Bing Ads, formerly Microsoft adCenter, is testing a new format for its ads which combines the first two lines of text, the headline and description line one, to make one long headline.
Below is a screenshot of two different ads on the search engine results page of Bing. The first ad is the standard format that has the headline and URL shown on the first line. The second ad showcases the new format that includes the ad headline and first description line.
This new ad format is being tested on Bing and will be rolled out to Yahoo shortly. The extended ad will appear when an ad is in the top three ad positions on the search engine results page. Microsoft says that the goal of the new ad format is to improve click through rates for advertisers. Microsoft has been testing new ad formats since this summer, when we previously spotted Product Listing Ads (PLA) and ads with seller reviews.
This extended ad format has been available in Google AdWords for quite some time now. Google says that when the first description line ends with a period, question mark or an exclamation point, it will be added to the first line of the ad with a hyphen as a separator. Below is a screenshot of the extended ad format on Google.
Online marketers can reach their audience with many types of ad formats, but it’s critical that as we marketers leverage the formats that appeal to the particular target demographic. A recent report by eMarketer provides some insight on how users react to certain ad formats. Fully understanding the habits and preferences of your consumers can be very helpful in crafting an effective campaign. Many variables influence consumer behavior online including: age, income, education, occupation, and frequency of visits.
Which ad formats appeal to your demographic?
Text Ads and Banners seem to be effective with most age groups, but lose their luster with older individuals and higher incomes. Video Ads are much more effective with younger people that have lower incomes. Increased visits to a website help to increase clicks on all ad types.
Is the Internet the best form of media to target your demographic?
When it comes to average time spent daily with major media, Internet is the second most popular medium for all users behind TV. Radio, Newspapers, and Magazines follow behind TV and Internet usage. TV is consistently preferred by all ages, income, and education levels. Internet is most popular with age 64 and younger, income levels over 25k, and users with at least some college level education. Magazines and Newspapers gain more popularity as consumers grow older, and Radio trends in the opposite direction.
Given this data, it’s clear that marketers must have a full understanding of their target demographic and utilize a combination of channels to communicate their message. In addition to text, banner and video ad formats, there are some emerging channels that ought to be considered – mobile/sms, social, and interactive promotions.
975 South Federal Highway, 2nd Floor
Boca Raton, FL 33432
800.787.0497
ph: 561.620.9682
fx: 561.620.9684
info@morevisibility.com
