Google has recently announced that it will provide new tools which can be used for creating advanced ads, as well as an entirely new platform which can be used for the creation of 3D ads. Simultaneously, Google is also announcing new live options and new augmented reality options which can be used for YouTube promotions.
Swirl 3D display ad format
The first of these advanced new tools involves the Swirl 3D display ad format which is intended to help companies offer a more engaging and more interactive experience for their customers. This tool will allow three-dimensional assets to present advertising on mobile platforms, which will have the capability of educating consumers prior to them making any purchases.
It will allow users to rotate a product to any desired angle, play various animations, and zoom in and out directly, so as to get a closer look at any aspect of a given product. Swirl ads will be available via Google’s Video 360 format as well as its Google Display format, and these type of ads will help brands having current 3D assets to incorporate them into their overall ad catalog. In addition, Google will add a brand-new editor to its Poly 3D platform to allow for easier construction of 3D ads.
Together these options will not only enable a much more engaging experience with ads, but they will also provide viewers with a number of new ways to review and test out products before making purchases. Swirl ads are already available in a limited beta-test mode, which means interested users can connect with Google account managers for any inquiries, so as to receive more information about how the option works, and what else is coming.
New YouTube options
Another immersive new format for ads is being rolled out by Google for usage on YouTube, with the focus of this new format all about augmented reality. This new ad format will provide an opportunity for a potential customer to virtually experiment with make up while viewing content associated with the product. This new tool is referred to by Google as ‘Beauty Try-On’, and it will allow video viewers to try various related looks, while they follow along with creators of various products on YouTube.
According to Google, the option provides realistic virtual product samples which can be used experimentally on a wide range of different types of skin tone, all provided through the technology of machine learning and augmented reality. Similar tools have been offered in the past, although they didn’t take it quite as far as Google’s new Beauty Try-On.
For example, Sephora has an app called Virtual Artist, which customers can use to experiment with different looks on their phone camera, while Beauty Try-On extends the concept by having it completely integrated directly with original YouTube content. Since makeup tutorial videos are already outrageously popular, it’s easy to predict that marketing in this area will explode into prominence.
Live streaming option
Another option which is being rolled out by YouTube will help live streaming producers get the most out of their live content by enabling them to run YouTube streaming content within display ads, presumably encouraging users to click through, so as to see more content. According to YouTube, the whole intent of this new option is to make it easier for live stream creators to get the most out of their investment, after having committed considerable time and resources to the production of such live stream assets.
This new live streaming format will be available in Display and Video 360, and will permit users to run their YouTube live streaming content in any kind of display ads projected on devices or screens. Viewing users will have the ability to interact with these videos simply by making use of familiar YouTube player controls. This will give them the capability to preview any live stream, watch it in full screen mode, and simply exit whenever they’ve finished viewing. This will allow viewing users to have full control over the method and the duration of interacting with live stream content.
Advantages of live streaming
We are already well past the initial hype phase of live streaming, but the truth is that it’s still a very engaging option. Facebook for instance has declared that live streams generate up to six times more interactions with users than do ordinary videos. This is perfectly understandable, since most people are aware that others are viewing the lives tream at the same time they are, and even at the same time as the creator.
This makes them much more likely to offer some kind of commentary, and to become more fully engaged with the content of the video. This is exactly the kind of engagement which contributes to increased organic reach, and that makes it an element deserving of attention by marketers and businessmen in general.
Impact of these new options
Considered together, all these new ad options should certainly increase and advance the presentation options provided by Google. They take advertising into more fully developed interactive areas, and while these areas may not be popular or well-known at present, they are very likely to become much more common in the future.
It is also expected that these kinds of options and tools will become increasingly popular with the user community, because they provide more information and give more control to the user in selecting how content is consumed. Each one of the new tools announced by Google this month provides unique possibilities for advertisers, and each one will also allow for greater engagement in marketing campaigns.
It is fully expected that incorporating these tools into marketing campaigns will boost the performance of those campaigns, and will raise expectations of consumers about current and future usage of the new options. In terms of their current availability, Swirl is now available in a limited beta test mode, and this applies to YouTube’s brand-new live format for ads as well. Beauty Try-On is currently available in alpha mode, and can be used on that basis by reaching out to FameBit.
