14 DAY TRIAL // Google has relied on computers and algorithms to prop up its advertising business and the stellar results it keeps posting quarter after quarter indicate it's working.
Google is dominating the online ad market, text-ads in particular, and there are any serious contenders.
But that doesn't mean that there's no more money to be made from other types of advertising, Google is now experimenting with celebrity endorsements.
The program is in testing and Google has not provided too many details about it, other than the fact that it is happening.
Search Engine Land found out that Google is currently testing the product with a handful of advertisers.
It seems to be aimed at big names at the moment, who can guarantee that the celebrities in question actually do endorse the products.
It's unclear if there are verification methods or whether Google will work directly with celebrities. From the looks of it, big brands will be able to pay celebrities for endorsement and then tell Google about it.
In the example provided by Google’s Christian Oestlien, an ad for Sear's Kardashian Line, showing up on Google Search, is said to be endorsed by Kim Kardashian.
This notification shows up under the body of the ad and there are no links or other details other than the line "Kim Kardashian endorses this."
The program is in early testing and it's perhaps a bit too soon to speculate on how will this play out. The ad program is part of Google's social ads.
Google already uses a type of 'endorsement' for regular, organic searches with the +1 button. Any link that any of your friends may have +1'd will display a line indicating that your friend recommends the search result.
While celebrity endorsements don't have anything to do with Google+ or the +1 button, they use the same mechanism to entice a user into clicking that particular link, either from an ad or from the search results.