When Searches take place online, business usually follows.  Advertisers utilizing Google’s AdWords and Insights for Search data have watched this pattern emerge for years, and we’re excited to now bring similar capabilities to our TV advertisers. As of today, we are pleased to announce the launch of Search Triggers, a new tool offered by Google TV Ads that uses national search trend data to control when and how you deliver your TV ads.

Let’s take a look at how this works. Suppose you own a business that sells grills.  The summertime is when you generally run television advertising.  But what if it’s a rainy weekend? By tapping into the power of search data, Search Triggers watches for real-time changes in the demand for terms you specify, such as “grills” or “charcoal.”  When query volume spikes or declines, the Search Triggers tool automatically adjusts your daily budget up or down accordingly each day so that you’re delivering the right message with appropriate frequency at the right time.

Using search data to optimize your TV campaigns is another way that Google TV Ads is working to make your TV buy smarter.  For more information, or to get started with Google TV Ads, visit google.com/tvads.

Update: Read more about Search Triggers on Mashable

Posted by Jody Shapiro, Google TV Ads Product Manager

Earlier this year we announced a strategic inventory agreement with Viamedia, a provider of advertising sales services to some of the fastest growing cable and telco operators in the US. Today we are pleased to announce that we have completed integration of Viamedia’s two million households into the Google TV Ads platform, making inventory available on 64 networks across their operator partners. With this integration, the household reach of Google TV Ads has now nearly tripled since the beginning of the year.

For those customers that already have Google TV Ads campaigns up and running, there’s nothing you need to do at this time. When eligible, your campaigns will automatically include Viamedia inventory, maximizing reach while staying within your desired budgets.

For more information or to learn more about advertising with Google TV Ads, visit www.google.com/tvads.

Posted by Kevin Buskirk, Technical Account Manager, Google TV Ads

We announced our partnership with DIRECTV this past summer, and this week we completed integration to extend the reach of Google TV Ads into 30M homes, soon to grow to 35M. Partnering with DIRECTV, the largest satellite provider and second largest TV distributor in the US, enables us to offer multi-distributor airings on Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network (West), Centric, Chiller, Current TV, Discovery Fit and Health, Fox Business, Fuel, Ovation, Sleuth and TV Guide across all dayparts, every day.

We're excited about what this enables for advertisers -- more reach, across more operators with no additional work. We'll automatically make sure your ads air across distributors including DIRECTV to maximize the reach on each of your targets while staying within your budgets. We're working quickly to integrate our Verizon FiOS and ViaMedia partnerships to elevate reach to 35M homes, or almost one-third of TV viewing homes in the US.

Extending Your Reach with Google TV Ads 
Increasing the reach of your TV campaigns across this new inventory is a simple process: target any of the networks where we have DIRECTV inventory, and your campaign will be eligible for airings across all of our partners including DIRECTV. It has never been easier to buy airings across multiple operators while reaching a targeted and measurable national audience.

We’re thrilled to continually add reach for our advertisers and work with a growing number of committed partners. Stay tuned for future announcements and learn more about Google TV Ads at our website: www.google.com/tvads.

Posted by Trevor O'Brien, Product Manager for Google TV Ads

Platforms like Google TV Ads and YouTube are making it easier for business of all sizes to connect with consumers via video. But for many businesses, creating an ad can be an expensive hurdle to advertising on national television, radio, and online video. That's why we built the Ad Creation Marketplace (ACM), a tool that connects businesses with talented production specialists who can produce a professional TV, online video or audio ad across a range of budgets starting as low as $250.

Creating high quality ads has never been easier or more affordable. While the ACM has been available for some time through Google AdWords, we've completely redesigned it to make it easier for you to browse sample work and connect with specialists who best fit your needs.

To get started, visit the ACM and specify your budget range and ad category using the filters at the top. Then browse through sample videos created by ACM vendors in the past which will give you a sense of the style and price you can expect from each vendor.

