May 16, 2007
The evolution of Google advertising?
The most striking aspect of Google’s new Universal Search pages is the embedded video, where searches relevant to content on Google Video and YouTube will be rewarded with actual video viewable on the page along with the usual relevant text links.
Sergey Brin, Google co-founder, suggested that YouTube might be seen in a new light other than pure entertainment. He said:
“There’s an incredible research value to video and it’s underappreciated and underutilised, many people don’t think about learning how to ski or whatever, it doesn’t necessarily occur to you, but now, with this coming up in our results, I think the diversity and usefulness [of YouTube] will become apparent.”
Even easier to imagine is text ads on search result pages having the same windows opening up with a click on a ‘+” sign to show relevant video and increase Google’s earnings potential.
Google’s rivals are working on similar innovations – such as Microsoft’s Live Search using Sea Dragon and Silverlight technology – and it needs to respond.
This could be the beginning of a summer of announcements from Google on different fronts. Speaking to reporters after the Searchology event, Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Products and User Experience, said there would be announcements in the coming weeks that would show “we are still doing some crazy, new things.”
