Petite Fashion – Discovery Ad Breakdown

I recently came across a Discovery Ad on my Google News Feed that caught my attention. The product shot stood out for its bold and clear images, and let’s face it, who doesn’t need a wardrobe refresh every now and then? However, upon closer inspection, I realized that the ad was targeted toward petite women. I am over 5’10”, therefore definitely not in the target market. Read on as I break down this ad type to reveal how it was targeted to me, and what advertisements I would run instead to reach a niche retail audience.

How Discovery Ads Work

Let’s start by understanding how a Discovery ad works. A Discovery ad can appear on Google’s news feed, Gmail, and YouTube, and it includes both text and images that resemble content. Businesses use this ad to promote their product or service and reach potential customers who are interested in their offerings. The ad targets specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and other factors to achieve this. This makes it an ideal choice for mid-funnel marketing to drive product consideration.

Now that we understand Discovery ads and their use case better, we should also consider their potential downsides. One of the main drawbacks is that they have limited targeting, which leads to wasted impressions. This leads to wasted ad impressions and has the potential to negatively impact the user experience by displaying irrelevant content.

Targeting Options to Reach Petite Women

To be more successful in reaching a niche market, an advertiser could:

•  Start with remarketing using Discovery Ads, as this allows advertisers to target potential customers who have already shown interest in their product. 
•  Target their customers by using Google product feed, to catch shoppers when they are actively looking for petite clothing. 
•  Consider influencer marketing, like the example to the right. This way a retailer can have their product highlighted by a brand advocate in a forum where customers are open to product recommendations.

When targeting specific audiences, it can be challenging to reach them through current marketing channels. With many paid options available, it’s important to choose the right one. If you’re looking for help with your business, schedule a free strategy call with me. I’m here to assist you every step of the way.