Wednesday, April 16, 2014

+Post ads now available to all advertisers and support Hangouts on Air

Last December, we introduced +Post ads to a limited number of advertisers as a new way to amplify content and create conversations across the web. +Post ads let you to take a piece of your public Google+ content, like a photo or video, and turn it into an engagement ad that runs across the Google Display Network.

Starting today, +Post ads are available to all advertisers who meet a minimum threshold of Google+ followers. We’re also piloting two new features - promoted Hangouts on Air and automatic post promotion - to help you create compelling ad experiences and make it easier to extend the reach of your social content.

Partner success
+Post ads are already helping advertisers run creative campaigns that make the entire web their social stream. For example:

For the launch of the 2014 Corolla, Toyota USA sought to drive consideration from a younger audience by promoting their Google+ content with +Post ads. For this campaign, Toyota USA saw a 50% higher engagement rate than the industry average for rich media ads.
Click to see the Toyota case study
To raise awareness with their potential customers, prAna, a yoga and climbing inspired apparel company, incorporated +Post ads into their existing AdWords display campaigns. “We focused on highly targeted audiences that best reflect the interests of our core consumers, such as yoga, climbing, outdoor lifestyle etc. We chose the most hyper relevant Google+ content to promote to each targeted audience, to ensure high engagement rates,” says Karen Hardy Online Marketing Manager.

The European Parliament worked with Ogilvy Brussels to run a campaign in 11 countries encouraging European citizens to cast their votes in the upcoming EU elections. Koen Van Impe, CEO Ogilvy Brussels, found the combination of an easy to create ad, the potential reach and targeting of the Google Display Network, and the powerful ad format promising and saw engagement rates that were 50% to 100% higher, and at a lower cost-per-engagement, than previous campaigns.
Click to enlarge
Promoting Hangouts on Air across the web
You can now promote your Hangout on Air with +Post ads that lets users take specific actions before, during, and after the broadcast. Users can RSVP prior to the Hangout, watch the broadcast live, and view a recording after the event.

ASOS hosted a shoppable Hangout where fans could check out styles and make purchases from a collection created in collaboration with a global activewear brand. The event was promoted live in a +Post ad, driving awareness and live tune-ins of the event on relevant web sites. In total, 71% of live viewers for the Hangout watched from a +Post ad.
Promoted Hangout on Air
Automatically promote your most recent post
At any given moment, there is someone interested in your brand, but it’s challenging to make sure you reach people at every moment that matters. Now you can automatically promote your most recent Google+ post, and pay only when people engage with your content, extending the reach of your social content across the web.

Lean more about +Post ads and Google+ by visiting the Google+ for brands site.

Posted by Eran Arkin, Product Manager, Social Display Ads