Google Auctioning Print Ads

[dutter]

The search advertising company has expanded its magazine ad test to a broader number of magazines in three of its vertical markets.

Google's test of magazine ads began last summer, and involved two computer-oriented publications. Certain advertisers appeared on ad pages with the words Ads by Google and special phone numbers Google used to track the effectiveness of the test.

Several more options for magazine ads have been introduced to AdWords advertisers. Those options include three vertical markets: automotive, lifestyle, and technology. Some very well-known publications appear in those lists, like Car and Driver, Martha Stewart Living, and InfoWorld among the 28 listed.

Advertisers can click on titles in those lists to see demographic information and more details on the magazine's content and readership. A form on the magazine info page allows users to login with their AdWords credentials, select an ad size, pick which issues they want the ad to appear in, and enter a maximum bid.

When selecting issues, a bidder may not win all the issues they selected. Google will let bidders win some issues though, and explained the prorated option available to bidders:

...as long as when you submit your bid, you check the box indicating that you'd like to prorate your bid for individual issues. Prorating your bid means that if, for example, you bid $12,000 for three 1/4 page ads, our system will treat your bid as three $4,000 bids for each 1/4 page. That way, if your bid does not win for all of the issues you selected, you can still win some of the issues and pay a prorated amount for each.

Prorating is an option enabled by default, but can be cleared by unchecking the box next to that option in the issue selection area of the page.

The Inside AdWords blog noted bids must be submitted by February 20th, 2006. After the deadline, the auction will take place, with Google contacting the winning bidders. Google will also work with those winners to ensure they deliver print-ready ads to the magazines.

[Scott Adie]

It shouldn't be a matter of 'what would it take' to entice AdWords users to purchase more traditional print ads, if you're in business you should already be doing that.

I love the internet and all the content that is available but it's not now or anytime soon the end-all to our marketing needs. It must be understood that it's just another avenue to fulfillment of our marketing efforts. If we're not already in print advertising, then we are saying that we aren't interested in the market share that is not accustomed to, or likely to, use the internet.

Good for Google! Whether they're good at developing print advertising campaigns in conjunction with their online advertising efforts, remains to be seen. At least they're sharp enough to acknowledge the necessity of print media. My question to them would be; 'are you prepared to work with clients in development of their entire marketing campaigns or are you just a media buyer preparing targeted ads designed to address particular client needs in relationship to the rest of their marketing campaigns?

[TropicalTraditions]

Does Google somehow get better rates then if one were to go directly to the print media and buy space? This is not clear at all in Google's info. We are still waiting to hear a response to this from our Google rep.

Brian