Re-imagining classic ads for the mobile age

It’s no secret that users are spending more and more time on their mobile and tablet devices, and the trend will continue to scale. Mobile devices drive 10% of total Internet traffic, up from 4% just 18 months ago, and an astounding 29% of U.S. adults now have a tablet or e-reader -- up from 2% three years ago. This opens up many new opportunities for advertisers to connect with consumers. However, with this new opportunity comes new challenges to create rich ad experiences that engage and delight viewers; experiences that leverage unique features of the devices and environment in which they’re seen.



To see what mobile ads of tomorrow will look like, we’ve re-imagined four iconic ads from the 1960s and 70s in Project Re: Brief, an experiment we launched earlier this year. Today we’re releasing the Android app for Project Re: Brief, which lets you play with these new ads on your phone and tablet devices. Built on the latest platform for mobile rich media, these ads try to push the boundaries of what can be done with today’s technology.



Coca-Cola: “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.” (mobile ad)

The mobile ad lets you send a free Coke with a text message to a stranger across the world, who can receive it on special vending machines. The recipient can then record a message from the machine and send it right back to your phone. The ad uses the phone’s GPS location to show a customized video of your message flying through clouds, Google Maps and StreetView images.



Volvo: “Drive it like you hate it.” (tablet ad)

This ad lets you follow the unique story of Irv Gordon, a loyal Volvo owner who's on his way to putting three million miles on his 1966 P1800s. You can watch relevant videos and hear audio clips about stories from his journey so far, follow his Google+ feed, see his mileage and location in real-time, and explore features of the latest Volvo cars. The ad shows different copy and video based on the tablet app in which it is seen. Simply swipe the screen left or right to see how the ad behaves in different apps.



Alka-Seltzer: “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” (mobile ad)

You can follow Ralph on the day “he ate the whole thing” through a series of 1970’s sitcom-like episodes that are customized to the viewer based on the device, app, time, weather and location. From the ad settings menu, you can select various options to see how a video might be customized to a viewer based on this information. Then, simply tap the display ad to launch the customized video.



Avis: “We try harder.” (tablet ad)

A user can write about his or her experiences with Avis rental cars in natural language, i.e. spoken English, provide some details about the rental car, and within seconds, his or her story is turned into a one-of-a-kind film, which can be shared on the web - all within the ad. The pre-roll animation of the ad changes based on the app. Swipe the screen left or right to see how the animation varies in different apps.



If you don’t have an Android device, you can play with the desktop versions of these ads on projectrebrief.com, and watch videos of the mobile versions. We’re also working hard on an app for your iOS devices.



These are just some examples of what can be done with mobile ads, when you marry big creative ideas with the latest technology platforms. We hope they inspire the advertising community to create even more beautiful mobile experiences.


Posted by Aman Govil, Product Marketing Manager, Display Marketing

In-Product Help: Finding Help in DoubleClick Search Just Got Easier

DoubleClick Search makes finding help easier than ever before with the release of our new In-Product Help tool. Benefits include the following:

• Searchable in-product help is now just a click away, letting you quickly search our Help Center without leaving your current screen.


• Contextual help shows the most relevant Help Center articles, based on your current page in DoubleClick Search.


• Replaces the ‘Contact Support’ link in the lower left, making it easier to reach our world-class support team. The new “Contact Us” link in the Help pop-up sends DoubleClick Search Support all the information they need to address your inquiries even faster.

To get your DoubleClick Search issues resolved through In-Product Help, click the Help link in the upper righthand corner of the UI.

To learn more about this feature, visit our Help Center.


Posted by the DoubleClick Search team

Announcing new UK advertisers

We’re excited to let you know that 30+ UK advertisers have recently launched affiliate programmes with Google Affiliate Network. For publishers with UK audiences, these programmes represent a new opportunity to earn incremental revenue for your website.



Just a few of our newly-launched advertisers include:

• Travel: Olotels


• Entertainment: Netflix


• Gifts: Moonpig


• Apparel & Accessories: Radley


• Finance: Baines & Ernst

Follow these steps to apply to UK programmes:

1. Log in to your account (or apply to join our network)


2. Go to the Advertisers tab


3. On the left-hand navigation, click 'Relationship status' and choose 'Available'


4. Click ‘Countries’ and choose United Kingdom


5. Apply to programmes

If you’re an advertiser interested in starting an affiliate programme with Google Affiliate Network, please contact us.



