Google Expands Print Ads Program

[engine]

Google Inc. is expanding a test program that lets online advertisers buy ad space in newspapers, as the publishing industry struggles to offset business that has moved to the Internet.

Google Expands Print Ads Program [online.wsj.com]

More discussion [webmasterworld.com...]

[weeks]

It is sad that the newspaper biz has gotten to this point, but that is just the way it is, alas.

[gibbergibber]

A surprising number of newspapers depended on classifieds as well as normal ads. These classifieds have of course mostly moved to sites like ebay and craigslist, as they cost much less to place and get a much bigger audience.

[shorebreak]

If Google's print offering is gonna have any positive impact on their business, you'd expect to hear people on this and other AdWords discussion forums popping up saying "I tried it and I liked it", or "I'm gonna try it", or at least "I'm thinking of trying it, have you?".

But I'm not hearing that anywhere. Makes me think that there ain't exactly a stampede of AdWords advertisers to print.

What say thee, my WebmasterWorld brethren?

-Shorebreak

[MinistryOfTruth]

I received an e-mail today from Google:

<snip>

It's a bit like their audio ads thing. And $500 of free credit just for putting up an ad doesn't sound bad. I'm considering trying it out. Has anyone else received this sort of message? Has anyone acted on it?

[edited by: goodroi at 1:13 am (utc) on Jan. 4, 2008]
[edit reason] Please do not post emails [/edit]

[Hugene]

A surprising number of newspapers depended on classifieds as well as normal ads.

having had my hands in the print business, I would tell you that some big newspapers are driven in large part by they classifieds. Open you local daily and do a simple calculation: count the number of classifieds per page * the price per classified. You will see that they make more money with the classifieds from small people than a full page ad from a big advertiser. Classifieds are a mine of gold, and Greg's list is, well, to put it nicely, the biggest thorn in the print industry's side.

[ScottG13]

We were in the first round of testing last summer or so. Wasn't really a resounding success though we did get mag spots at a mere fraction of the listed value.

Remember the success of Google is targeted search ads, not the blind bid model.