As we head into the holiday shopping blitz period, Google has announced two new visual ad options for YouTube, and a new shopping ad option for Google Images, expanding your opportunities for direct consumer connection via these surfaces.
First off, on YouTube - Google is adding Shopping ads to both YouTube's home feed and within search results, providing another option to help guide consumers to your products.
As explained by Google:
"Video has also become a favorite research tool for holiday shoppers. Nearly two-thirds of shoppers say online video has given them ideas and inspiration for their purchase. And more than 90% of these folks say that they’ve discovered new products and brands via YouTube."
The new Shopping Ads option, while not directly connected to a video as such, will enable brands to target consumers based on their interests, and among video content related to their products. This is particularly true with YouTube search placement, which will provide ads based on the entered search queries.
They could also be annoying for YouTube users, but as we've become more accustomed to online ads, most placements don't seem hugely out of place.
Google's also adding sitelink extensions for TrueView for action ads on YouTube, providing an option for brands to add more landing pages into their ads.
As you can see, this will enable you to provide a range of link options within your YouTube ad. And that could help drive improved results - in testing, Google says that adding sitelinks showed a 23% increase in conversions.
Maybe, by providing more choices, consumers feel more engaged with the ad, as they control the next step.
And lastly, Google's also adding Showcase Shopping ads to Google Images.
As per Google:
"When people search for broader terms like “holiday party dresses”, they’ll see Showcase Shopping ads that group related products together, displaying a diverse range of offerings. They’re great for attracting new customers; on average, we see that about 85 percent of traffic from Showcase Shopping ads to retailer websites come from new visitors."
As you can see in this example, when a user taps through on a Showcase Shopping ad, they're taken through to a listing of that brand's related offerings, linking back to the original search query. Urban Outfitters, one of the first brands to tap into the option, has reported seeing a 241% CTR lift across these campaigns.
Again, with holiday shopping ramping up, it makes sense to tap into surfaces where consumers are increasingly looking for relevant products, and YouTube and Google Images clearly cater to this. These new options will expand your options for what's possible through these surfaces.