A few years ago, Google introduced the giant model automotive ad format to advertisers. It seems that now that the format could be expanding to more verticals.
Glenn Gabe of Search Engine Land spotted a version of this format with a carousel of images. The ad, for Nike, appeared on a non-brand query for “what are the best running sneakers.”
Saw this crazy-immersive ad yesterday from Nike. 6 images that I could swipe through with the ability to launch a full page with those images. Not sure I’ve seen that before. @GinnyMarvin Have you seen this? pic.twitter.com/Aa9P8ZLZHA
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) February 22, 2019
With this format, multiple headlines are featured, followed by a large carousel of images and a description below. Users are able to swipe through the set of images in the ad. If they click on any of the images, a Google-hosted page of all the images and their captions are brought up. At the bottom of that page, there will be a card with a link to the advertiser’s site. By clicking on the headline, users will be taken to the advertiser’s site.
This expansion is just a test for now. “We’re always testing new ways to improve our experience for our advertisers and users, but don’t have anything specific to announce right now,” a Google spokesperson said.
Google has tried images in various types of search ads — visual sitelinks being the latest. This larger format is high impact and demands little effort from advertisers, particularly in verticals likely to already have a diverse selection of high-quality product imagery.
Ultimately, whether this rolls out or not will depend on performance. Large ads tend to lead to higher engagement rates.