to the rise of DSP and concept of RTB, Double Click has evolved with new advanced best practices

I am not the PPC manager here so I have to use the products available.

The Doubleclick interface is easy and simple to get a hang of. The options are slightly limited compared to other DSPs. But, for a simple campaign, this is a great DSP to move forward with. They have a ton of data and can plug into a lot of different partners

Incentivized

They do not have strong support team. It is tough to get answer when I need it. They always refer you to an online guide and not an actual person. If so, the person is based out of an offshore team in India and does not know the specific client goals .

Incentivized

I have not had any experience with the customer support team for platform issues, but the account representative checks in with us often and is always available to answer questions. We will usually get on quarterly review calls so that she can share any new updates to the platform and answer questions.

Incentivized

I would highly recommend asking clients to provide 3PAS tags or use an internal 3PAS

Incentivized

DoubleClick is slightly better to manage, especially in the sense of its user interface, which isn't super easy to navigate, but compared to Marin, is a lot easier. It also has a much easier process in terms of uploading ads to engines such as AdWords and Bing. I also find it easier to investigate the attribution tools in DoubleClick compared to Marin.

Incentivized

I've never used a system to help with my Google AdWords. This was the first system I had used. WordStream definitely takes the cake though, I have a hard time believing there could be a better system out there. I wouldn't even consider going to look for a new system. I am confident WordStream has owned the Google AdWords space.

Incentivized

• DS3 has improved ROI considerably due to its ability to make the work of a team of digital marketers to go further and improving internal efficiency.
• There is a notable improvement in account performance for those integrated with DoubleClick as opposed to not, with better tracking, new bid strategy options, and a more responsive interface.
• The additional fee on top of media spend is a considerable expense for a large advertiser, but the necessity of a product/solution such as this means that there is always likely to be some comparative cost.

Incentivized

• Since beginning to use the tool, we've seen our search impression share nearly double for some campaigns.
• We've increased our click-through rates by over 25% since adding WordStream to our toolset.
• I'm more confident in the strategies that are having an impact on our cost per conversion, and can better forecast our impact for the future.

Incentivized