After you've found the specialist(s) you like, click the "Contact vendor" button to start a conversation and discuss terms and project details. Make sure to tell the vendor up front that you're new to TV Ads and that you want to use the Google promotional credit. Once the vendor has completed your ad, you will receive an email with the finished ad. In just a few clicks, you can put this ad on television or online through Google TV Ads and other YouTube ad formats like Promoted Videos.

To celebrate the launch of the new ACM, Google TV Ads is offering a limited time discount on any ad created through the ACM that has an initial invoice price of $300 or more. That means you can create a video ad for as little as $100! (View promotion terms and conditions here).

We hope you'll find the Ads Creation Marketplace a useful tool that makes it easier for your business to produce professional quality ads.

What if you could have a custom TV campaign created for you in minutes that optimally reaches your target audience? We're pleased to unveil Campaign Builder, a new Google TV Ads feature which enables advertisers to create targeted campaigns in just a few minutes.

To get started, navigate to Campaign Builder underneath the "Add Targets" tab of any TV campaign. Then specify your target audience demographics, interests, and/or Nielsen PRIZM clusters. Campaign Builder will produce a comprehensive list of dayparts and TV programs that reach your specified audience in the highest concentrations. What's more, the tool will automatically set strategic bids to increase your likelihood of winning optimal targets and spending your budget. After that, one click is all it takes to port the selected targets and bids into a newly created campaign that can begin running immediately.

Could creating effective and strategic TV campaigns get any easier? Log in today to give Campaign Builder a try.

Posted by David Wurtz, Product Manager, Google TV Ads

This partnership brings more layers of audience data to our existing targeting tools. In addition to demographic and interest dimensions from Nielsen and Equifax already available in our targeting tools, advertisers will now be able to layer on PRIZM segments to find their audience on TV through Google TV Ads. PRIZM categorizes US households into 66 unique segments, using attributes such as lifestage, income, social group, home ownership, employment, and education.

Sample PRIZM segments include:

• New Empty Nests – with their grown-up children recently out of the house, New Empty Nests is composed of upscale older Americans who pursue active–and activist–lifestyles. This is the top-ranked segment for all-inclusive travel packages;
• New Homesteaders – young, middle-class families with comfortable, child-centered lifestyles; and
  
• Young Digerati – the nation's tech-savvy singles and couples living in fashionable neighborhoods on the urban fringe.
  

How does it work? Advertisers simply select a PRIZM cluster in the Google TV Ads interface, and receive recommendations on which TV networks, dayparts, and programs are popular with that cluster. Advertisers can then add the media they'd like to target and air ads within 24 hours of building a campaign.

(Click on the image for a full-size version)

This extended relationship between Nielsen and Google complements and builds on our existing audience targeting tools and offers advertisers better targeting capabilities. We hope that all of these tools and data sources will help advertisers target their TV Ads more effectively, while allowing inventory owners to increase the value of their content.

Do you know where to find your target audience on TV? Use Nielsen PRIZM through Google TV Ads to find out today!

Posted by Bob Meese, Business Development Manager for Google TV Ads

Posted by Kristin Higaki, Technical Account Manager and Neha Mandal, Marketing Manager for Google TV Ads

Do you love watching game shows on TV? Lots of people do. In fact, more than 65 million people watch the Game Show Network! We are happy to announce that national advertising on GSN through Google is now available (GSN is already offered through our Dish inventory). Call that a deal (or no deal)? We think it's a great deal!

The network currently offers popular programs such as Twenty Q, Deal or No Deal, Money List and much more. As the premier television network for games, GSN produces some of the most popular original casino and game show series on TV today. The typical demographic for GSN is pretty broad, with its audience consisting of adults in all ranges, who are interested in live game shows and interaction with TV shows.

Here's how to include GSN in your campaigns:

1. Go to your AdWords account and create a new TV campaign.
2. On the "Targets" tab, click the "Add targets" button.
3. Click "Choose networks, days and times" and find "GSN - Game Show Network" in the list.
4. Select the days and times you want your ad to air, and add them to your campaign.

