Google Interest-based ads sounds promising for feed advertising

Just recently, Google announced a little beta tweak into their ad system, allowing for interest-based advertising to take place in their ad units. By interest, they mean data that’s based on our browsing history, much similar to how GMail shows ads based on keywords that appear in our inbox. Whether we’ve reached another argument on privacy issues is one thing. What I find more interesting is its application into “feedvertising.”

We believe there is real value to seeing ads about the things that interest you. If, for example, you love adventure travel and therefore visit adventure travel sites, Google could show you more ads for activities like hiking trips to Patagonia or African safaris. While interest-based advertising can infer your interest in adventure travel from the websites you visit, you can also choose your favorite categories, or tell us which categories you don’t want to see ads for. Interest-based advertising also helps advertisers tailor ads for you based on your previous interactions with them, such as visits to their websites. So if you visit an online sports store, you may later be shown ads on other websites offering you a discount on running shoes during that store’s upcoming sale.

Google argues well with the “stickiness” of more relevant advertising, and who is to complain with all things taken into account? However I do think that this meddles with the logic of why bloggers, especially network bloggers do stick to niches of interest: to get relevant advertising alongside content.

There’s a huge difference though in the browsing philosophy in seeing ads pop up on feeds. As opposed to active browsing where a reader is engaged in looking for content, pulling feeds into feed readers is more of a passive endeavor. In fact, your readers may not even read the feeds up till several hours later. Ads that pull from your browsing history make more sense in this case, as it doesn’t take into account a “moment” of engagement as much as actively clicking on links on your browser.

5 thoughts on “Google Interest-based ads sounds promising for feed advertising

  1. In 1920 majority of shareholders sold their stake in Ford because they insisted the auto industry had reached its peak. Maybe they were right in light of the events with the Big 3 recently.

    Many are saying that Online Advertising has reached its peak already.

    Major trends follow the S-curve where it takes 50% of the time to reach 10% of the market and the same amount of time to reach 90%.

    With that logic, online advertising is now at 8-9% of all marketing budgets. It would be a strong indicator then in the next 10-12 years it will be 90%.

    We are about to witness a major shift and transfer of wealth. Which side will you be on? Online Advertising with FreeKii.com served over 40 million ads in 2008.

  2. Yeah it is a great and nice article looking forward to have such article it is so useful. It is very interesting article and quite impressive and more informative and looking forward to read such article. Since I’m new to blogging, these articles are greatly appreciated; very useful and informative blog and every body must visit this blog.

  3. This is very important step in the evolution of search! The era of keywords is almost over! Era of interest-based advertising just started.
    People search the internet according their short or long term interests. Therefore all searches are just expression of these interests. Interests are the driving factor of search on the Internet.
    For the list of top interests look at http://www.interestmatrix.com/top1000.php
    The next step will be using cross-reference of interests. Like if you are already indicated interest in X you should be also interested in Y. See the site that has a list of practically all interests and cross-reference of them is http://www.interestmatrix.com

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