Google goes hyperlocal with mobile ads

Google Inc. (GOOG) is rolling out a new hyperlocal advertising feature for mobile ads, according to a Google Mobile Ads blog post.
By leveraging a user’s GPS coordinates, the new feature will serve ads for relevant nearby business and display distance information to let users know how close they are to a specific business. “This powerful ad feature delivers down to the block level information about your business at the right place and at the right time,” wrote Surojit Chatterjee, Google Mobile Ads product manager.
The hyperlocal distance information will include a marker with the exact distance between the user and the business location. Users can only see the hyperlocal ads if they’ve opted in to share their location on Google.com.
“This visual cue instantly helps customers who are on the go and close to a point of sale know that your business is nearby which can drive more traffic to your store and generate more revenue for your business,” Chatterjee added.
Google used Enterprise Rent-A-Car as an example. “Since Enterprise Rent-A-Car has neighborhood and airport locations within 15 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, the hyperlocal ad feature is an excellent medium to help our customers find us at the exact moment they need us most,” Enterprise spokeswoman Laura Bryant said.
The ad format is only available where location extension ad formats are supported and advertisers will only be charged when users click to visit the website or initiate a call.