In an effort to help marketers immediately capitalize on fleeting advertising opportunities, Google will be rolling out a beta test of a new ad unit called Real-time Ads. A broad rollout is said to be coming later this year.
Real-time ads give marketers the opportunity to instantly publish relevant, timely ads across YouTube, apps, and the 2 million sites included in the Google Display Network. Google points to the “left shark” halftime show moment as an example of a marketing opportunity that can be leveraged through the use of real-time ads.
Of course, that’s just one of many examples of when these ads could be particularly lucrative. Two weeks ago at CES, when everyone searching for information about the hottest new tech products, would have been another great opportunity for brands to capitalize on. The Oscars, Olympics, and US presidential race are other major events in the near future that could warrant the use of Real-time Ads.
Google has decided the upcoming Super Bowl is the ideal event for a major test of its new ad unit, with Wix.com being one of the first brands on board for publishing Real-time Ads during the “big game”. Comcast is also on board for publishing Real-time Ads during an upcoming awards show.
Real-time Ads come with one major limitation: the content has to be pre-planned. In other words — the ads can be published in real-time, as long as you know beforehand what you want to publish. That makes it a little difficult to capitalize on “left shark” moments, because no one could have predicted that was going to happen.
With that limitation aside, Real-time Ads offer a unique opportunity for brands to immediately push out targeted messages to a large audience during major events as they unfold. It will be interesting to see how brands like Wix decide to use these ads during the Super Bowl next month.
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