Making good on its pledge to help advertisers plant ads across all media, Google on May 1 began selling its Google TV Ads system.
The company created a digital system, in beta since June 2007, to help U.S.-based advertisers buy TV advertising.
“Television is a great way to reach new customers who might not be familiar with your product or service,” wrote Christian Yee of Google’s Inside AdWords crew. “Research [PDF] shows that 37% of online search users were prompted to perform a search as a result of exposure to television advertising. Now, you can launch a national television ad campaign right from your existing AdWords account.”
The potential here is scary. If the TV Ads system drives even a small percentage of the millions of couch potatoes all over the world to do Internet searches, Google will pad its deep ad pockets even more. It will make mobile search ads look like a May shower.
Think about it. Google has already been touted as the No. 1 brand in the world. So now we have the leader in Internet search targeting the multibillion-dollar market for TV advertising. Imagine the Super Bowl creatives that could come out of this pairing.
But like everything else, this depends on Google’s ability to lead the great advertising horses in the industry — Coke, Pepsi, Budweiser — to drink from its well.
For Google TV Ads: Advertisers will start, of course, with a TV commercial. But those that don’t have one can visit Google’s Ad Creation Marketplace, which helps advertisers hook up with creative professionals who write scripts, edit and produce ads.
In the spirit of spending money to make money, Google is digging into its deep pockets to lure advertisers to its new system by covering the cost of ads created through Ad Creation Marketplace up to $2,000.
To help users create their campaigns, Google is offering recommendations based on audience demographics as well as an option to procure a customized campaign for free.
Like Google’s other AdWords programs, TV Ads employs an auction model, letting users choose the maximum cost per thousand impressions they’re willing to pay. Advertisers only pay when their ads air.
Read how it works here and check out this demo to see it in action.