AdWords advertisers given access to 225 offline newspapers

After a successful limited test, Google is throwing open the Print Ads gate to a new universe of publishers for its AdWords advertisers.

by Helen Leggatt

google%20adwords%20logo.gif Google’s Print Ads program begun testing in November, 2006. At the time, selected AdWords advertisers were connected with around 50 newspapers. After Tuesday’s announcement, hundreds of thousands of AdWords advertisers will have access to 225 quality newspapers across the U.S.

"They click a tab and have access to this new universe of publishers,” said Spencer Spinnell, head of advertising strategy for Google Print Ads, via AdAge.com. “They're searching for inventory by geography, circulation, ad size, section or day of week."

Newspapers, once reticent on the subject, are now able to recapture some of the market being lost online by making their offline inventory available to online businesses.

As with search advertising, companies bid on available newspaper ad inventory which can be chosen by geography, section, day of week, circulation and other criteria. The publication can either reject or accept the offer and may even come back with a counteroffer.

“We believe newspapers are a critical component in the marketing ecosystem,” said Spinnell. “More than 50 percent of adults read newspapers every day, and marketers are always trying to reach new customers. It’s always a great multiplier effect when marketers think holistically both offline and online.”

Two reported examples of advertisers who were involved in the initial test, namely Covad and ServiceMagic, both saw increases in sales or enquiries of around 20 percent.

Google claims that 98 percent of the newspapers who participated in the initial test will remain onboard, so I think it can safely be assumed that they also benefited from the hook up.