So Google decided it’s time to see just how far they can take their “pay-per-action” ad model and acquired a radio advertising network.
Accountability and Efficiency for Offline Advertising
This is a very bold, strategic move for Google. They are basically laying down the gauntlet and challenging the status quo of offline advertising principles. If they are successful in bringing a pay-per-action model to radio, they’ll certainly have a lot of traditional radio execs and ad agencies quaking in their boots.
If the integration is successful, Google will be placing a good deal of power into the hands of search marketers, said Andy Beal, president and CEO of Fortune Interactive. “Offline advertisers will no longer be content to be told that their radio ad will be heard by a potential audience size or demographic. Instead, they’ll come to expect detailed reports and accountability. They’ll want to know how effective the radio ad was and whether it resulted in new business,” Beal said. “The same level of accountability that search marketers have been held to will now apply to traditional advertising. Expect the skills learned by those search marketers to be in very high demand.” (as quoted in ClickZ).
Why Move Offline
Google is now a public company, and one that needs to continue its incredible growth. There are only so many new people coming online each month, certainly not enough to maintain the growth Google has seen over the past few years. It makes total sense for Google to explore non-search channels in order to satisfy expectations of growth, placed on it by Wall Street.
Why Radio?
Of the three major offline marketing channels, radio has the lowest cost of entry. For a mere $100 million, Google gets to test whether or not their approach to ad buying will work in an offline environment. It’s no coincidence that dMarq is a company that is already trying to bring efficiency to the space and has an ad network in place.
“If they can bring the same efficiencies to radio ad buying that they’ve shown in the search space, they’ll be able to provide a cheaper alternative to more antiquated means of being able to buy ad space on radio networks,” (as quoted in the LA Times).
If Google is successful, you should fully expect Google to branch into television and push ahead with print.
Will Google Succeed?
While it’s a bold move, it’s also a move that is not guaranteed to succeed. The Adwords model works well in an environment where the consumer is in “hunt” mode – that is, they want a product or service and they want it now. But will it work in an environment where advertising is more of a distraction? It’s a lot more difficult to target an audience when you really don’t know what they are interested in – at that particular time – or if they even really paying attention – driving home from work.
A New Google
As many have noted in the past, Google is moving further and further away from its mission statement. They are no longer content to organize the world’s information. Instead, it appears they are more interested in monetizing the world’s information. They also need to finally admit that they are no longer just a search engine. There’s no search process involved with radio – unless you count the “seek” button on your radio – and there is no reason for Google to move into radio, other than a desire to capture a larger audience and diversify the risk of having 99% of its ad revenue come from the web.
“It’s the end of Google as a search company and the beginning of Google as a media company,” said Andy Beal, president of search engine marketing company Fortune Interactive. “And they’re not just an online media company. They’re offline now.” (as quoted in the San Jose Mercury News).
The Future?
This may not be too far fetched…Could we see Google buying a stake in XM or Sirius? Could you soon be driving in your car, hear an ad you like, push a “favorites” button which automatically saves the ad information to the MP3 player docked in your car’s radio? When you get home and dock your MP3 player with your computer, voila, the website for the ad you heard is now loading into your web browser.
Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world’s most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.
You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.
