Google will be adding new sponsorship opportunities to YouTube based on what users are watching.
During a panel at the Adweek conference in New York on Monday, a company spokesperson said “ad extensions for video” will be introduced to YouTube, though did not give a date of when to expect the extensions.
The ads will work off what users are searching for, for example, someone watching the trailer of an upcoming film will see a drop-down menu below the video box of local movie times.
Alternatively, travel-related content viewers will be served information on trip planning.
According to CNBC, Google VP of agency and brand solutions Tara Walpert Levy said in an interview: “What we’re announcing at Advertising Week is really a doubling down, really a solution to make a video more actionable and to allow advertisers to measure success.”
Levy also touched on competitors in the market such as Amazon, and the need for Google and YouTube to become more data-driven.
“The advertising ecosystem has always been incredibly competitive,” Levy said.
“The appeal of Amazon really validates what we are doing and talking about today, the importance of measurement, the importance of driving action on a platform.”
YouTube has had a fraught relationship with advertisers for some time, with issues surrounding brand safety coming to a head last year.
The issue hit fever pitch when a number of major British advertisers have pulled their Google advertising after ads were being shown on YouTube next to video content featuring extremists.
