Widgets continue to be all the rage on the Internet. The popularity of them is pretty amazing and the viral spread of widgets is pretty impressive as well. Widgets are kind of like
, you don't want to get water on them or feed them after midnight. For those who don't know what a widget is, a widget is simply a piece of embeddable code that can be found on one site, and embedded in another that can be used to promote your own site, blog or brand. We have discussed widget marketing a number of times in the past. We've touched on the fascination with widgets and the importance of
in the near future if not already.
So we knew that it was only a matter of time until Google would try to branch out and distribute ads into widgets. In fact, yesterday was that day as Google announced that it will begin distributing ads within "widgets". Google's statement as to what exactly Google Gadget Ads are:
Gadget ads enable advertisers and agencies to engage audiences on the Internet's largest ad network with a rich and interactive new ad format.
The announcement of the "Gadget Ads" has been well received in the financial arena as Google's share price has jumped nicely since the announcement as it is currently near the $554/share mark. (Google's all-time high was around the $558 mark)
What Are Google Gadget Ads?So just what are Google Gadget Ads? Google describes them as "applications incorporating data feeds, maps, images, audio, video, Flash, HTML or JavaScript in a single creative". This new ad format will allow advertisers to create these interactive ads within widgets that can be spread virally across the Internet. Widgets as you know are simply pieces of software that can include video, images, and dynamically updated data feeds. Advertisers looking for more "pizzazz and flash" will find the use of widget advertising somewhat pleasing as they make use of display advertising over text based ads.
According to Google,
benefits of Gadget Ads for Advertisers include the fact that:
- The Google content network comprises thousands of high-quality websites that partner with Google to display targeted ads.
- As an advertiser, you can select sites or let Google's ad targeting display your ads on the most relevant pages.
- Analyze performance by selecting from dozens of predefined interactions and optimize based on those results.
- Gadget ads are built with the same technology as gadgets on iGoogle, which currently has tens of millions of users.
- Use gadget ads to drive significant traffic to your iGoogle gadgets to maintain an ongoing conversation with your target audience.
Currently, gadgets/widgets are being adopted by numerous products from the likes of AOL, IBM and thousands of websites. There is growing use of RSS feeds and widgets that many are using to syndicate their content out to the masses. You can bet that Google's competitors such as Yahoo and Microsoft are also working on similar platforms.
Here is a look at some existing ads from the
Google Gadget Ads Gallery.
Need more information on Google Gadget Ads? Here are a few links to Google Gadget resources.
Official Google Gadget Ads Links
About Google Gadget AdsBenefits of Google Gadget AdsFeatures of Google Gadget AdsSuccess Stories Using Google Gadget AdsTutorial on Google Gadget AdsGoogle Gadget Ads HelpCopyright 2007,
Enquiro Search Solutions, Inc.