Google opens television ad program to all marketers

Marketers who want to enter the television space but aren't sure where to start may get a helping hand from online giant Google. The company has opened the Google TV ad-buying service to all marketers.

by Kristina Knight

Google has been testing the TV Ads platform since June, 2007. The platform uses an advertising auction model while gives marketers metrics through set-top-box data. The analytics include how many seconds consumers were tuned into an ad (per impression) and how many consumers watched from start to finish. The program allows businesses to reach upwards of 13 million Dish Network households from 94 different cable networks.

Marketers can target nationally, market-by-market or can stay local. Additionally, ads can be targeted to specific dayparts, specific programming or even to a specific area of content such as the health segment within a news program. The ads are launched from Google AdWords accounts.

To help marketers get their feet wet, Google is offering to pay up to $2,000 in costs for the creation of television-friendly ads. The ads are created in Google's Ad Creation Marketplace, but the ad campaigns must begin by June 30, 2008. Also, marketers have to spend a minimum of $2,000/week for four consecutive weeks.

Though much has been said about the waning popularity of television, the sheer numbers of consumers still tuning in make television a great buy. And, if ad campaigns are cross-marketed - sending a consumer from a television ad to an online website, for example - the return on investment can greatly increase.