Rich Search Ads Hold Promise, But...
[Posted by Neil Strother]
A quick note to say a new report is up regarding marketers experimenting with rich ads (images and video) in search: "Rich Search Ads: Too Early For Most Advertisers" (available in full to Forrester clients).
The promise of these newer search ads is greater user engagement while on a search results page. The user can view product photos, watch a short video clip, or get to detailed information quicker, such as an insurance rate quote. We like the idea. These richer formats can help facilitate transactions, as well as put brand elements at key decision points.
But the major search engines (Google and Yahoo!) have so far restricted access to these rich formats to a select few advertisers, and the formats themselves are still under development. Some early results have been favorable, but how these rich formats do over time is still unclear. For now, most search marketers can delay significant spending until more results are available and the buying process becomes more automated.
What do you think? Do rich search ads make sense for your brand? Will rich search ads become part of your future plans? Post a comment below.
In the words of Morris L. Hite, member of the Advertising Hall of Fame, “Advertising is salesmanship mass produced. No one would bother to use advertising if he could talk to all his prospects face-to-face." The closer we can get to a one-on-one sales call with any online tools, the better.
Posted by: Devon Kinkead | October 04, 2009 at 05:32 PM