Google helps international brands contextualise banner ads
According to a report in Adweek, global car manufacturer Ford is the first marketer to create banner ads using Google’s new display offering which runs ads according to the nature of websites, in order to increase their relevance.
The car company has created an interactive banner ad campaign using a technology called Search API DoubleClick Rich Media, which Google has been able to develop since its acquisition of online display ad giant DoubleClick in 2007.
Meanwhile, the search engine giant is keen to cash in on projections of increased spending on display ads as the global economy recovers from recession. It has been widely reported this week that YouTube has seen a surge in display advertisers in recent months.
Scott Kelly, head of Ford’s digital marketing, said that Google’s technology has automated a process that would otherwise be extremely labour-intensive, thereby creating increased control of marketing spend. “This is the first time we can take search targeting and put a brand wrap around it,” he said. “Google can scan through our websites and create ads on the fly and get them out in a really relevant way.”
Kelly has identified the possibility of creating new cost-efficiencies via streamlined marketing efforts at a time of ever increasing media fragmentation. “There are so many different sites and mobile devices in an exploding number of places where you can reach people,” he said.
Depending on the context of the website, the most relevant Ford content is displayed in the ad unit, using video from the Ford YouTube channel and information from the brand’s websites thefordstory.com and fordvehicles.com. For example, a site that discusses green issues would highlight Ford’s hybrid models.
“This marries the science of search with the art of display,” explained Bruce Falck, head of the Google Content Network.
The initiative highlights Google’s aim to reinvent the display market. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt said in January that “the next big business” for the search engine giant is display.
Whilst the new technology won’t be suitable for every brand, many of those looking to streamline global campaign implementation are likely to follow Ford’s lead with similar initiatives. Consumers expect ever greater relevance from the international marketing activities of their trusted brands.
Yet new technology, while helping to streamline the marketing process, cannot cut out the need for local relevance and a regional presence. At Freedman we aim to advise clients on technology and operational planning, helping to identify gaps and opportunities for the creation of improved marketing performance alongside increased cost-efficiencies.
Tags: Global Brand
