Google began a beta test of Google Audio Ads yesterday, inviting a
small group of AdWords advertisers to place 30-second radio ads on
hundreds of radio stations across the U.S.
According to a post on Google’s Inside AdWords blog, advertisers will be able to target
their ads by location, station type, day of the week and time of
day. Reports will show exactly when and where the ads ran after they
hit the airwaves.
Google notified qualifying advertisers with messages in their AdWords
accounts. Those who weren’t invited can try to crash the party by filling
out an application. The company said Google Audio Ads will remain in beta for an indefinite period.
Many of the AdWords advertisers will be new to radio
advertising, so Google compiled a list of ad-creation specialists to help
with the process, from writing the script to recording and delivering
the final audio file.
Google said the cost for this service is set by
the ad-creation specialist, but advertisers should expect to pay
between $100 and $1000 to create an ad for the test.
Google Audio Ads are the fruit of Google’s dMarc Broadcasting acquisition in January 2005. In August, Google announced
a partnership with XM Satellite Radio.