January 29, 2008

SEW Experts: The Future of Search: All the Media That's Fit to Be Googled

The battle between search engines and human beings has moved to a new stage where online advertising and search ads are overtaking the search engine. In today's Search Engine WarGames column, "The Future of Search: All the Media That's Fit To Be Googled," Kevin Heisler looks at Google's forays into TV, radio, newspapers.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

September 21, 2007

Google Offers Print Ad Creation Tool

Google Print Ads just became more accessible to small advertisers with the addition of a Print Ad creation tool. Using the free online tool, advertisers can create a newspaper ad by entering headlines and text, and uploading images. The tool then creates a range of options in six ad sizes that are ready to be published in the newspaper.

The Print Ads program has been in extended beta since May, with hundreds of newspapers now participating in the program. Newspapers are able to sell their unused inventory at the last minute, advertisers are able to get a reduced rate, and Google makes money, so everyone's potentially happy.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 9:05 AM | Permalink

May 9, 2007

Google Print Ads Now in AdWords Console

Andy Beal at Marketing Pilgrim has posted screenshots of the new Google Print Ads interface in the AdWords console. Google announced last month that the program would enter an extended beta this month.

The new tab offers advertisers the ability to buy print ads in participating newspapers, including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and LA Times. The console includes a date range for the campaign, weekly budget, and the ability to select newspapers by schedule, circulation, or relative cost.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:33 AM | Permalink

April 27, 2007

Google Adding Print Purchasing to AdWords Interface

To improve their sales numbers for print media, Google is adding a Print Tab to AdWords accounts. Scheduled for an extended beta beginning Monday April 30th (the first 100 potential advertisers had access late last year), the intent is to provide access and possibly spark more interest in this product that has been slow catching on.

Google Print Ads is a new way to buy newspaper advertising, bringing innovation to the entire process: planning, buying, billing, reporting, and pricing. You use an AdWords-style interface to find newspapers. Then you extend bids to newspapers for the insertions you want. About 75 top U.S. daily newspapers are in the system now, including papers like the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and LA Times. In the next month Google will more than double the number of papers offered. You can specify insertion date, section, and ad size.

"The ads are just like traditional newspaper ads, but much easier to buy," Google explains.

Posted by Frank Watson at 2:06 PM | Permalink

February 12, 2007

A Conversation with Google's Director of Print Ads

PaidContent's Rafat Ali has posted an audio interview with Tom Phillips, director of print ads at Google, which he conducted last week at a VC event in New York. "Dealmakers Summit: My Q&A With Tom Phillips of Google" gives a good overview of the program, which Google is hoping will extend its online auction platform into offline ads, in partnership with 30 newspaper companies representing more than 500 daily newspapers.

UPDATE: I listened to the 30-minute interview (yes, you're welcome), and found some interesting highlights:

Google just completed an alpha test with about 100 advertisers on 66 major daily newspapers. Phillips said a beta is planned sometime in the spring.

He said that newspapers in the test were all happy to accept the auction-based offers for unused ad space. He said that newspapers have proved to be more suitable to Google's plans, at least in the short term, as the frequency of ad exposures is important.

On the topic of Google as a friend or enemy to print publishers, Phillips said Google is most certainly a friend:

"I do believe that Google is a friend to the media industry at large," Phillips said. "We are not a content provider. We help consumers find information. And we help advertisers find their customers. That's our job. Our natural position is as friend. And yet, because of the growth of the company and our reaching into lots of different domains, we feel threatening to the world."

"There were some things we did over the course of a few years that were not all that media-savvy, that got us into some hot water," he added.

For newspapers, Google is structuring the program so as not to step on the toes of the newspapers' own sales efforts, such as by selling quarter-page or smaller ad units:

"We really want to bring our advertisers into this medium, and we don't want to go head-to-head with the newspapers' negotiated deals with their primary franchises. There are two places we don't play. One is where the newspapers are already selling national advertising, and that tends to be full-page, and tends to be dictated position in the newspaper, which our system doesn't accommodate. The other is in local, and it's often confused. ... Google's sweet spot is national advertisers: big, medium and small. Those are the advertisers we're trying to bring into newspapers. Those medium and small businesses that are selling to a national audience have no access to newspapers in the U.S. and the newspapers have no access to them. There's absolutely no controversy in us bringing those advertisers to the newspapers. They tend to be advertisers that are going to buy partial pages on an opportunistic basis, and that's the kind of inventory that we most often open up."

