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As a seasoned online advertiser, I often receive various promotional materials from vendors reminding me of how important their brands are. A few days ago I opened a package from Overture, a division of Yahoo! which specializes in pay-per-click advertising. Inside the box was a Zagat movie guide, a leather notepad holder, and a Blockbuster gift card for 2 free movie rentals. The branding package was sent to take advantage of the hype around this weekend’s Academy Awards, honoring the year’s best films.

Is it possible that Google (who is a fierce competitor against Yahoo!) is using the same marketing timing to launch a new beta product in stealth mode? I noticed that Google is offering a movie review and listing service, along with suggestions for theaters where the film is playing locally – and all this is just in time for the Academy Awards!

You can go to this link for an example from the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’:

The results page shows a series of reviews (rated by a traditional 5 star system). The average of all reviews is listed in a box in the upper left hand side of the page. A visitor can also view all reviews, only positive reviews, only negative or only neutral reviews.

There is a search function which permits the user to search only within the reviews for a particular film. Below this are listed what Google calls ‘Frequently mentioned terms’. It appears that these are a list of actors and directors associated with the particular production.

Still further down on the left side navigation, you can enter your zip code into a side bar search box to find theaters near your zip code showing the film. Importantly, there is a checkbox on the search function entitled, ‘Remember this location’. Once entered, Google will “remember” (via a cookie no doubt) where you are geographically.

Imagine the vast revenues to be made if this catches on, and Google promotes certain movies or theater chains for a fee. Similarly, the geographic profiles of which movies (or other products and services) are gaining traction within a certain area are sure to be valuable to marketers. The marketing obsession with tighter and tighter targeting – laser beaming in on precisely the right audience – is given flight with this new feature.

Whether this service is merely a short-lived test, a true beta product, or a full fledged release will become apparent with time. Hmmm…I wonder if Google has booked any :30 second advertising spots during the Oscars this year?

About the Author
Derek Vaughan has been actively marketing on the Internet since 1995. Mr. Vaughan has marketed products at the Walt Disney Company as the online marketing manager of ecommerce for ESPN.com. Mr. Vaughan is also the founder of Cheap Hosting Directory - a web hosting review site. Mr. Vaughan holds degrees from both the Indiana University and Purdue University. He has also received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. Cheap Hosting Directory is a part of network of web hosting portals.

As a seasoned online advertiser, I often receive various promotional materials from vendors reminding me of how important their brands are. A few days ago I opened a package from Overture, a division of Yahoo! which specializes in pay-per-click advertising. Inside the box was a Zagat movie guide, a leather notepad holder, and a Blockbuster gift card for 2 free movie rentals. The branding package was sent to take advantage of the hype around this weekend’s Academy Awards, honoring the year’s best films.

Is it possible that Google (who is a fierce competitor against Yahoo!) is using the same marketing timing to launch a new beta product in stealth mode? I noticed that Google is offering a movie review and listing service, along with suggestions for theaters where the film is playing locally – and all this is just in time for the Academy Awards!

You can go to this link for an example from the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’:

The results page shows a series of reviews (rated by a traditional 5 star system). The average of all reviews is listed in a box in the upper left hand side of the page. A visitor can also view all reviews, only positive reviews, only negative or only neutral reviews.

There is a search function which permits the user to search only within the reviews for a particular film. Below this are listed what Google calls ‘Frequently mentioned terms’. It appears that these are a list of actors and directors associated with the particular production.

Still further down on the left side navigation, you can enter your zip code into a side bar search box to find theaters near your zip code showing the film. Importantly, there is a checkbox on the search function entitled, ‘Remember this location’. Once entered, Google will “remember” (via a cookie no doubt) where you are geographically.

Imagine the vast revenues to be made if this catches on, and Google promotes certain movies or theater chains for a fee. Similarly, the geographic profiles of which movies (or other products and services) are gaining traction within a certain area are sure to be valuable to marketers. The marketing obsession with tighter and tighter targeting – laser beaming in on precisely the right audience – is given flight with this new feature.

Whether this service is merely a short-lived test, a true beta product, or a full fledged release will become apparent with time. Hmmm…I wonder if Google has booked any :30 second advertising spots during the Oscars this year?

About the Author
Derek Vaughan has been actively marketing on the Internet since 1995. Mr. Vaughan has marketed products at the Walt Disney Company as the online marketing manager of ecommerce for ESPN.com. Mr. Vaughan is also the founder of Cheap Hosting Directory - a web hosting review site. Mr. Vaughan holds degrees from both the Indiana University and Purdue University. He has also received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. Cheap Hosting Directory is a part of network of web hosting portals.