Posted by: Tony Nelan, Head of Google Affiliate Network for Europe

The Mobile Landscape: What Creative Agencies Need to Know

Join us on Tues, June 19th at 4pm ET/1pm PT, for a 45 minute LIVE conversation with Wook Chung and Nate Racklyeft of Google's Mobile Product Team!



Wook and Nate will discuss the key technology issues around Mobile and strategies for creatives to drive success now.



Creatives worldwide can join Hangout on Air: youtube.com/creativesandbox



There's a special opportunity for a maximum of 8 leading creative agencies who have done work in Mobile or are planning a special push in the arena, to reserve a spot on screen in the Hangout with Wook and Nate, available on a first come basis. Contact Jeff Sundheim to check availability.






Posted by Jeff Sundheim, Creative Platform Strategies

Introducing Agency Edge: a one-stop shop for Agency Education Online

One of the requests we get most often from our agency partners is for tools that help them put our tools into action to make the web work for them. We listened, and are today introducing Agency Edge, our new home for agency learning online.



Agency Edge is for agency professionals to get on-demand training, sales collateral, and benchmark data to better serve their clients. Agencies can fully leverage the platform as their own by customizing Google and agency materials into “course packs” and assigning them to employees for a globally scalable training platform.







We have consolidated and refreshed agency-specialized content from multiple Google content portals, which are now available for on-demand self service, including: Search, Display, Mobile, YouTube, Think Insights, Google Research, Learn with Google, and Engage content.



Agency Edge is available in English today, with more language support coming. Contact your Google rep for more info about how to get set up!



Posted by the Agency Edge team

Learn from other AdWords advertisers in the AdWords Community!

Since its launch in mid-February 2012, the (still-new) AdWords Community, has been a place for advertisers from different parts of the world to come together and exchange ideas, advice and stories with other AdWords advertisers. It's really inspiring to see people sharing their best practises, pointing each other to resources, and enthusiastically helping those who need it.

 



I’d like to share with you a few comments from our members on their experiences with the AdWords Community:



NehaGupta: “I am happy to be part of Google AdWords Community. I love to discuss about Google AdWords as much as I can as I believe discussions always bring something knowledgeable. Perfect platform for me. I am really excited spending more and more time here instead of Facebook. Everyday I’m learning new things and also trying to take part in conversation by replying answers asked in the forum.”



PPCBossman: “Hundreds of advertisers flow in and out of this Community on a daily/weekly basis and we all roll on as if it's just another day. ...There are great days where lots of problems get worked out, new advertisers are learning and members are achieving personal goals here within the Community. Just as any real life situations, we also have some down times too. ...I have had the most amazing experience here in the last few months, made some great friends, learned a ton and helped a few people along the way as well. But I keep coming back because I know that this Community, Visitors and Members alike, are here for me and guess what, they're here for YOU too! (for the full post click here)



David-nationalp: “I'm here because I'd like the ability to have some input into the direction that Google AdWords goes, understand what's going on in the PPC world, and be able to learn/share knowledge of Google AdWords.”



But the AdWords Community is more than just user discussions; you can find insightful articles (so called “AdWords Wikis”) written by expert users. You can learn more about the some of the community members, such as the Top Contributors, and what it takes to become one. And you can get some reassurance that the Google AdWords Community team is not just a bunch of robots. But instead of taking our word for it, why don't you go and find out for yourself! If you'd like, go ahead and leave us a comment by clicking on the "new message" button directly on the forum.



We are looking forward to see you in the Community!



Note: Currently, the AdWords Community is also available in the following languages: French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian.




Posted by Zuzana S. Moran on behalf of the AdWords Community Team

Welcome summer with exclusive promotions

Google Affiliate Network exclusive promotions are back! Over 50 limited-time deals are available only to Google Affiliate Network publishers from June 22nd to June 25th.

Follow these steps to get started:

1. Apply for Google Affiliate Network with your AdSense Publisher ID (or sign in if you're already a Google Affiliate Network publisher).


2. Once approved, review the available promotions and click the "Apply Now" link for each one that you wish to promote. These promotions will also be available in your Google Affiliate Network account starting on June 18th. You can find them in the Home tab or by searching for “June Exclusive” in the Links tab.

When can I post these promotions on my site?
All promotions will be live by 12 am Central Time on June 22nd, and all will expire at 11:59 pm Central Time on June 25th. Note that while you may access the promotions by June 18th, you may only post these exclusive promotions from June 22nd to June 25th.

For additional questions, check out the Help Center or contact us.




Posted by Erica Sievert, Product Marketing Manager