14 DAY TRIAL // Google is always experimenting with new features and testing out changes and it's no different for its advertising business. It's always trying to find ad units that work better or new type of ads that fit better in certain contexts.
Considering that the vast majority of its significant revenue comes from advertising, it's understandable that Google would want to stay on top of its game and don't get bogged down in what works now, enabling competitors to come up with something new and presumably better.
For example, the company is testing one ad unit which enables users to subscribe to whatever email newsletter the advertiser has linked to the ad.
The ads, which show up at the top of the search results, include an email box, pre-filled with your Gmail address if you're logged in, and a "Subscribe to newsletter" button.
Clicking on that button will add your name to the newsletter and you should start receiving regular emails from that company or organization.
With users' inboxes filled with unnecessary emails already, most people won't find the option appealing. However, in cases where you'd really want to subscribe, it comes in especially handy.
"We’re currently running a small experiment of a new ad format that helps users sign up more easily for email subscriptions or other free newsletters," Google confirmed the test and described the feature.
"This new ad format contains a box within the ad that displays a user’s Google email address (if logged in). If a user chooses to click ‘Subscribe to newsletter’ then the email address is sent to the advertiser directly, which is clearly disclosed within the ad itself," it said.
Google has been testing the ad unit for at least a month now, but there are no guarantees that the ad will become available to everyone, in this form.