Google's real time ads attempt to intercept Twitter's Super Bowl Advantage
As competition for advertising dominance around the Super Bowl heats up Twitter is finding itself under mounting pressure from rivals including Google which is looking to take a bigger share of the pie with the launch of its real time ads.
Google announced its new ad platform ‘Real Time Ads’ which will allow advertisers to serve video ads across YouTube and 2 million partner websites during big moments such as the Super Bowl. It will also mean that marketers can serve ads in real-time in response to relevant TV moments.
Wix.com, which has purchased traditional commercial time on CBS during its broadacst of the Super Bowl, is understood to be one of the first marketers to sign up to the service and will use it during the event. Comcast will also look to tap into the real time advantage and is on board to use the product during the Academy Awards.
The program, which Google plans to roll out widely later this year, is a development of a beta which was tested last year with EA Sports’ Madden NFL 15. During the testing EA used technology to build display ads on the fly and target them quickly.
Twitter’s ability to target ads in real time is a huge selling point for the company which has developed alongside the principle to the point that it is now a cornerstone of its revenue generation.
Real-time ads continues to be a major focus in marketing as advertisers look to weave themselves into big consumer conversations as they unfold.
Google’s investment into strengthening its real time targeting capabilities represents a significant threat to twitter’s dominance in sector, however it is unlikely to surpass it on the NFL front. Twitter has a partnership with the league that allows it to sell ads against highlights from games that it posts on the site, part of its Amplify program.
Recent moves by Facebook will also represent a challenge for Twitter after it began allowing advertisers to target ads based on football fans discussing a game, a service which it has now launched fully this year and will run for the duration of the football season.