Google plans to bring tools for targeting, marketing and measurement to the print product as well, and so expects to move to a similar skew toward agency sales, as it has with its search ads.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:47 AM | Permalink

November 7, 2006

Third Update On Google's 2nd Publication Ad Test

In our continued coverage of an individual advertiser who has been invited to participate in the newspaper Google ad test, PPC Discussions has a 3rd update for us. On November 2nd he received an email from Google stating;

Your ads are now with our design team, who will contact you if there are any changes or modifications needed. If no edits are necessary, you will receive an email from us to confirm if and where your ad(s) will be published.

Past coverage here and here.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:05 AM | Permalink

November 6, 2006

Google Confirms Small Test With Newspaper Ads

Last week we have been [1] [2] tracking PPC Discussions request from Google to participate in a test on placing his ads in newspapers. The main press now gets a hold of it with official confirmation from Google that they will be once again testing ads in newspapers. The New York Times and Business Week have the two most popular articles, I believe. They state that the ads will appear in "50 major newspapers" and that a "100 advertisers" are in this test that will begin to happen "later this month."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:36 AM | Permalink

November 1, 2006

Update On Google's 2nd Publication Ad Test

PPC Discussions received an update from Google on the next steps he should take for his Google newspaper ad test. Here are some select details.

The ad sizes: Ad Unit #1: 2.0"W x 2.25"H Ad Unit #2: 4.0"W x 1.0"H

The ad specs: Resolution: 300 DPI Color mode: Grayscale File formats: PDF or EPS PDF: embed all fonts EPS: convert fonts to outlines

Ad due date by Wednesday, November 8th but there is a "first come, first served" rule in affect.

Google also has the Google Print Ads Auction Editorial Guidelines page live now.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:31 AM | Permalink

October 30, 2006

Google Testing Newspaper Print Ads Again

PPC Discussions documents receiving an email from Google this weekend about participating in a Google print publication ad test.

The email read;

We'd like to invite you to participate in a free test that Google is performing with a limited group of our current advertisers. As part of this test, we'll convert your existing (Market Segment Removed) related online ad to a print ad and place it in a newspaper. By participating, you'll be helping us test an extension of our AdWords program while gaining free exposure for your business.

Your ads may appear in daily newspapers in one or more U.S. cities over the next few months. Google will select the newspapers and corresponding sections for ad placement but cannot guarantee that your ad will run.

Should you sign up to participate in the test and wish to submit your own ad, logo, or graphics, we'll provide you with additional instructions by email.

We're excited about the prospect of your participation in this test and welcome any feedback or questions you may have.

Sincerely,

The Google AdWords Team

This is not the first time Google ran print ad tests. Reportedly, the offline print ad experiment was a disappointment and deemed unsuccessful.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:51 AM | Permalink

June 1, 2006

Offline Print Ad Experiment Disappointed Google

Google Fumbles Offline from BusinessWeek covers how during an investor call held yesterday, Google senior vice president of product management Jonathan Rosenberg mentioned the experiment in print ads "probably hasn't taken off as fast as we would like." The plan for future success is to seek the right combination of ideas with producers of magazines to find the format that can work. Eric Schmidt commented that it took several years for the successful model to crystalize online, and he is not detered from further development of offline print ad experimenting.

Posted by Detlev Johnson at 7:27 AM | Permalink

March 24, 2006

Google Publication Ads Test Deemed Unsuccessful

Google's Print Auction Fizzles from BusinessWeek covers how the new Google Publication Ads program didn't exactly raise tons of money after its first public auction. One advertiser got a bargain, a $59,000 space (at rate card rates) in Martha Stewart Living for only $4,000. The question is, how much did Google pay for the right to resell that space? No one's saying. Google says demand was light but they are pleased with the test. Another advertiser is cited as spending $3,000 for a print ad through Google that brought in $181 in sales. But he wishes he'd just spent that money on search ads, now.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 11:28 AM | Permalink

February 20, 2006

Google Extends Print Ads Deadline to 24th of February

Jeremy Mayes of PPC Discussions reports in AdWords Print Auction Deadline Extended that the ad print deadline has been pushed back to February 24th, possibly due to lack of interest and bidding. Of course, there can be many reasons for the push back outside of lack of interest including technical, accounting, legal and procedural reasons. Chris Sherman covered the public launch of Google's new publication print ad service in early February.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:19 AM | Permalink

