Google Chalks Up Victories In Print, Radio

By Doug Caverly - Mon, 03/12/2007 - 4:26pm.

A lot of Google’s products and services die quiet deaths in dark corners, but on the other hand, there are times when the company seems to have a Midas touch. New reports indicate an appropriately golden future for Google’s newspaper and radio ads.

That’s not to say there aren’t some hurdles remaining. Nat Ives and Andrew Hampp noted that, despite some initial victories, “TV executives are closely watching these trials for proof of success - for all parties - before handing Google the keys to their $68 billion business.”

Yet it seems the print industry (a $46 billion ad market, according to the Advertising Age’s writers) is already reaping the rewards from a deal with the search engine giant. The Seattle Times’s Mike Lemke indicated that “the test has already produced six-figure incremental ad revenue.”

Similar arrangements are working well for folks in radio, as well. The president of Media Max was “impressed” with Google’s efficiency and by the way it delivered “ad rates triple that of the regular networks in the market.”

Note that these happy outcomes occurred during an alpha trial. When Google introduces the beta this spring, look for even better results - and for more companies willing and eager to sign up. Google is still regarded by many in these industries as a potential competitor, and so they may, as it demonstrates its abilities, try to get on the search engine corporation’s good side.

For more evidence of Google’s spreading influence, read David Utter’s article about Google and satellite television ads.