Once you upload your ad and set the CPM and budget, your ads will then be entered into the auction. After your ads air, you will have access to reports measuring the number of impressions, CPM and audience retention based on accurate set-top-box data.

In addition to GSN, advertisers can also target national inventory on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, which we launched earlier this year, along with NBC Universal networks CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, SyFy, Chiller, Sleuth, Outdoor Channel and CBS College Sports. We are thrilled to be extending the reach of our platform for our advertisers.

Posted by Anand Banwasi, Technical Account Manager for Google TV Ads

The Google TV Ads team is pleased to announce that all TV advertisers now have access to the new AdWords interface to manage their TV campaigns.* Our new and improved interface allows you to create, manage and edit campaigns faster and more efficiently than before.



For the past month, all users who signed up for TV have been automatically opted-in to the new interface. For the time being, you'll still be able to use the old interface, but by the end of August when we complete the rollout, you will no longer be able to switch back.

We've put together a microsite and training videos to ease the transition, and we're also hosting a free webinar to walk advertisers through new changes. Sign up today if you'd like to participate!**

Google TV Ads New Product Overview Webinar
Tuesday, August 18th at 1:00PM ET
Please register here before the event starts

Here are some new features we've rolled out which will make managing TV campaigns easier:

• The Traffic Estimator tool is now integrated into the core campaign summary view
• Historical bid guidance will be available when researching networks and programs to add to your campaign
  
• New filtering capabilities allow sorting campaigns by custom dayparts, days of the week, and current bid
• Custom dayparts are much easier to build via the new drag and drop network/daypart selector

We're excited to finally unveil the new interface which hopefully addresses the feedback we've heard from our advertisers over the years. But we're not done yet -- the new AdWords interface is built on an infrastructure that lets us develop features more quickly than in the past, so you'll continue to see new features launched regularly in the coming months.

To learn more and view videos of the new interface in action, visit our new interface microsite.

Posted by Steve Stukenborg, Sr. Product Manager and Rob Murray, Engineering Manager for Google TV Ads

*Currently, Google TV Ads is only available to advertisers in the U.S.
**A recorded version of the webinar can be found here, starting at the 3:36 mark.

We recently launched an easy-to-use feature that offers our TV advertisers more control over the timing and amount of account payments. It gives credit card and direct debit customers more flexibility by providing them with an option to make an immediate payment at any time.

In the past, advertisers have used "threshold billing" to pay online for their Google TV Ads campaigns. Under threshold billing, customers are automatically charged whenever the accrued balance reaches a specified amount, or at the end of the month, whichever comes first.

Now, payments can be made at any time, with any credit card or direct debit account previously defined in the system, and for any amount starting from $10. Payments can be made to partially pay an existing balance, pay off a balance in entirety, or pay more than the outstanding balance to carry a credit balance and delay the next automatic charge. When a payment is made, the new balance is shown on the system immediately. This feature is also useful if your credit card on file is declined for any reason and your ads become at risk of not airing; simply use Make a Payment to issue a payment with a different card to ensure no pause in your account activity.

Check out the video below for more details on how this works:




Our goal with this new feature is to simplify the billing experience for our advertisers and give them more control over the timing and amount of payments made.

Posted by Gil Arditi, Product Manager for Google TV Ads

Now, advertisers can target Hallmark Channel's entire national audience through Google TV Ads. We're proud to announce the launch of this inventory through our system, allowing advertisers access to family-friendly programs and movies which often rank in the top five amongst women ages 25-54.*

The network offers a varied mix of programming including classic shows like Cheers, Golden Girls and I Love Lucy. Hallmark Channel will also air over 30 original movies in 2009 – its largest-ever slate. To access this inventory, simply log into your AdWords account and create a new TV campaign. On the "Target campaign" page, choose Hallmark Channel as a target network, upload your ad, and set the CPM and budget. Your ads will then be entered into the auction. After ads air, you will have access to reports measuring the number of impressions, CPM and audience retention based on accurate set-top-box data.

