Welcome to another week of news Click-Through-Readers! As October is moments away I am taking this time to remind myself that there are only three more months of 2020, and to check my budgets...but really I can’t believe that 2020 is actually going to end. I also have to give the disclaimer that the cute puppy eating Fall leaves is not mine, but I hope you enjoyed it! This week we cover new Reddit expanded inventory, Google Local Service Ad bidding options, new Yelp for Business updates, and cover updated Brand safety protection services for the Microsoft Audience Network.
Let’s get to the news!
Last week Reddit announced new inventory types that allow advertisers the option to focus more on scale or controlling the type of inventory their ads could be shown with. Advertisers now have three options to choose from:
Expanded (new) - This option gives ads the widest inventory pool that meets Reddit’s content standards, while allowing for greater reach. This option is recommended for advertisers that are wanting to scale.
Standard - This legacy option is the recommended setting for most brands. It has less reach than the new expanded setting, but offers more protection since it excludes all sensitive content.
Limited (new) - This option is designed for brands that have strict content guidelines. Reddit partnered with Oracle Data Cloud’s Contextual Intelligence to ensure the most stringent content options, offering a reduced breadth of inventory.
Google announced that it is opening up Local Services Ads (LSAs) to auction-based pricing after being on a fixed-pricing model. This will only be eligible as a beta, and Google will notify advertisers if they are able to participate. A bidding auction will now give advertisers more control and allow those that want to pay more for their leads the ability to do so, rather than positioning being randomized.
LSAs appear at the very top of search results, above traditional search ads. They feature reviews and the trust signal of Google Guaranteed or Google Screened.
LSAs launched in 2015 with fixed cost per lead pricing. Prices were set by Google and varied by industry vertical and geography. Leads can be delivered in the form of calls, appointment bookings or messages, depending on what the advertiser wants to receive.