Dischler, when asked how many ad pins might appear on a map, said Google was “very sensitive to quality”.
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Adam Kleinberg, chief executive of ad agency Traction Corp., said advertisers will be more excited about bigger search ads than the Google Maps changes because search ads are so effective.
Moreover, users will be able to distinguish between a location that is being endorsed (i.e. a Promoted Pin) vis-à-vis a regular one, thanks to the pins on the map.
In an experiment, some Maps users may begin to notice “promoted pins” that display company logos and pinpoint the locations of nearby cafes or restaurants along their driving route when viewing the route via Maps.
Clicking on a logo will reveal the company page at the bottom of the display that will contain more information to entice the viewers further.
The local search ads are being introduced across both Google Maps and Google.com.
The promoted pins will initially appear for a small group of people as the company tests how they’re received and whether the marketing pitches distract drivers. If a customer searches for something like a “shoe store”, businesses can pay for their location to show up. Last year, it added a third ad atop some mobile search results, forcing its “natural” search results onto a second screen.
Google remains the money-making engine for parent company Alphabet, with the bulk of that revenue coming from online advertising.
Google is working on avenues to serve more ads on its maps application. Speaking at a press briefing yesterday, Jerry Dischler, vice president of product management for AdWords, said that even with the rise of ecommerce “90 percent of global sales happen in stores” and that Google maps have the opportunity to be the bridge “where mobile and local meet”.
It asserted that the redesigning of AdWords was in a bid to aid marketers succeed in a world dominated by mobiles. However, Google also doesn’t have any plans to make it possible to turn them off. The updates also include more branded, customised experiences for businesses on Google Maps, with the core proposition being to help retailers bolster the number of in-store visits (see image below). Google said advertisers paid 9% less per click versus the same period a year ago.
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Google also said it’s adding a feature that automatically designs a “responsive ad” that adapts the content shown to what a user is browsing.
