Upgraded Mobile Advertising

Mobile Advertising Options Released by Google

Google has developed a major update to its advertising platform and called it ‘Enhanced Campaigns’. Announced via its blog post, Google explains that this new project would now allow marketers to combine campaigns across desktop and mobile. "This is a first step to help you more simply and smartly manage your ad campaigns in today’s multi-device world," wrote Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google's Senior Vice President of Engineering.

The basis for Enhanced Campaigns is context and location, so essentially the biggest change is that Google is growing more ‘contextually’ aware. If a user is on a mobile device they will see ads that you have marked as "mobile preferred". A mobile device will be defined as one on which a user is out and about, rather than browsing from a fixed position such as work or home. Marking an ad as "mobile preferred" gives Google some flexibility to judge which ads are more appropriate based on the consumer's situation. A device like a laptop or tablet could be a home/work computer or might be used in a cafe. If the user is mobile, then they should see mobile ads regardless of a strict device type.

Google’s example to highlight the changes:
"A breakfast cafe wants to reach people nearby searching for "coffee" or "breakfast" on a smartphone. Using bid adjustments, they can bid 25% higher for people searching a half-mile away, 20% lower for searches after 11am, and 50% higher for searches on smartphones. "These bid adjustments can apply to all ads and all keywords in one single campaign," explained Ramaswamy.

Before this change, marketers would have to create different campaigns for content pushed across desktop and mobile devices. By streamlining the process, Enhanced Campaigns provides a more integrated approach for brands and targeted content for consumers.

The new addition to AdWords may be one way Google can benefit from on-the-move consumers. However, there are still some kinks to iron out. To read more about the cons of this new upgrade check this article out on Search Engine Land.

Enhanced Campaigns are rolling out in the following weeks, with all campaigns expected to be updated by mid-2013.