Yesterday, some breaking news emanated from the Google campus in Mountainview, CA via Google VP of Product Management, Susan Wojcicki, announcing that they would be closing the door on their foray into connecting advertisers purchasing remnant air-time with audio producers and voice over talent.
The news has come as a shock to some and the program will officially wrap up by the end of May 2009.
It’s Over
A groundbreaking endeavor that took the world by storm just over two years ago has now exited into the realm of history books.
Google Audio Ads, when first released, was meant to be a feather in Google’s hat and another way to break into traditional media, which it was, for a time. The platform received a healthy amount of attention and hype from the online community, including postings about Google Audio Ads on TechCrunch by Michael Arrington and even news coverage on videos.
Upon hearing the news that their Audio Ads platform was on the chopping block, I decided to explore why Google would make the call to quit audio ads and shift their focus to the exploration of streaming audio online instead.
One Google Audio Ads Producer’s Experience
This morning, I was in touch with someone in the program and asked them if they had heard the news.
They replied:
“VERY strange! Not long after I was accepted to the roster, I was at a Google function at a trade show and tried to get answers from folks as to when we could expect to see some interest… nobody knew! Then, a year later I was at another event and I could not get a straight answer from anyone… it was like the twilight zone! I never received a single opportunity to bid on any work. So, no surprise it didn’t work.”