Google introducing brand image ads on mobile phones

Google Inc has introduced brand-image ads for mobile phones in a bid to expand business into advertisements on mobile phones. Advertisements on phones are considered as a growing area of huge opportunity all over the world. Many companies have been exploring options to grab a major share in this business. Google, which has pioneered new online search concepts, is looking at mobile phone advertisements to improve revenues.

Google has designed mobile images to look like standard graphical display ads for desktop computer Web pages and made them smaller to fit on mobile phone screens. The mobile images are targeted according to the keywords users type into phones to search for information. Image ads are keyword-targeted, and are priced on a cost-per-click basis. In order to run, each ad unit must link to a mobile Web page.

Each mobile would display only one image advertisement at a time, to limit clutter on small screens.

According to Alexandra Kenin, product marketing manager of Google Mobile Ads, the mobile image advertisements would serve as a branding tool for advertisers. Mobile image ads will be available in 13 national markets such as Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the UK, and the United States. By introducing the mobile phone ad service, Google is opening a new option for advertisers to maximise their reach and to make the most of mobile advertising in these most mobile-friendly markets.

Here advertisers can pay for relevant image-based ads to appear in mobile phones. It is simple for advertisers to set up and very similar to traditional desktop advertising models. Google has added mobile image ads to its AdSense arsenal. The format replicates that of other mobile networks, but industry authorities say it provides greater reach for the mobile Web.

Publishers are required to update their AdSense code to start publishing display ads on their site and can opt to run text, display, or a mix. In the case where both text and display ads are being shown, Google will dynamically run the ad it determines will perform best in the spot.