It’s no secret COVID-19 has left companies, advertisers, and products scrambling to make consumers feel connected in a time when they’re staying apart.
Google has announced features that dovetail well during a time when advertisers looking for something different than the same old ad formats.
The new features aim to bring external products and purchase decisions to the user versus going to a store, along with a new ad unit on YouTube to help capitalize on the boom of livestreams.
Small changes have been rolling out on platforms to further engage consumers, like shoppable Pins, and the much-watched launch of Shop on Google and Instagram.
These latest features from Google focus on the ad experience to close the gap between the user, the screen, and the product they’re seeing.
In addition to that, it also signals some continued support and tools for YouTube creators, which have been rolling out rapidly this year as online consumption has grown.
Live Stream Display Format in YouTube
Live streaming has ramped up heavily as people stay away from large events. Many content creators look for ways to re-purpose that content so it doesn’t die on the vine once the stream is over.
Google has announced the ability to run YouTube live stream content in display ads. People can interact with the video, watch a preview, and us all the other functionality they are used to.
Here is an example of the ad experience, what happens when a user clicks on it, and what happens when it’s over.
Immersive Display Brings Realism
Google also announced the roll-out of a format called Swirl. This 3D format is designed for mobile web, and allows users to interact with the product on-screen.
Users can rotate, zoom in and out, and interact as though the product is there live.
Brands can create a Swirl ad unit in the Google Web Designer tool.
To create the actual 3D interactivity portion, Google is adding a new editor to its 3D editing platform called Poly:
Swirl ads are currently in limited beta, but brands can reach out to the Google rep to be whitelisted for testing.
Both of these features come on the heels of Google’s latest foray into AR (augmented reality) called AR Beauty Try-On, announced last month.
AR Beauty Try-On
With no one rushing to a makeup counter anytime soon, the ability to test colors before buying vaporizes. YouTube is looking to help fix that for the massive beauty industry and its many influencers on the platform.
Thew new video format enables users to try out product colors as they watch a YouTube creator video.
Here is an example of a lipstick tutorial, with the user below and the product color options of the lipstick being shown.
Google commented:
“Using this new format, brands like M·A·C will be able to tap into YouTube’s vibrant creator community, deploy influencer campaigns to YouTube’s 2 billion monthly active users, and measure their results in real time.”
Google’s announcement regarding Swirl ads can be found here, and their Beauty Try-On details are here.
