According to a Google Blog Post a few days ago, soon you will start seeing more ads when getting directions from Google‘s popular mapping service. The ads, called “promoted pins,” will highlight restaurants and other merchants located along your way. They are going to begin appearing inside the directions map as Google shows you the way to your destination.
Google has displayed text ads alongside its online maps for several years. But, this new change marks the first time it has inserted the equivalent of a digital billboard into the directions map itself.
Google is importing the concept to its Maps app from Waze, a smaller traffic-navigation service the company also runs.
Google’s post goes on to say: “Every year, there are trillions of searches on Google and over half of those searches happen on mobile. And across the millions of websites using Google Analytics today, we’re seeing more than half of all web traffic now coming from smartphones and tablets. When we asked people to describe the role smartphones play in their lives, they used phrases like “attached to my hip”, “butler” and “lifeline.” Smartphones have become the companion that people turn to in I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-do and I want-to-buy moments throughout the day.”Google Maps boasts more than 1 billion users worldwide, but not everyone will see the new ads right away. The promoted pins will initially appear for a small group of people as the company tests how they’re received and whether the ads distract drivers.
Google says it will tailor the new ads to your interests based on what it’s learned from past search requests and other activities on its services. For example, If the targeting works as intended, coffee lovers might see a promoted pin offering a discounted drink from a Starbucks along their route. Google aims to provide “tasteful commercial experiences,” says Jerry Dischler, the Google VP who oversees the company’s search-driven advertising.