Ad Set
A mid-level organizational unit within ad campaigns that defines targeting, budget, schedule, and placement settings.
What Ad Set means
An ad set (called 'ad group' in Google Ads and some other platforms) is the campaign component where advertisers define audience targeting, budget allocation, schedule, bidding strategy, and placement preferences. Compliance considerations at the ad set level include ensuring targeting parameters do not discriminate against protected classes, respecting platform-specific audience size minimums (designed to prevent micro-targeting), and applying appropriate Special Ad Category restrictions. Ad set-level settings can override campaign-level defaults, making it important to audit targeting settings at every level of the campaign hierarchy.
Related terms
Ad Account
The organizational unit within an ad platform that holds campaigns, billing information, and permissions for running advertisements.
Audience Targeting
The process of defining which users will see an ad based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and other criteria.
Special Ad Categories
Platform-designated ad categories (housing, employment, credit, politics) with restricted targeting to prevent discrimination.
Campaign
The top-level organizational unit in ad platforms that defines the advertising objective, budget, and overarching strategy.