Google Launches Cost-Per-Call Tracking for TV Ads

Google has launched a new feature for Google TV Ads, which lets advertisers automatically receive cost-per-call data through the service for TV campaigns that utilize Google supplied toll-free phone numbers. Google says the feature is designed to give TV advertisers access to richer performance data, which allows more effective optimization based on real-time call data.

"The system tracks incoming calls and matches each call down to the network, daypart and even program level," explains Google's TV Ads team. "Advertisers will find these metrics in their campaign 'Targets' tab which reports data like 'Live Inquiries,' "Drag Inquiries" (calls that come in a significant time after an ad has aired) and cost-per-inquiry."

"Our system takes into account the number of impressions, network, and time of day for each ad to help match calls as accurately as possible," they add. "In addition, the algorithm has been designed to predict call response with increasing accuracy as it learns from your data over time."





To use the feature, advertisers should log into AdWords, create a TV campaign, and sign up for one of Google's 866 numbers (in the phone numbers tab). Then, designate which ad creative corresponds to the number in the Ads tab.

According to Google, advertisers will see data appearing in the cost-per-inquiry columns in the Targets tab of each campaign within a few hours.
 

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Google Gets a New Real-Time Infrastructure for Display Ads

Google just announced that it is acquiring Teracent, a provider of "intelligent dynamic display advertising." The company considers itself a pioneer in dynamic ad serving and optimization solutions. Google appears to agree.

Teracent provides machine-learning algorithms, which can create customized display ads based on thousands of different creative elements. The infrastructure Teracent brings to the table allows for real-time assembly of dynamic ads. It's designed to determine the optimal selection of each ad element and return it based on the objectives of the campaign.

"As you know, we've been busy releasing new features and products to help improve display advertising on the web for everyone," Google says. "We believe that Teracent's technology fits neatly into these efforts."

Google says the one on the right was created with Teracent's technology.

"Teracent's technology can pick and choose from literally thousands of creative elements of a display ad in real-time — tweaking images, products, messages or colors," the company adds. "These elements can be optimized depending on factors like geographic location, language, the content of the website, the time of day or the past performance of different ads."

"The infrastructure, opportunities and technical depth that Google will provide for Teracent customers means a future of product innovation for Teracent's dynamic ad optimization platform," Teracent says in their own announcement.

Google says the technology can help advertisers get better results from their display ad campaigns, while enabling publishers to make more money from their ad space.

Teracent's technology will be available to all Google advertisers running display ads, including DoubleClick clients. The deal is expected to close this quarter, subject to various, but unnamed closing conditions.

Integration details will be announced after the deal is officially closed. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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People Checking The Cellphones and Blackberries Before Breakfast

If you’re an avid dayparter, you might already know that breakfast is one of the best times of day to target your advertising.

According to the NYT, more and more people are checking emails, tweeting, texting and updating their Facebook status, before they grab breakfast. Some, are even more addicted!

This is morning in America in the Internet age. After six to eight hours of network deprivation — also known as sleep — people are increasingly waking up and lunging for cellphones and laptops, sometimes even before swinging their legs to the floor and tending to more biologically urgent activities.

Hah!

Seriously, breakfast is the new lunchtime! It used to be that lunchtime was the best time of day to target your online advertising. There’s nothing more captive than a bored worker with company provided broadband! Now it appears that more of us are getting our fix at home, before our Cheerios, and so marketers need to adapt.

This rise in pre-breakfast internet use could help mobile marketers finally figure out how to reach their target audience. As the report suggests, iPhones and Blackberries are becoming more popular than iHop and blueberry pancakes! Consumers are packing in a lot of mobile browsing first thing in the morning–the perfect time to capture their attention!

Have you had success targeting your ads at breakfast time?

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Online Video Driving User Engagement

Nearly three-quarters (70%) of Internet users view online video during the day and night with similar spikes occurring both at home and at work.

This is according to a new study by Yahoo, Interpret, Havas Digital, Warner Bros. Media Research and PHD that looked at how people interact with online video, and how marketers can use this information to drive engagement.

“Unlike television consumption, which mostly happens during the primetime hours of 8 p.m. – 11 p.m., people across all demographics are watching online videos consistently throughout the day and night, with the exception of dinnertime,” said Jason Kramer, Chief Strategy Officer at Interpret LLC.

“This fundamental shift in consumer behavior opens up opportunities for publishers, advertisers, agencies and marketers. For example, rather than advertisers only vying for spots on hot television shows that appear during primetime, they can leverage online video to reach target audiences more often than just once per week.”

The study showed spikes in online video viewing among men, women, students and full-time employees during the hours of 12 p.m.-3 p.m., and then again between 9 p.m.-1 a.m. The lowest was around dinnertime from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Regardless of time of day, one third of people who watch a video share it with friends, family members and co-workers.

“Online video has experienced dramatic growth among consumers, but publishers still have questions about what works, and advertisers have been slow to move dollars online because there are no established metrics,” said Radha Subramanyam, head of corporate and media research for Yahoo!.

“We plan to use this new engagement model to help publishers, including Yahoo!, better identify which videos should be shown online, as well as how they can be effectively measured and monetized. It’s our hope that marketers will find this information helpful as they consider launching advertising campaigns in video-rich environments .

The model is based on the following variables:

Completion of the Video – Completion is a strong indicator of engagement because online videos are generally a self-selected experience where the viewer has to first decide to start watching a video and then decide to leave that page once they are done.

Attention to Content – This variable refers to the amount of attention someone gives to a video experience, compared to the amount of attention they give to the other people or tasks in their environment at that moment. Attention paid is a strong indicator of passion and the potential opportunity to make an ad impression.

Actions Taken – This variable refers to the actions viewers might have taken before, during, or after watching the streaming video (e.g. posting a comment, rating the video, sharing the video).

According to the study:

• 27 percent of respondents who remembered seeing an ad searched for more information about the product featured after watching high engagement videos, versus only 13 percent for low engagement videos.
• 28 percent visited an advertised brand or product’s website after viewing a high engagement video versus only 10 percent for low engagement videos.
• High engagement videos account for nearly half (47 percent) of ad recall.