In addition to Hallmark Channel, advertisers can target national inventory on Hallmark Movie Channel which we launched in March along with NBC Universal networks CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and Sci Fi. If you'd like to learn more about creating a Google TV Ads account, please reference our Getting Started Guide. We are thrilled to be extending the reach of our platform for our advertisers. Stay tuned, because more developments are coming soon.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Associate Marketing Manager for Google TV Ads

*Source: Nielsen Media Research, 2008

This week, we're pleased to announce the addition of national inventory on MSNBC to the Google TV Ads platform. Some of you may already be running ads on MSNBC on the Dish Network inventory available in our system. Now, as a result of our partnership with NBC Universal Google TV Ads advertisers can reach over 91 million households who watch MSNBC.

MSNBC network offers the latest news programming, including programs like Dateline and Meet the Press. Advertisers who have already been targeting MSNBC, available through our partnership with Dish Network, will automatically be included in the auction for the new national network inventory, provided that their ad meets our technical requirements. We can help you identify whether your budget and bid are likely to cover the networks and dayparts you've selected; simply click on the "Calculate Weekly Estimates" button on the Set Pricing screen. Learn more about estimated impressions and cost.

To access this inventory, simply log into your AdWords account and begin by creating a new campaign. On the "Target campaign" page, choose MSNBC as a target network. Next, upload your ad, making sure it meets all recommended technical requirements. Then, once you set the CPM and budget, you'll be entered into the auction. After your ad plays, we will give you detailed reports that measure number of impressions, CPM and audience retention for each ad airing.

We're look forward to continuing to expand our platform to include more inventory.

Posted by Meredith Papp for Google TV Ads

This week, we're thrilled to announce the addition of national inventory on CNBC to the Google TV Ads platform. This is the third network to be added as a result of our partnership with NBC Universal and enables Google TV Ads advertisers to reach over 95 million households who watch CNBC.

You can reach affluent males by targeting CNBC network and its popular business news content, including programs like The Kudlow Report and On the Money. Use our targeting tools such as audience search and program targeting to ensure that your ads reach the right audience when your message is most relevant.

To access this inventory, simply log into your AdWords account and begin by creating a new campaign. On the "Target campaign" page, choose CNBC as a target network. Next, upload your 30-second ad, making sure it meets all recommended technical requirements. Then, once you set the CPM and budget, you'll be entered into the auction. After your ad plays, we will give you detailed reports that measure number of impressions, CPM and audience retention for each ad airing. This data can help you determine the return on investment for that particular ad airing. Then, use our system to adjust your budget and CPM based on the audience reach and type of audience you are trying to reach.

The Google TV Ads team is excited to continue to expand our platform to include more inventory, and we are looking forward to launching MSNBC, Oxygen and SciFi in the coming months. So stay tuned for more!

Posted by Anand Banwasi, Technical Account Manager for Google TV Ads

Beginning this week, Google TV Ads advertisers who target Bloomberg TV nationally will now be able to reach all Bloomberg TV viewers in the US. Access to this national cable inventory is made possible through our partnership with Bloomberg TV, recently announced in this blog post. Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour business and financial news channel, reaching over 54 million homes in the US.

To reach this desirable audience, simply select Bloomberg TV from the network list on the Target campaign page when creating your campaign.


Advertisers who select Bloomberg as a network target in their national campaigns will be automatically entered into the auction for any available Bloomberg inventory during the chosen dayparts. If you'd like to reach the entire national Bloomberg TV audience, make sure that you have enough budget to cover the number of expected impressions. We can help you identify whether your budget and bid are likely to cover the networks and dayparts you've selected; simply click on the "Calculate Weekly Estimates" button on the Set Pricing screen. Learn more about estimated impressions and cost.

We hope you take advantage of this new access to inventory on Bloomberg TV, and we look forward to continuing to expand our inventory offerings to help you reach more potential customers.

Posted by Meredith Papp for Google TV Ads