New specialized mobile search ads for automotive manufacturers and deals are being launched by Google, which was originally announced in beta last May. Now, Model Automotive ads and Dealer Automotive ads are now available to eligible advertisers in the US.
automotive advertisers for original equipment manufacturers are able to run Model Automotive ads are on searches for auto makes and models. The ads are featuring large-format images, and include performance details and links to the manufacturer’s website, nearby dealers along with other information.
The brands that are running the ad formats for some models include Toyota and Ford.
According to Google, engagement rates on Model Automotive ads are, on average, 30 percent higher than standard text ads. In a statement made by Dionne Colvin-Lovely, the director of traditional and new media for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, she said, “Across our core line of car models, we’ve seen a 45% increase in conversion events and a 30% decrease in CPA compared to standard text ads.”
The Dealer Automotive ads have been made available to franchise and authorized auto dealerships in the US. The ads include:
- Location
- Directions
- A click-to-call button for nearby dealerships
The ads will be displayed at the top of mobile search results. Also, the ads are integrated with the Model Automotive ads, which can be accessed from the “Dealers” tab in those ads.
Google says that since half of automotive searches happen on smartphone, they wanted to create these specialized mobile ad units for the automotive industry. Searches for car and truck images have risen 37 percent year-over-year with 80 percent occurring now on mobile. The number of searches for “car dealerships near me” have doubled, and most searches (80 percent) of those searches are now on mobile.