skill-059-audience-observation-mode-setup

Skill 059: Audience Observation Mode Setup

Purpose

Observation mode allows collecting audience performance data without restricting ad delivery. This skill reviews current audience setup, identifies campaigns missing observation audiences, and recommends relevant segments to add for data collection and future optimization.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Standard

Standard Data:

• data/account/campaigns/*/audience_targeting.md - Campaign audience setup
• data/account/campaigns/*/*/audience_targeting.md - Ad group audiences

Reference GAQL:

SELECT
  campaign.name,
  ad_group.name,
  ad_group_criterion.criterion_id,
  ad_group_criterion.type,
  ad_group_criterion.user_interest.user_interest_category,
  ad_group_criterion.user_list.user_list,
  ad_group_criterion.bid_modifier
FROM ad_group_audience_view
WHERE campaign.status != 'REMOVED'

Use /google-ads:get-custom if audience details are not in standard export.

Analysis Steps

1. Review current audience setup: Read audience targeting files, identify audiences in Targeting vs Observation mode, find campaigns with no audience setup.

2. Identify missing observation audiences: Compare current setup against recommended categories, prioritize remarketing audiences, consider in-market and affinity segments.

3. Generate setup recommendations: List campaigns without observation audiences, recommend specific audiences by business type, provide implementation priority.

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
Campaign with >$1000/mo spend and no observation audiences	High
Missing remarketing audience observation	High
Missing relevant in-market segments	Warning
Audience accidentally in Targeting mode (restricting reach)	Critical
Campaign with observation audiences	Info

Output

Short (default):

## Audience Observation Mode Audit

**Account:** [Name] | **Campaigns Analyzed:** [X] | **Missing Observation Setup:** [Y]

### High Priority ([Count])
- **[Campaign]**: No observation audiences, $[X]/mo spend → Add standard observation set

### Warnings ([Count])
- **[Campaign]**: Missing remarketing observation → Add all visitors lists

### Recommended Observation Audiences
**Remarketing:**
- All website visitors (7, 30, 90 days)
- Past converters

**In-Market:**
- [Primary category for business]
- [Secondary category]

### Recommendations
1. [Priority setup action]
2. [Secondary action]

Detailed adds:

• Current audience coverage table (campaign, targeting mode count, observation mode count, no setup flag)
• Campaigns without observation audiences table with status and recommendation
• Recommended observation audiences by type (remarketing, in-market, affinity)
• Audiences by business type (e-commerce, B2B, local services)
• Data collection timeline (setup, collection, initial analysis, optimization phases)