Bannerflow

Google Q1 Earnings Report: “We want to make display as relevant as search”

(By Tom on 16 April 2009 | Posted in Advertising)

We were perusing TechCrunch’s replay of the Google Q1 2009 earnings and noticed that Google is maintaining a focus on increasing banner ads’ relevancy in the mark.

From Search Engine Land, quoting SVP Jonathan Rosenberg —
“He added that Google was going to focus more on display advertising. Google was going to try to overcome some of the fragmentation in the online display market. Google wants to ‘turn a complex process into something simpler.’ He added, ‘We want to make display as relevant to users as search is,’ which was followed by a mention of Interest-based ads as instrumental in that process.”

We still think the biggest problem with online display advertising is the infinite inventory that is available and the lack of targeting available. For instance, it is difficult to find banner ad placements targeted only to widget collectors. And then when you find several relevant sites, the salesperson will say that reaching them doesn’t fulfill a minimum spend. The same song is true for behavorial targeting, demographic-targeting, psychographic, etc.

As the media angle gets sorted out — and we hope Google can help institute change — the outlook for banner ads will improve.

What do you think?

Learn more about Bannerflow — the best way to show banner ads to your clients.