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Video In Paid-Search Ads, Organic SERPS

IceCreamJellyBeanSlow Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) adoption rates have application developers scratching their heads wondering how Google plans to get more people on to the next OS platform, Android Jelly Bean, to use all the cool features. ICS is not seeing widespread adoption. Only about 7% of people use it today.

Google introduced a platform development kit (PDK) Wednesday to help speed adoption rates. It will arrive with the new Jelly Bean update and allow hardware partners to develop innovations in devices. While the company said it continues to measure about one million activations daily, it must build momentum or risk losing market share to Microsoft Surface -- or worse, Apple iPad.

Although Google co-founder Sergey Brin took the helm of Google's emerging technology unit to develop a lot of interesting gadgets, such as Project Glass, it appears that engineers have one toe of one foot in search. Some might call it resting on one's laurels.

The online ad industry continues to see native content in display ads, real-time bidding, and data management platforms, but search marketing remains relatively stagnant. What about embedding video or animation in paid-search ads that serve up in query results; a feature turned off and on by consumers who could click through to a brand's or company's landing page?

Oh, right -- Google tested the expandable paid-search video ad unit in April 2011. The ads were available to movie studios to showcase coming attractions. The concept seemed to disappear as quickly as it came. Perhaps it didn't get enough clicks. Faster computer processing speeds on tablets and smartphones and HTML5 would support the media.  

With advancements in technology, businesses with original programming on YouTube Channels could link a 30-second video spot in paid-search or organic search result pages (SERPs). The video could also link to a view of the company's location or show a video on a mobile device. Running maps on an Android OS mobile device, it could become a bit tricky.

While I'm not the engineer, Google's Android developers recognize the outdated version of Maps running on Android devices. During a fireside chat at the Google I/O conference late Wednesday, a Google engineer pointed to backward compatibility concerns that the geo-team realizes they need to work through. 

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