Are You Ready for the Google Radio Wave Invasion? - Google's Target
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And satellite radio is exactly where Google plans to strike first, as evidenced by its recent deal with XM Satellite radio. The Google Audio Ads service is currently in an alpha test stage within the XM infrastructure, according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, with Google's sales force selling ads on a limited number of radio stations owned by Emmis Communications and Greater Media.
This is a huge step, because it marks the first time that a major media company has actually gotten some "hands-on" experience delivering AdWords-style ads on a major national radio portal. There are bound to be some hiccups, and Google execs have been extremely tight-lipped about the whole procedure, but eventually the two media giants will figure things out and subsequently roll out a full-fledged version of this new form of radio advertising.
Clearly, the key to this venture has been the acquisition of dMarc. Google must have been very impressed with the inner workings of dMarc's offering, because according to the dmarc.net website, "Google's advertisers are looking to broaden their advertising options in effective ways, and radio presents a great opportunity. So we searched for a solution provider who shared our belief in accountability, and whose technology and commitment to customer service would mesh with those of our own operations. And dMarc fit the bill perfectly." Those are strong words and a strong vote of confidence.
But what exactly does dMarc do?
Basically, the application connects advertisers and agencies directly to radio stations via a web interface similar to that of the current AdWords service. Virtually every aspect is automated, and that includes sales, scheduling, delivery and reports. This enables advertisers to purchase and track their campaigns in the same way that they would for a traditional AdSense ad. And more importantly, it translates to much more attractive ROI and metrics for the end user.
I, for one, would love the ability to create customized radio ads that would target local listeners, especially if I can manage and control ROI in a manner similar to the all-important CPM or CPC model that is currently used in AdSense and the other mainstream SEM avenues.
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