The Impact of Google Audio Ads

August 5, 2008

There’s something about radio, and Google’s trying to profit from it.
It’s no secret that Google Inc. has hired scores of radio sales people and is spending heavily in a bid to expand its position in the $20 billion radio industry. All for the service they call “Audio Ads”.

According to the Google Intro to Audio Ads it’s having an impact with online marketing conversions:

“With the help of Google Audio Ads, Gifts.com received 23% more visits and a 34% higher conversion rate in markets which ran radio ads.” -Google

How does “Google Audio Ads” work?

Advertisers go online and sign up for targeted radio ads using the same AdWords system they use to buy sponsored web listings.

Will Google Audio Ads transform radio advertising the way AdWords has online banner advertising? Well, that is still debatable but this expanded service by Google is no surprise to us here at Voices.com. We watched as Google acquired dMarc Broadcasting Inc. Marc connects advertisers to radio stations through an automated advertising system. Essentially, we could see this as Google’s infrastructure for their new ad selling platform.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that the investment in radio advertising could grow the company personnel to include the hiring of up to 1,000 new Google employees. These employees would serve as salespeople, engineers, and operation staff.

Reuters disclosed that Google, one of the fastest growing Silicon Valley Internet companies, employed an impressive 9,378 employees last September.

While Google’s aspirations to rule the world of audio ads climb, broadcast giant Clear Channel, the biggest radio station operator in the US, is rumored to be in the market to sell stakes in their company if not the company as a whole.

Remember, these are just rumors, but the fact remains that if Google wants something badly enough, the company will remove any obstacles in its way to get it.

As we’ve seen with their purchase of YouTube, money is not an object.

Why are we reporting so closely on this subject?

Simple.

Voices.com strives to be the supplier of voice-overs and audio production, the marketplace created by Google Audio Ads is no exception.

As the largest voice marketplace online, it makes perfect sense that when people buy audio ads through Google on the Internet that they would find their voices and have production completed over the Internet as well.

What do you think of Google Audio Ads? Do you plan to combine or even split-test audio and text ads?