It was no surprise to see AdAge today run a piece about YouTube’s potential as a search powerhouse. In August, YouTube’s search volume surpassed that of Yahoo, the number two search engine – that’s search volume – actual search queries – pretty amazing when you think about it.
Barack Obama's Campaign Buys Video Ads Against Keyword "John McCain"
While search accounts for the lion’s share of online ad spending, video represents a big part of the future growth and a method of engaging with consumers in a deeper manner. Google has been struggling to monetize the potential gold mine of YouTube, experimenting with varying formats and sales strategies. Search ads may provide another win-win-win – providing benefits to marketers and consumers as well as to Google itself. What it does not replicate however, is the similar intent that consumers have while searching on a search engine, posing the question of whether this format can yield the direct response success that has predominantly led the search category into its dominant role. All things considered, this approach still creates a relevant and engaging experience for consumers – based on that criteria alone, it has legs..
