Myspace Out, Google+ In?
Four years ago MySpace reigned as king of the social networks. By April 2008, Facebook stole the crown and this week not only did MySpace fall further into obscurity, but we also welcomed the arrival of, Google’s latest foray into social networking, Google+. Time will tell if the third time is the charm for Google, though Google+ certainly gives cause to wonder what its arrival could mean to online advertising.
Right now, Google+ is certainly geared much more for consumers than advertisers with no ads currently targeting Google+. It’s safe to assume should Google+ succeed that will change. A successful Google+ expands the number of people logged into Google while also allowing Google to collect specific demographic and psychographic data on individuals, such as location, education, interests, etc. More eyeballs in Google coupled with more user data translates into better ad quality for advertisers, which of course, brings more ad dollars to Google.
The social nature of Google+ could either challenge or benefit advertisers. Assuming Google incorporates Google+ data on websites or ads into its quality score algorithm, advertisers popular with Google+ users would be rewarded and unpopular advertisers would be punished. That’s good news for brands loved by customers.
Time will tell what Google has in store for advertisers; though, it’s a safe bet they’re working on something. Why else include an opt-out clause for Google+ users like this one below?
