25 May What Google TV Means For Advertisers

All the talk in the tech world right now centers on Google and their unveiling of Google TV. Besides it being a cool way to watch TV and search for on-line video, it also represents major dollars in the advertising world.

According to a Techcrunch.com article, Google is gunning for the four billion TV users worldwide. More specifically, they are gunning for the $70 billion annual ad spend on television in the U.S. alone. Google plans on offering innovative ways for users to watch shows, search for video, and also web browse in general. All of this can be accomplished from one spot in the house on the largest screen in the home. This sounds great on paper but many question the adoption of such behavior.

Google is taking their stab at integrating television and computer. This is an integration that will no doubt happen at some point considering our video viewing habits and the way we use the Internet. I think it’s a question of efficiency and usability.

For marketers and advertisers it’s a question of ad format. What will ads on Google TV look like? Will they be similar to those on Hulu or will they behave like Google AdWords? The big question will be about costs and analytical data. Hypothetically, if Google TV is a hit and they take over the television industry, which is pretty ambitious, Google will then control an entire industry’s advertising. Does this sound scary to anyone else?