Google AdWords has a Shared Library in which various resources can be shared across multiple campaigns. These include Ads, Bid Strategies, Business Data, Negative Keywords, Placement Exclusions, Budgets and Audiences.
Ads in a Shared Library could be shared across multiple campaigns. Although this was a useful feature, it did not integrate with AdWords which reduced its usefulness. We had been hoping that it would soon become a feature in AdWords Editor.
Alas, Google has decided to stop the Shared Ads. The following is according to a Google announcement:
We’re making a change to the AdWords Shared library to simplify campaign management. Starting on February 11th, 2015, you will no longer be able to share ads across multiple ad groups or campaigns using the Shared library. Ads within your Shared library will be copied to all the ad groups they were originally shared with.
Why are we making this change?
The AdWords Shared library allows you to share ads, as well as other items and settings, across multiple ad groups and campaigns. However, based on recent enhancements that help scale account management, there are now more effective ways to create and optimize ads at scale. We’re committed to improving the ways you manage your ads and will continue exploring opportunities for effectively creating, sharing, and optimizing them at scale.
Next steps
There are no actions required as a result of this change—ads within your Shared library will be copied to all the ad groups they were originally shared with. Each copied ad will retain its performance history. If you use AdWords Editor or the AdWords API, we recommend re-syncing your accounts after February 11th, 2015, to ensure the most up-to-date lists of ads.
