Google Maps Ads with a twist

After guiding you on roads with the right directions, Google maps will give you prompts that will highlight restaurants and other merchants located along your way.  It is a new way to treat ads that are acceptable to the audience at large.

So picture this, you have been driving for a while and are curious to know which one is the nearest gas station, you plug your destination into Google Maps and start cruising down your route when a purple pin appears, showing you the location of the nearest gas station. "Add to your route," it prompts. Well, that is exactly what you were looking for.

In its latest offering, Google is experimenting with a new ad experience that it is testing out in its Maps app to help businesses entice you into visiting their coffee shop, restaurants, gas stations or even pharmacy.

Google runs what is by far the world's largest digital ad network. It generated $67 billion in revenue last year.

However, google has displayed text ads alongside its online maps for several years. But  what changes if this experiment works is for the first time the Internet company has inserted the equivalent of a digital billboard into the directions map itself.

Google has called these ads as ”promoted pins," which will highlight restaurants and other merchants located along your way. Google ads VP Jerry Dischler explains, “a Promoted Pin for McDonalds might convince someone to stop to eat.”  So basically they'll show up on the directions map as Google routes you to your destination.

Google has been making a conscious effort to make more money for its parent company, Alphabet Inc. and these new ads seem to be one such effort in this direction. It is a known fact that we all increasingly rely on smartphones instead of their PCs be it for information or entertainment. Hence, Google has been on the hunt to invent new "mobile friendly" ads that work on small screens.