By Sean Markey on 26 Mar 2015
In the Land of Google Fiber, TV Watches You...
Google have announced, via their product forum, that they will soon be rolling out targeted TV ads in selected areas. Kansas City, USA will be used as the 'testing ground' for Google's new targeted TV advertising service. The initiative is set to roll out over the coming weeks and will, for the time being, be exclusive to Google Fiber TV customers.
What is Google Fiber TV?
Google Fiber is a super-fast broadband internet service which is available in certain parts of the United States. The service allows customers customers to store and access files (up to the value of one terabyte) on the go via Google Drive on virtually any device which has internet access (including smartphones, tablets and laptop computers).
The TV element of Google Fiber allows subscribers to stream and watch video in full high definition. In addition to this, the provided Network Box allows television addicts to record up to 8 different TV programmes simultaneously. Google Fiber TV's storage space is suitably vast, with two terabytes space allocated per account. That translates to approximately 500 hours' worth of TV. 
How do Google TV Ads Work?
Google TV ads are set to work much in the same way Google's online ads (and most successful internet ads) have been working for the last decade or so, targeting viewers in real time based on the following basic principals:
- Geography
- Genre/type of show currently being watched
- Viewing history
Previously, businesses would have had to use educated guesswork when it came to targeting their TV adverts. As a result, many ads were quite wasteful, falling on many a deaf ear. 'TV Advert Blindness' has become quite commonplace, with many viewers taking ad breaks as an opportunity to take routine kettle/toilet breaks or, more recently, have a flick through Facebook/Twitter/Tinder on their mobile device while the commercials go unseen, unnoticed and unloved.
This has resulted in TV advertising becoming a very inefficient method of advertisement which is difficult to gauge in terms of success. Google hopes to change this by beaming specifically targeted advert content to much more precise demographics. Businesses will be able to limit how many times a particular ad is shown on a specific TV in order to prevent overplay/the annoyance of potential customers.
During the initial roll out of the testing phase (Google refuses to use the word 'experiment'), the targeted Google TV ads will be 'blended in' with regular TV commercials. Critics of Google have claimed that the practice of 'hiding' Google TV ads among regular ads is a nefarious one; another means of Google garnering our precious information.
Can I opt out of Google TV Adverts?
In a word, "No". While there is an option for Google Fiber customers to opt out of seeing Google TV ads based on viewing history in the Fiber TV settings menu, there is currently no way to disable Google TV ads which are targeted by means of geography and TV show type. The default setting is for viewers to have Google TV adverts based on viewing history switched on, so those with misgivings about Google knowing too much about them (but saw fit to buy a Google branded TV account...) will have to opt out manually./
When will Google TV Ads come to Ireland?
The short answer to this question is, "We don't know". However, considering smart TVs are still something of a rarity in this part of the world (Who are we kidding? Some many parts of Ireland don't even have broadband internet) whilst Google's Fiber TV service has yet to colonise all of the United States, it would be fairly safe to assume that it will most likely be a couple of years yet before Google's targeted TV ads are commonplace in Ireland.
How will Google TV Ads affect Advertisers?
Google TV ads will be bad news for traditional TV advertisers as it means that an increasing portion of ad space which they have had relatively little competition in will no longer be available to them. It is not unreasonable to assume that in the future all TV adverts will be based on a model similar to how advertisers currently sell their wares on the internet.
The advent of Google TV ads does however represent a significant opportunity for digital marketers, whose pre-existing skills and experience when it comes to advertising online will be transferable when it comes to making Google TV ads. As the line between digital marketing and television advertising continues to blur, it seems likely that both disciplines will one day be one in the same.
- Sean Markey
