Google Unveils Flash Ads

Gailin writes "Google has announced and given some examples of their new Flash based ads. They seem to vary from average size to full screen-width Flash advertisements, with some interactive abilities. 'Gadget ads can incorporate real-time data feeds, images, video and much more in a single creative unit and can be developed using Flash, HTML or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, they run on the Google(TM) content network, competing alongside text, image and video ads for placement. They support both cost-per-click and cost-per-impression pricing models, and offer a variety of contextual, site, geographic and demographic targeting options to ensure the ads reach relevant users with precision and scale.'"

Comments

Bandwidth & The Beginning of the End

[eldavojohn]

Google has announced and given some examples of their new Flash based ads. They seem to vary from average size to full screen-width Flash advertisements, with some interactive abilities. 'Gadget ads can incorporate real-time data feeds, images, video and much more in a single creative unit and can be developed using Flash, HTML or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, they run on the Google(TM) content network, competing alongside text, image and video ads for placement. Oh my god those are beautiful. Just beautiful. Whole new products I never wanted to hear anything about done in a new artsy kind of way. Exclusive interviews with bands that I've never heard of or cared about or allowed commercial radio to shove down my throat brought right to my computer screen ... without even asking! And the band is trying to sell me a hybrid car!

So tell me, when I'm trying to use MySpace to reply to a distant friend & my browser slows to a crawl because there's five flash video advertisements of a lonely girl on a webcam waiting to talk to me--that's the kind of experience you want to proliferate through to every site using Google Ads?

How will this affect people on slow connections like out in the boonies operating on a 56k phone line connection? I'm kind of afraid those users are just going to be squished & that Google will leave it to the sites themselves to figure that out while the sites themselves will expect Google to take care of it.

Wait, did you hear that? I believe that was the sound of every single router and switch crying out in anguish.

Ads that are designed to appeal to my eye & take up obnoxious amounts of bandwidth? It must be ... THE FUTURE!

In all seriousness, this is all very bad news to me. A bloated delivery system (by definition it must be since it provides 'content rich' functionality) being forced to a large percent of the internet in the name of delivery unsolicited advertisement. And it's all legal and--get this--is unveiled like it's a new great feature.

The simple concept of character based content delivery system is dead.

Re:Bandwidth & The Beginning of the End

[catbutt]

Geez, you'd think the world was coming to an end....

The simple answer is that a lot of people are going to end up installing browser extensions that do the "click to run flash object" thing. And if they can't figure that out, I'm having a hard time feeling such pity if they are "squished".

Well fuck

[Nimey]

Google's /clearly/ given up on "Don't Be Evil".

Adblock+ & NoScript for the win.

Re:Well fuck

[TheGratefulNet]

google's whole purpose is to push ads out to eyeballs.

that, in itself, is pretty much evil.

now, for your 'reward' of being a paid eyeball, we'll serve you some content. or let you think you're getting content.

(anyone notice the google websearch - the thing that made them famous - is mostly taken over by commercial BUY/SELL vendors no matter what the search term is?)

advertising companies are always evil. we just are slowly seeing the devil for what it really is. slowly, but surely.

How are these different than any other site's ads?

[beef curtains]

These are the same busy, annoying ads that other sites have plastered all over...putting them next to a paragraph where the ad's designers justify their use of "artistic" flashing/blinking colors makes them no better than the aforementioned "Punch the monkey, win a ringtone" ads found elsewhere.

My hope is that Google bigshots will see what an ugly, terrible effect these have on what their former, critically-acclaimed, clean, simple interface, and will do an about-face.

I do realize how slim the odds of that happening actually are...I guess when one's pupils/irises turn into dollar signs like in the cartoons, one's vision tends to become a bit impaired.

Re:hmm

[catbutt]

I'm not even going to stop at spyware. What about murder? How far away can that be? Soon Google will start murdering people. It's just a matter of when.

Thank you, Google

[halcyon1234]

Thank you for creating flash ads-- because I was having a hard time filtering out the embedded text stuff with Adblock.

A large, clear, well-defined target is always appreciated.

Re:hmm

[buswolley]

Google made its mark by good search results WITH a CLEAN Interface Design.

Google has forgotten its roots. Sure it might look good in the short term..a new product for more revenue.. But Google will lose in the long term as others offer a clean alternative to Google.

People want uncluttered.

Re:X86-64

[Nimey]

Who gives a shit if it's 64 bit, it /works/. With a 64-bit browser, yet.

Re:hmm

[Anti_Climax]

I didn't see anything mentioning that Google was going to use these ads on their search results page. Obviously they could, but you have to remember that most of the revenue generated by Google comes from ads served up on the pages of others. If a webmaster has the decency to use text ads instead of flash ads, it's still an option. This just allows Google to break into a market where they had no product to offer previously. Though it should be mentioned that some webmasters will want to switch to flash ads offered by Google now that they are available. End result, Google can keep their uncluttered search results, Webmasters that want flash ads can have them like they always could (but now get them with the benefit of Google's system) and the ones that want text ads can keep the status quo.

This could be the first and last straw

[spyrochaete]

Google's served me very well over the years and I've preferred it because of the non-intrusive ads (that can be blocked with AdBlock and CustomizeGoogle). If, for some reason, I cannot block or opt-out of these Flash ads, then that will mark my permanent departure from Google.

Re:This could be the first and last straw

[hansamurai]

my permanent departure from Google. To where may I ask?

Re:How does this violate the do no evil credo?

[EvilSpudBoy]

They are in the ripping-off publisher business you mean...

Even if you think that, it's all for the purpose of pushing ads. And maybe they are guilty of profiting off of the works of others. I'm not saying Google isn't evil, they may do questionable things. I was just saying that I don't see how offering flash ads makes them evil.

Text ads can be abused, but Google has policies as to what types of ads are acceptable

Likewise, flash ads aren't evil in themselves, it all depends what kind of behavior they allow. If they allow ads that look like windows dialogs saying "virus detected, click here." Then that is unethical. But the sample ads linked to in the OP didn't seem abusive.

But some people seem to dislike the use of flash for flash's sake. Which is what I meant in pointing out that Slashdot hosts flash ads.

Ads are not content.

[colourmyeyes]

Designed to act more like content than a typical ad,

This sure reads like an admission that ads aren't content (at least "typical ads").

My feeling on ads is nicely summed up by banksy:

Any advertisement in public space that give you no choice
whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you.
It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use.
Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. (emphasis mine)