The Google Ads [`Ad`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/Ad) resource represents an actual
advertisement served across Google networks.

This guide provides an overview of the supported ad types, key components, and
API operations for managing ads.

## Supported ad types

The Google Ads API supports several ad formats through specialized fields on
the `Ad` resource. Common ad formats include:

- **Responsive search ads:** Defined using the [`responsive_search_ad`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/Ad#responsive_search_ad) field.
- **App ads:** Defined using the [`app_ad`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/Ad#app_ad) field.
- **Demand Gen ads:** Defined using the [`demand_gen_multi_asset_ad`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/Ad#demand_gen_multi_asset_ad) field.
- **Responsive display ads:** Defined using the [`responsive_display_ad`](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/reference/rpc/v26/Ad#responsive_display_ad) field.

For the full list and per-network compatibility, see
[Ad types](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/ads/ad-types).

## Key concepts

- **AdGroupAd:** Links an `Ad` to an `AdGroup` and tracks its status (e.g., `ENABLED`, `PAUSED`).
- **Policy validation:** Ads undergo automated review. Refer to the [Policy Exemption Requests Guide](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/policy-exemption/overview) for handling review status and policy violations.