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As demonstrated at AdAge in September, Google is leveraging the Google Goggles visual search technology for its advertising purposes.
Goggles is a mobile application that lets users take pictures with their Apple iPhones and Google Android phones to search products, landmarks, places and other items on the Web.
Because it lives on the Web, leveraging Google’s cloud of servers, the app naturally lends itself to online advertising.
To wit, Google began working with Buick, Disney, Diageo, T-Mobile and Delta Airlines, which have “Goggles-enabled” some of their print ads, movie posters and other media to test their effectiveness on the mobile Web.
When people use Goggles to take pictures of these print ad images, the app will recognize them and provide users the option to click through to reach the brand’s Website.
Google shows how this experiment works in this video, which shows people “goggling” a Buick LaCrosse ad, a T-Mobile G2 smartphone ad and a movie poster for the forthcoming Tron: Legacy Disney film:
I appreciate Google trying to expand it’s ad purview. Google Product Listing Ads is one recent fine search ad iteration, as is the Google Boost technology for local businesses.
But it’s been my experience that when you give the user an option to skip an ad, they will.
So I’m not sure how giving people the option to scan an ad with their phone to get to the brand destination Website is a viable option.
Maybe Google will prove me wrong and leverage Goggles to grow its display ad business even more.