The launch of Ads DevCast, a bi-weekly vodcast and podcast by Google’s Advertising and Measurement Developer Relations team, targets the ads technical community with deep dives into technical updates, insights from engineers, and expert discussions on products like Google Ads, Google Analytics, Display & Video 360, and Meridian. Hosted by Developer Relations Engineer Cory Liseno, the series is designed specifically for builders and developers, distinct from the marketing-focused Ads Decoded podcast by Ginny Marvin. The show is accessible via the Google Ads Developers YouTube channel and YouTube Music.
Episode 1: MCPs, Agents, and Ads
The premiere episode addresses the "agentic shift" in advertising, where agents (not just humans) increasingly consume APIs. To support this shift, Google has introduced tools to make integrations smarter, faster, and more accessible.
Getting Smarter with MCP Servers
The episode highlights the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which enables agents like Gemini CLI to securely access data. Google has released open-source, self-hosted MCP servers for the Google Ads API and Google Analytics API. These servers allow natural language queries such as:
- "What are my active campaigns?"
- "Which properties had the highest traffic yesterday?"
- "What are my top-selling products over the last month?"
Combining this data with generative AI enables users to generate data-justified marketing plans from analytics results.
Moving Faster with the Developer Assistant
To improve technical speed, Google launched the Google Ads API Developer Assistant, a Gemini CLI extension that uses natural language to generate, debug, and test integration code. A real-world example showed the assistant resolving a complex reporting issue involving policy disapprovals in minutes, providing the exact GAQL query required—something that would normally take days.
Improving Accessibility
AI tools are broadening who can interact with Google's technical systems, shifting from an "Ads Developer Community" to a wider "Ads Technical Community." Marketing power users now leverage MCP servers for real-time data operations without a full development lifecycle, freeing engineers to focus on innovative projects while marketers gain agility.
Community Engagement
As a pilot show, feedback is encouraged through an Episode 1 Survey to tailor future content. A Discord Community is also available for conversations with Googlers and fellow developers. The next episode is scheduled for release in two weeks.
