In our prior post about Google testing new product ads a few weeks ago, we outlined some major changes in the world of Google pay-per-click. One quick follow-up nugget per this new format is that advertisers will only pay if a product is sold on their site, instead of when someone only clicks on the ad. The ramifications of this are interesting, to say the least. The fact the Google is willing to charge based on conversions presents an entirely different model altogether. Whether this is a game changer or simply incentive for advertisers to do a test and learn in this new initiative, time will tell.
So now we have a new ad format to look into. Video ads in PPC.
Check out this ad by film studio Miramax on a search for “funny movie”. Go search on that or for the title of the film, Extract to try it out for yourself.
The ad shows up with a plus symbol below the normal ad text to allow users to view the trailer. Nifty.
While this format has been rumoured for a while now, this is the first time it’s been unveiled to the public. Word is that game maker, EA, has also purchased a video campaign for it’s new “Need for Speed” game.
This is a very smart move on the part of Google. Entertainment companies such as movie studios, game companies and celebrity ventures garner huge search volume on the search engine itself, but very little in the way of pay-per-click advertising. This is a shrewd tactic to change that. I’d expect to see a plethora of game, TV & movie trailers in the near future as the entertainment vertical tests this new medium.
Video was introduced into the organic search results back in 2007 so consumers are already trained to expect this type of deliverable in their results. Bear in mind, however, that this is still a beta test and Google hasn’t said how long it anticipates it running. Nor is it making it available to anyone who wants to try it.
Says Adam Stewart, Google’s industry director for media and entertainment, “We’re using the beta test to gauge the effectiveness of the feature, and offered a select and super-relevant set of advertisers the chance to participate in the beta first. We can’t guarantee that we will be expanding to all advertisers.”
One final note: Google will charge advertisers only when a consumer watches ten seconds of the video or if they click through on the link.
