Gmail native ads now available to Adword users

Advertisers can now access native ads, which resemble normal emails, in the web and mobile versions of Gmail, directly through AdWords.

It is expected that the search engine will then charge advertisers every time a user expands one of the ads.

Google has been trialling these ads since back in 2013, making them available to a select group of advertisers but this is the first time they will be available to AdWord users.

A key feature of these adverts is that they can be saved or forwarded like a normal email, allowing users to easily send interesting campaigns to friends and family.

Advertisers can manage native Gmail ads right in AdWords by setting up a Display Network campaign and creating a Gmail ads format in the Ad gallery. The ad has two main parts:

• The collapsed adthat users initially see that matches the look and feel of the Gmail inbox. Users can click on this to expand it and get more details.
• The expanded adunit is triggered by a click on the collapsed ad. This is a full-page native ad that recreates the informational and visual richness of a landing page. After users click to expand, any subsequent clicks on your content are free, including clicks to save the ad to your inbox or forward it to others.

This expansion of native adverts was announced on the same day that Google’s changed its iconic logo. The hubbub caused by the controversial move to a new sans serif font meant this significant change to advertising in Gmail was rather swept under the carpet.

The company maintains that users will still have the ability to control the type of ads they are exposed to, meaning they can opt out of interest-based ads.