Google Voice to add Audio Ads?
According to Unwired View, Google Voice just filed an application with Fish and Richardson legal services on a patent that is suspected to monetize caller waiting on Google Voice.
The patent application lays claim to the methods and software "in which an indication of a telephone call being placed from a calling number is received, and a determination is made of an audio advertisement to play based on the calling number."
An ad serving engine will store audio advertisement files and play them when a caller would normally hear a ring tone, call waiting tone, or hold tone.The patent covers the method of determining a callers location and serving up ads based on locational info. Depending on where you're from, where you'd normally hear a regular ringtone, you might hear everything from the hottest electronics to the hottest sport fishing equipment.
Essentially this looks like an expansion of the pre-existing Audio AdWords. While Google closed down its broadcast radio ad program in February, the company continues to work with advertisers on online streaming audio and radio sites. Basically Google already has a slew of pre-produced audio ads sitting in its ad serving engine. Depending on the fit of the advertiser, it may be a no-brainer for companies to throw Google Voice into their mix of marketing efforts.
If this project takes shape, the really interesting part will come a month later when advertisers are billed. With streaming audio ads, companies get a relative amount of assurance that the audience is listening to the entire ad, including the call-to-action. While audience members can always mute advertising or pull out their headphones, a site's main audio content often will not play without the obligatory intro advertisement.
Telephone ads are different. Three days after going on a date, haven't you ever been a little too eager to pick up the phone? You know nobody's advertising to cutie pie. Meanwhile, on other days it's tough to even find the phone. Many callers would have to listen to at least two 30 second advertisements before hitting the voicemail box. After the first month of the program it would be extremely interesting to see how many partial ads will be served, the cost difference between a first place and second placement ad, and even how the company deals with multiple-language advertising.
Thanks to Staska for the tip!
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Maybe I should hold off getting everyone to use my Google Voice number.
It'll be interesting to see how Google does monetize Voice.
Posted by: tomkiley.pip.verisignlabs.com
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July 16, 2009 12:50 PM
It still surprises me that despite the greatness in technical innovation we see coming so regularly out of Google, the business-model innovation remains basically non-existent: all Google seems to know how to do is advertise. I'm wondering at what point so much advertising starts to get a little evil.
This would bug me for two reasons. One, that I wouldn't want to have to sit through an ad in order to call someone. But two, more than that, I wouldn't want to force my friends and family to sit through advertising just to call *me.* Seems like this would get annoying really fast.
I'm not willing to have my callers listen to ads. If I can't pay to keep from callers having to listen to ads I'll be porting my number.
Do people really want this?
I know i don't want to listen to ads while calling someone...
I guess it depends on who buys the ads. If I'm reminded where my polling station is or that there's a local farmer's market, then it seems great. The alternative could be extremely annoying. Not quite as annoying as listening to the midi version of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting for You" while on hold for your dental hygienist, but still bad.
These ads could come to an advantage for us consumers, as Dana has already covered, perhaps theyll make keyword-related ads, for example if your talking to someone about Sport, an ad about cheap ashes tickets could arise. Or on the otherhand, they could just be purely random and plain annoying and unecessary.
I hope Google plans on offering a premium type subscription model for the service (similar to paying for Google Apps). I already started using my GVoice number for work related calls (freelance). If audio ads are rolled in w/o the option to pay to opt out, I would drop GVoice immediately.
Like Derek, I signed up for GoogleVoice in order to deal with both personal and freelance business calls. I have given the number out to a very few close contacts as I test it out to make sure that it's not going to embarrass me professionally in any way. The idea that my clients (and potential clients) might start hearing ads when they call me makes me very hesitant to start using the service more widely. I can only assume that Google would offer an upgraded pay service sans ads. At that point it would just be a question of how much they charged, since they are by no means the only players in the for-pay space.
It is still pleasantly surprised that, despite my great technological innovation, so that we can see that the next regular Google. Possible advantages of these ads for consumers....
Google has a great idea in adding audio ads to Google Voice but I hope this will be successful.
Wow. Just, wow. I'm glad I didn't jump on that Google Voice invite a while ago and start giving the number out.
What could be more unprofessional/tacky than forcing your clients/friends to listen to random (oh, I'm sorry, "targeted") ads when they call you?
If this takes shape then Skype doesn't have much to worry about after all.
some one tell them they should sale ad blocking subscriptions on voice and on chrome-- that would make them $$$$$
Classic exposition, I have also mentioned it in my blog article. But it is a pity that almost no friend discussed it with me. I am very happy to see your article.
Yet another innovation by Google... If they can implement this in a more strategic manner then it can open a new stream of income to them. This services can bring down the call rates or even make them free. Win-Win situation for both consumers as well as mobile operators!
I don't care if they use audio ads. I dropped my $800/year cell phone cause I couldn't afford it. I use voice cause it doesn't cost me anything. That, and the number never changes. Meaning that you can contact me no matter what. If my friends and family don't want to hear a few ads to talk to me, forget 'em. They obviously don't want to talk to me bad enough then. Throw in all the ads you want, as long as I don't have to pay.
I saw an article today that hopes these types of devices or applications may be the saviour for the newspapers. I still have my doubts because you don't need a kindle to get your news, it's still free online.
If they can give people the option to pick the ads that interest them that would create highly targeted ads. They could easily do this on setting up preferences with the account so everyone hears what they want to hear. Only problem would be those who don't register preferences with google. In that case it should come up with sort of an unknown number to google and wouldn't run the audio ad to the unsuspecting caller. Everyone's happy! All google would have to do is convince people to register preferences in a non google voice database through an add campaign. We all know they can advertise to the masses.