Consumers don’t always buy something the minute they show interest in it. They may search for information, ask for recommendations, and browse around the web before making their decision to purchase. This is not that different either online or offline. It takes quite a few touchpoints with each customer before they actually buy from you. Since you’re not likely to buy something the first time you see an ad, Google is increasing the chances that you’ll click through on an ad by having those ads follow you around the web… which is a bit creepy.
If someone sees an ad on one site, Google can now show the same ad or a follow-up ad to just that person when they visit another site which shows Google ads. Since there are millions of sites in the Google Content Network, chances are Google will see them again. The program has been in beta since March, but it is now being rolled out to all AdWords customers. – Google Ads Will Now Follow You Across The Web (TechCrunch)
As creepy as this may seem, consumers are more likely to engage with an advertisement that they’ve seen more than once (which is why companies run advertising campaigns to get their message across on multiple channels). And with Google’s stock of information about you, they’re probably pretty good at knowing what it is that you’re potentially interested in at any point of time.
From a consumer’s standpoint, ads become more relevant and targeted and therefore useful. But there is a question of privacy and how much information Google has about you and how they’re using it. Google’s improved in terms of allowing you to see all the accounts you have with a particular login, but they have yet to let you see what type of information they have on you in terms of your searching and browsing.
For companies, this increases the efficiency and effectiveness of advertising with Google. There’s a higher likelihood that ads will be seen by the right people and at the right time (when they’re ready to make a purchase). Since this service has been in beta until now, we’ll have to see how it shakes out in terms of costs and ROI.
What do you think? Is Google getting too creepy? As a business would you be more likely to advertise with Google now?
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Technorati tags: advertising, marketing, google, google ads, search engine optimization, seo, search engine marketing, sem