An amazing performance at the VMAs, a goal in the FA Cup final or a politician messing up in a high-profile interview — moments like these always spark the interest of those watching, cause a frenzy on social media and become trending topics within minutes, if not seconds.
If firms could capitalise on these so-called ‘micro-moments’, the potential benefit could be huge. Thankfully, Google hopes to be able to do just that. Inspired by the ‘Dancing Left Shark’ at Katy Perry’s halftime show at the Super Bowl in February last year, Google announced last week that is rolling out ‘real-time ads’.
In a nutshell, AdWords online tools will allow a pre-created ad to have a component — like photos or overlaid text — that can be updated immediately to reflect a ‘micro-moment’ that is generating chatter. It certainly paves the way for a time when ad elements could be automatically generated from trends detected on social media.
The new format — announced at a press event in Google/YouTube’s offices in New York — is now being made available to a select group of brands. Google said it expected to roll out the new service “more broadly” later this year.
A company statement said: “With Real-Time Ads, brands will be able to instantly run an ad across YouTube, hundreds of thousands of apps, and over two million sites in our Google Display Network with a message that ties directly to the big moment consumers just experienced.”