June 29th, 2008
Hands on with Google Ad Planner
Google’s new Ad Planner product provides useful analytic tools for planning online media campaigns. According to the official announcement, the purpose of Ad Planner is to connect advertisers and publishers—providing media planners with demographic data and insights designed to help them buy targeted media. I was able to get a obtain a beta account and, from my perspective, claiming that Ad Planner is a resource for agencies is an understatement; Ad Planner may now allow smart marketers to bypass media buying agencies all together.
So what does Ad Planner do?
Ad Planner allows you to research, create, and export targeted placement-targeted campaigns. A simple demographic filter is used to create a targeted and sortable list of sites within the Google network that meet target user criteria. In addition to general demographics (gender, age, education, income, etc.), you can enter similar matching website to narrow the list.
The list of target site can also be filtered by network and ad format. After the filtering and targeting is completed, you simply check the sites you want to target and they’re added to you media plan, which can be exported to CSV for integration into your accounts via the online tool or AdWords Editor.
What are the cool bits?
Integrated into Ad Planner is a powerful demographic and performance report that allows you to gain a comprehensive understanding of website demographics. This is the most useful aspect of the tool. While similar tools exist that provide similar (and sometimes more extensive) data, Ad Planner serves it up so it’s useful and actionable.
Some of the data is clearly pulled from Google Trends, but the amount of data available is far more wide-ranging. The demographic profiles also show similar sites that fit the profile allowing you to “branch” and add sites to your media plan.
How does it integrate with AdWords?
Other than exporting and cutting and pasting, there is no real connectivity with AdWords, although it’s not difficult to see this coming in the future. The data available is useful for uses outside of AdWords integration though—it is useful for publishers and advertisers who simply want more insight into their site users. It’s a powerful analytical tool and—I imagine—will give many publishers insights into their users that they’ve never had before.
Summary
Bravo Google! You’ve provided yet another great research tool for online marketers. While there are already a number of questions about the integrity of the data and where it’s sourced, I imagine the quality will only get better. I wonder how much of the data is pulled from Google Analytics?
Ad Planner offers sophisticated marketing tools for the masses and if you are a media placement firm I would be getting nervous. This tool allows savvy online marketers with unchecked access to your turf.
