Google rolls out new innovations to help build the next generation of ads

Google has announced a slew of new innovations on the DoubleClick platform that are aimed at helping advertisers and publishers adapt to today’s mobile world. This year, the focus is on working together with advertiser, agency and publisher clients to create better, faster ad experiences across every screen, starting with mobile.

Making ads on the mobile web faster

As per Google research, the average mobile site takes 19 seconds to load, which is not only frustrating for users, but also a huge missed opportunity for publishers. Google estimates that mobile sites that load within 5 seconds can earn up to 2x more revenue than those at the 19 second average.

To help make the mobile web faster for users, Google joined a global community of publishers and other tech companies to launch the open sourced Accelerated Mobile Pages Project (also known as AMP). Early analysis shows that mobile web pages that use AMP HTML load four times faster and use 10 times less data on average than non-AMP mobile web pages.

According to Paul Muret, Vice President of Display, Video and Analytics, Google, AMP is already making a difference for a variety of publishers such as the Washington Post, which is seeing first-hand how AMP pages deliver great mobile web experiences that build user loyalty.

However, just speeding up the content is not enough – slow-loading ads are also a problem. Google is announcing two new features that will make ad experiences better on the mobile web:

AMP for Ads: With AMP for Ads, Google is bringing everything that is good and fast about AMP to ads. Unfortunately, most advertisers’ campaign creative are not fully optimised for mobile experiences. AMP for Ads allows advertisers to build beautifully-designed ads in AMP HTML so that the entire AMP experience, both the publisher’s content and the advertiser’s creative, load simultaneously at AMP-speed.

AMP Landing Pages: AMP Landing Pages are fast, custom pages, built by advertisers so that when someone clicks on their AMP ad, they continue to have an AMP experience. AMP Landing Pages are also built with AMP HTML so that advertisers or their agencies use the same process to create these pages as they do with AMP content pages.

Building the next generation of ads with DoubleClick

Over the past year, Google has been working with publishers to help them adopt native ads – ads that match the look, feel and style of their surrounding content on a publisher’s website. Users find this type of ad format useful, particularly on mobile. However, in the advertising industry, the process of building and trafficking native ads is still largely manual.

Google is announcing significant updates for native ads across its platforms that will help to accelerate adoption of this user-friendly format with programmatic.

For the first time, advertisers will be able to buy native ads programmatically in DoubleClick Bid Manager, across all screens. Instead of providing fully-designed creatives, advertisers upload the components of the ad – headline, image, text, and so on – and DoubleClick automatically assembles them to fit the context and format of the site or app where they appear.

For publishers, Google is now offering a complete native ads solution in DoubleClick. Publishers can now make native ad inventory across web and apps available programmatically or through traditional direct sales.

Creating value with programmatic

Programmatic buying delivers results, so it’s no surprise that brands and agencies are continuing to invest. Google has also announced a new global partnership with one of the world’s largest entertainment brands, Time Warner Inc.

DoubleClick will work with all of Time Warner’s businesses, networks and brands, such as, Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, Harry Potter and CNN, among others, as well as Time Warner’s agencies, for programmatic buying, ad serving, and measurement globally.

Time Warner is not alone in growing their investment in programmatic. In 2015 alone:

• Programmatic video revenue for TV and media companies increased more than 6x on DoubleClick for Publishers.
• Video spend by advertisers using Programmatic Direct on DoubleClick Bid Manager grew more than 7x.
• The number of Programmatic Direct deals on DoubleClick AdExchange tripled.

Muret further said, “Together with our advertiser and publisher partners, we have has made huge strides in improving the digital ads experience for users. Digital ads can be lightning fast, engaging and as beautiful as the site and app where they appear.”