February 8, 2006

Google Testing Expanded Print Ads Program

Via Threadwatch, Google is testing a new auction-based print advertising program, allowing advertisers to choose ad size, set a price, and decide how to use the space. Bidders pay only if they win the auction. Google is testing the program with a couple-dozen magazines in the automotive, lifestyle and technology sectors. More information is available on the FAQ page.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 6:49 PM | Permalink

January 9, 2006

Google Text Ads Now Appearing in Chicago Sun-Times Newspaper

Philipp points to a story from Crain's Chicago Business that the Chicago Sun-Times, a daily newspaper, is now "experimenting" by "running classified-like ads in the pages of the Sun-Times."

The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, allows Google to fill what's known as "remnant space" in the Sun-Times ? unsold space where the paper would normally run in-house ads. Google fills those spots with its own ads. The Google connection is hardly trumpeted: "Ads by Google" appears at the top of each box of ads in very small type.

According to the story the ads began appearing about a month ago and as of today only 15 have appeared. We also read that the Google ads have appeared near relevant related content.

On Dec. 12, for instance, Google ads touting ticket brokers, White Sox apparel and Chicago Bears memorabilia ran in the Sports section.

This will be an interesting test to watch. The Sun-Times is part of Hollinger International, a company that owns a lot of papers in the Chicago area (I used to work for a chain of suburban weeklies owned they own) and in Canada. Will Google ads begin appearing in some of these extremely localized publications?

We've blogged several items about Google's efforts in the publication ad space in recent months including: + Google: From AdWords and AdSense to Publication Ads + Google: The Print Ad Company Ramps Up Hiring + Google Publication Ads Site & More On Print Ads + Google Text Search Ads Going To Newspapers

Posted by Gary Price at 2:36 PM | Permalink

December 21, 2005

Google Worries Traditional Marketers & Google Print Ads To Enter New Phase

A twofer of stories out of MediaPost looking at how Google will be trying new things with its Google Publication Ads program, a program which is one of the latest things to get traditional marketers worried that Google may be making moves on their turf.

Google Readies 'Phase Two' Of Print Ads Project covers Google about to try new things in a second phase of its print ads program -- but what exactly these will be, the company isn't saying. BusinessWeek found recently that some advertisers were less than thrilled with the program, so perhaps pricing or formats may change.

Google Begins Agency Outreach, Recruits Traditional Media Buyers from MediaPost covers how Google's reaching around ad buyers directly to advertisers, as well as an expansion of ads into the offline world, is making some traditional ad buyers nervous.

Google counters it's doing more to work with ad agencies, from training programs to having "agency development managers" to and the creation of new products. Google's also apparently recruitment more people with traditional ad backgrounds. Gary's covered previously how there are a ton of jobs going for the print program.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 12:12 PM | Permalink

December 2, 2005

Google: From AdWords and AdSense to Publication Ads

BusinessWeeks's Ben Elgin takes an in-depth look at what appears to be Google's growing interest in the publication ad business in the new article: Can Google Go Glossy? It was just the other day that I blogged about numerous job openings in NYC to work selling, mananging, etc. with Google's publication ad business that Sergey Brin says is an R&D experiment.

Elgin notes that it could be a tough "slog" for Google. Some new BusinessWeek research reports:

Sure, plenty of publishers are clamoring to snare ad dollars from Google. But a BusinessWeek analysis of Google's pilot, including interviews with 10 advertisers and two publishers, indicates that advertisers haven't warmed to the program so far. Only one of 10 advertisers interviewed by BusinessWeek said their print ad performed well enough to recoup the money it cost. And eight of the 10 were unhappy enough with the results that they say they're unlikely to do further print advertising with Google. "The response was definitely less than we expected," says Ken Chang, director of operations at Apex Security Solutions, a seller of networked security cameras, which purchased an ad through Google in PC Magazine's Oct. 18 issue.

Elgin goes on to report that the poor results came even after "deep discounts in magazine ad rates."

Some ad pages were sold by Google for as little as one-quarter of the listed ad rates at these magazines, according to information provided by participating advertisers.

Elgin also offers the story of TrimYourDebt.com, a company that had success with keyword ads who but after using Google's print ads, "it found the approach far less profitable."

