Google’s Ad Words system is a simple management platform for integrating branded advertisements with blogs and other websites. Finally, Google is extending the platform to video production, giving brands the option to advertise with videos. Naturally, the effort is powered by YouTube.
The overwhelming theme with the new AdWords For Video is views, not impressions. Just basic clicks… well, YouTube and Google have learned that those things aren’t nearly as coveted by advertisers as the simplest of all video advertising goals: for viewers to actually watch the videos.
That sounds an awful lot like what we’ve been saying for months, particularly with our Social Video Blueprint series… it sounds like social video editing principles. Advertisers would rather have viewers watch their ad than any other action, meaning the content quality and entertainment value has to be high. The view counts more than the impression.
Everything about AdWords For Video production has been set up with these themes in mind, from the evolution of the True View program to the way stats are presented.
AdWords For Video is integrated so smoothly into the existing AdWords environment it’s almost scary. It’s nestled on the left navigation menu, just sitting there under Online Campaigns like it belonged there all along.
It’s also pretty simple. I’ve worked with companies of all sizes, and this should be intuitive enough for almost any computer user to manage. In fact, Lane Shackleton, a YouTube Product Manager, who gave me a tour of the service, told me that there can be as many as 30 screens/pages for standard AdWords setup. With AdWords For Video, there are only two.
(Advertisers can configure video editing campaign settings when advertisers “Create a new campaign.” Here they can enter a budget and choose location and language targeting settings. If they have an existing campaign, they can load the settings from a previous campaign, or they can create new settings.)
Did I mention it’s easy?
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