Microsoft recently announced that it is pilot testing showing “Hero” ads—large format display media—in Bing results, a development that could signal the opening up of the search engine to visually rich advertising.
The pilot comes on heels of a similar test by Google, which has been quietly experimenting with displaying large banner ads on certain search result pages since October.
The new ad formats for both search engines are only shown when a user queries certain brand-specific keywords. For example, the ad above is only displayed on Bing pages when people search for terms such as “Range Rover.”
Neither company has indicated that it plans to run large display ads on its homepage or other non-query related pages. For now, Microsoft’s “Hero” advertisements appear only in Bing Smart Search, the discovery tool built into Windows 8.1.
Microsoft is currently testing the ads with a short list of brands in the U.S., including Land Rover, Jaguar, Home Depot, Norwegian Cruise Line, RadioShack, Hertz, and Volkswagen.
For advertisers, the new formats could mean the line separating search ads and display ads is finally blurred. Instead of having to decide between the utility of search and the emotional power of display, brands may soon be able to pair keyword targeting with visually appealing campaigns.
Implement an online marketing strategy that will increase engagement and drive sales. Contact MDG Advertising today at 561-338-7797.
MDG Advertising is a full-service advertising agency and one of Florida’s top creative ad agencies. With offices in Boca Raton, FL and New York, NY, MDG’s core capabilities include branding, logo design, digital marketing, print advertising, mobile advertising, email marketing, media planning and buying, TV and radio, outdoor, newspaper, video marketing, Web design and development, content marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. To stay on top of the latest trends in mobile advertising, contact MDG Advertising today at 561-338-7797. It’s predicted that U.S. advertisers will spend more than $27 billion on mobile advertising by 2017. For more details, take a look at “U.S. Mobile Advertising Spending Predicted to Rise 77 Percent in 2013.”
Written by Michael Del Gigante
- Social Media is Good Medicine for Healthcare Marketing
- Google Outlines Three Online Advertising Trends
- Print Advertising is Dead? Not So Fast.
- 5 Messaging Strategies of Successful Branding Firms
- Study Shows Organic SEO Significantly Undervalued by Marketers
- In-Store Sales Begin Online
- Dos Equis Gives New Meaning to Mobile Marketing
- Search Marketing Spend Rises Attribution Mobile Analytics Remain Big Concerns
- Facebook Displays New Tools for Developing Audience Network Native Ads
- Old Spice Gives Its Ad Campaign A Fresh Spin
- Surprise! Online Ads Work Like Magazine Ads – Online Advertising
- Twitter Starting to Share New Promoted Video Feature with Brands
- Fifty Shades of Grey Marketing Strategy Positions Novel as Fiction Phenomenon
- Listerine Making News with Refreshing Social Media Strategy for World Cup Sponsorship
- Online Reputation Management 101: What Businesses Need to Know [Infographic]
- Local Search Evolved [Infographic]
- Vacationing the Social Media Way [Infographic]
- The ROI of Social Media [Infographic]
- How Social Media Changed The Ad Game [Infographic]
- Should You Build a Mobile App or Mobile Website? [Infographic]
- It’s All About the Images [Infographic]