Google announced that it is extending its product listing ads (PLAs) to YouTube with TrueView for Shopping, its new format that lets businesses run product ads with related videos.
It’s no wonder that Google has been encouraging marketers to create more “how to” videos. These are exactly the type of videos Google created TrueView for Shopping ads for – those that show consumers how to do something that they may need a buy a specific product in order to achieve.
Earlier this month, Google put out a report saying that how-to searches have seen 70% growth year-over-year with over a hundred million hours of such content having already been watched in North America in 2015. People are increasingly watching these videos on mobile devices with 91% of smartphone users turning to them for ideas while completing a task.
These searches are on the rise across all age groups, but millennials are especially likely to search YouTube for how-to videos. According to Google, 67% of them agree that they can find a YouTube video on anything they want to learn.
The new TrueView PLAs should figure nicely into all of this.
“Whether it’s watching a product review or learning how to bake a soufflé, we look to video in countless moments throughout to the day to help us get things done,” Google says in a blog post. “We call these micro-moments – when we reflexively turn to our devices to learn more, make a decision, or purchase a product. To connect the dots between the moment a person watches a video and the moment they decide to make a purchase, today we’re introducing a new feature called TrueView for shopping that makes it easy for viewers to get more information on your products and click to buy.”
With these ads, businesses can showcase product details and images, and users can click and purchase from a brand or retail site from within the video ad. The option is available for TrueView in-stream video ads, and works across mobile, desktop, and tablet. 50% of views on YouTube come from mobile.
TrueView for Shopping is built on the cards platform Google announced last month, which lets you share more info about your brand, related videos, and playlists, and lets you link to your site.
The ads are integrated with Google Merchant Center, so you can connect campaigns with a Merchant Center feed to dynamically add products and customize ads through contextual and audience signals such as geography and demographic information.
“Brands that have participated in our early tests of TrueView for shopping have seen strong results for driving interest and sales,” Google says. “Online home goods retailer Wayfair, for instance, saw a 3X revenue increase per impression served when compared to previous campaigns. And beauty retailer Sephora took advantage of this new ad format to drive +80% lift in consideration and +54% lift in ad recall, and an average view time of nearly two minutes.”
The new ads will come to Google’s buying front end in the coming months, but those who wish to start using them as soon as possible can get in touch with a Google account manager to learn how to proceed.
Images via Google