Much more in the article including lots of numbers about what Google is paying for space.

Google is already getting some of the cheapest possible ad rates, according to two participating publishers. For instance, Google has purchased several one-page ads from PC Magazine for approximately $20,000 apiece, according to a source familiar with the transactions. That's about one-quarter of the price listed on the magazine's rate card -- and below the level where PC Magazine makes a profit, says the source.

Even with such discounts, Google appears to be reselling ad spots without making money itself. For PC Magazine's Oct. 18 issue, Google resold a one-page ad to seven advertisers. BusinessWeek reached four of those, who paid an average of $2,750. Assuming that average for all seven advertisers, Google generated $19,250 for the ad, leaving scant room for profits since its cost was about $20,000.

Posted by Gary Price at 5:46 PM | Permalink

November 25, 2005

Google: The Print Ad Company Ramps Up Hiring

In the past few months we've both posted and read about Google beginning to move into the print advertising biz by purchasing space in print publications and then reselling ads on those pages to members of their ad network.

It looks like 2006 will the year that Google begins to really devote lots of human resources to this ad sales program. Why? In the past few days I've noticed Google ramping up with a bunch of new job postings for people to work in publication ad space. What follows is a sampling of those postings. All of the jobs, as might be expected, are based in New York City.

+ Manager, Publication Ad Sales - New York "...an immediate need for someone who can help us manage the Publication Ad Sales team for one of our new product offerings. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing 5+ Sales Representatives all with solid media/publishing backgrounds."

+ Account Executive, Publication Ad Sales - New York

+ Account Manager, Publication Ad Sales - New York

+ Account Strategist, Publication Ad Sales - New York

+ Media Buyer, Publication Ads - New York

+ Account Coordinator, Publication Partners (Temp) - New York

+ Manager, (Inside) Publication Ad Sales - New York

+ Publication Advertising Sales Representative - New York

+ Strategic Partner Development Manager, Publication Ads - New York

Posted by Gary Price at 9:45 AM | Permalink

November 11, 2005

Google Publication Ads Site & More On Print Ads

I wrote earlier about Vinny Lingham reporting that Google was going to test putting print ads in Chicago newspapers. In case you missed it, I postscripted that with an official confirmation of the test from Google. Meanwhile, Steve Rubel spotted AdJab finding a link for people to sign up for Google Publication Ads.

I hadn't seen that page before, so it does seem new. The program isn't -- Google's been buying pages in magazines and putting advertisers in them for a couple of months now. But now things are looking more formalized.

The name "Google Publication Ads" also helps. Otherwise, people will be thinking Google print ads means putting ads in the Google Print book search service. That's not what this is about. Nor is it about Google advertising itself in print publications. It's about Google putting advertisers that come to it into print publications, serving as a broker or placement agency for these companies.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:31 AM | Permalink

November 9, 2005

Google Text Search Ads Going To Newspapers

Remember those display-style ads Google's placing in print magazines? Vinny Lingham reports a new twist. This time, Google is apparently to put its text ads (just like you see in search results) into a Chicago newspaper. Hmm, where? The classifieds section, maybe? If so, perhaps there's hope for newspaper classifieds yet.

Postscript: I followed-up with Google on this, and they've officially confirmed with me that they are evaluating a potential print ads test in Chicago newspapers. That's all they'll say, at the moment. They added that the existing print ad program they've been testing in magazines has had favorable reaction from advertisers and publishers.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 8:52 AM | Permalink

August 31, 2005

Google Selling Print Ads

About two years ago, I spoke with a Google executive about the idea that they might move into print ads. Rather than an outright rejection, I got an interested look and a "what do you think about that idea?" response. It was clear to me that the company had been pondering such a move. Google takes ad sales to print from News.com today looks at how this now appears to be happening.

Google's been buying pages in PC Magazine and other technology publications, then reselling those pages to advertisers already in its ad network. The article points at an online example here.

Not only doesn't the move surprise me, but I personally expect we'll see more of it. There's no reason why Google or Yahoo can't move some of their advertisers into the print world. Moreover, as I wrote in November, I'm still expecting we'll see something like a print yellow pages from one or both of these major players.

Want to comment or discuss? Visit our forum thread, Google Goes Into Print Ads.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:10 AM | Permalink

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