Expansion of Google Print Ads

Google has announced the expansion of Google Print Ads. From today Google has expanded their newspaper advertising base from 50 papers to 225 newspapers representing 32 of the top 35 DMAs with a combined circulation of 30million readers. Read original article.

The lineup of newspaper companies participating is impressive; companies include E.W. Scripps, Freedom Communications, Hearst Newspapers, GateHouse Media, Gannett, MediaNews Group, The New York Times, The Seattle Times Company, Tribune Publishing, and The Washington Post.

Google Print Ads is also now available to all United States-based advertisers who currently have a Google AdWords account.

The emphasis is mine. I logged into my Adwords account to see how the new feature worked from an advertisers perspective to find that it’s not available to me, or the billions of other people living outside of the United States. The thing I can’t work out is why? Why is print any different to online in terms of placing ads targeted at American consumers? It would take less than 5 minutes to place an ad directly with most of the newspapers in the Google Print Ads program from just about anywhere in the world; anyone with an Adwords account worldwide can already target American consumers through online ads, so why can’t the rest of us place print ads as well?

I think the answer is that placing "print ads" is more complicated and more labour intensive than you might think, In some countries the agency has to provide proof that the ad was actually published. Google might just be about to turn the whole sedate "Print ads" industry upside down. Watch this space...