Rumours are abuzz in the industry that Google isn't as effective as it normally is in marketplace dominance when it comes to TV advertising, and that its Google TV Ads service is up against the wall and not performing very well. However, recent reports suggest that Google is happy to let people find out for themselves, by introducing functionality within the free Google Analytics service which allows users to track the progress of their TV campaigns.According to the official Google Analytics blog, the service allows users to send their TV ad to a list of participating channels, partnered with Google, across the entirety of the US. The system then tracks the impressions delivered compared to the number of times the ad plays whilst the advertising spot is running. The service then compares the findings to timescales whilst providing information about the cost of the campaign.
Google says that audio campaigns and TV campaigns are especially useful for users taking advantage of the offline advertising options within Google Adwords, although claims about the campaigns being extremely trackable leave something to be desired. As with all above the line marketing, and especially brand based exposure such as TV advertising, there is no solid way to track whether a user spike at a certain time is coming to your site because of your advertising campaigns, or some other unknown factor, and as such there can never be an ideal solution.
However, it's not all bad - this new functionality does go some way to being able to integrate online and offline activities. It also promises that Google will cover costs of up to $2000 for creating a TV ad through Google's Ad Creation Marketplace - although, again, it's doubtful that a company with the budget for TV advertising would be concerned with that amount of money.
So, overall, Google's foray into TV advertising is receiving a mixed reception across the industry. Many bloggers and online professionals may doubt that Google will ever truly crack TV advertising, yet they welcome the new developments with cautious optimism - thinking that it could just be possible that there will be rosy times ahead for Google TV.
