Bringing Online Simplicity and Measurability to an Offline World

By Dan Taylor

The Internet space has created new definitions and expectations from marketers regarding efficiency, simplicity and measurability.

With the click of a button, marketers who utilize online advertising vehicles can view exactly what they've paid for and how a campaign is progressing. With this real-time data, advertisers can make critical marketing decisions and optimize a campaign for maximum results.

In 2006, Google introduced its Audio Ads platform, which serves the terrestrial and satellite radio space. The product is designed to give traditional marketers, as well as existing Google advertisers, new levels of simplicity, efficiency and measurability to their radio advertising transactions, moving them one step closer toward an advertising platform that provides both online and offline advertising.

MAKING DIGITAL AD DELIVERY AVAILABLE
The key component to the product is patented software that allows real-time two-way communication between Google and its affiliate radio stations' studio automation systems, the "brain" of every radio station essential for managing the commercial inventory and programming content brought to the airwaves.

In 2006, Google integrated this connectivity and ad platform into its AdWords program to provide access to new and existing brand advertisers, DR advertisers and media buying agencies.

In November 2006, Google launched a beta test of the Audio Ads online platform to a limited number of AdWords customers, allowing them to plan, place and track radio ads through an auction-based platform inside AdWords.

The aim of this test was to open up the radio space to what's been termed in the Internet industry as the long tail of advertisers: the large number of small, local businesses that together make up a substantial market when given a simple, efficient and measurable means to place advertising. Technology has made it possible to link these small advertisers, which have never had an economic way to reach mainstream audiences, with media companies that have never had an economic way of selling to them.

The features of Google Audio Ads are:

• Simplicity - Marketers have instant access to hundreds of terrestrial and satellite radio stations around the U.S. with one interface.
• Customization - Marketers can specify a target audience by age, gender, radio stations formats, times of day, etc.
• Connectivity - Once the criteria are set, Google conducts a "search" of inventory in its affiliate station network that meets marketers' criteria and returns a detailed delivery proposal.
• Measurability - Real-time reporting data tracks every commercial aired.
• Optimization - Real-time campaign data can be exported from Google Audio Ads' reporting tools.

Ultimately, the goal is to provide a web-enabled marketplace for buyers and sellers of all forms of advertising media, while providing simplicity, efficiency and measurability to their marketing campaigns.

Dan Taylor handles Google Audio Ads. He can be reached via e-mail at dantaylor@google.com.