Google is promoting an ad format that looks like a social post. Here's the presentation Google is using to steal Facebook's advertisers.

Google

Google ad chief Prabhakar Raghavan.

• Since May, Google has been pitching advertisers on an ad format that looks like social media posts.
• Google used a webinar to show agencies the format that's aimed at social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
• Google is encouraging advertisers to repurpose creative from Facebook campaigns to use in Google ads.
• Google also showed how it uses its audience data to target ads to groups of people such as those who are in the market to buy things.
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Google unveiled Discovery Ads at its annual Google Marketing Live event in May.

The ad format is akin to a social media ad that uses images to grab people's attention while scrolling on three Google properties: the Discover news feed in Google's app, YouTube's homepage, and Gmail.

Two ad agencies who have run Discovery Ads campaigns for clients since May said the ads use Google's audience data to target people who are in market to buy something or have recently visited a website. The focus on feeds also shows how Google is trying to make more money from areas outside of search advertising.

Read more: Google is pitching an ad format that copies Facebook, and some search-obsessed agencies are starting to see the first results from it

Sara Ulrich, paid search strategist at Tinuiti, said the ad agency has run six or seven Discovery campaigns over the past six months.

Google has only made the format available to certain advertisers. A spokesperson wouldn't say how many advertisers have used it or if it would become more widely available.

On Oct. 16, ad agency Tinuiti hosted a webinar about Discovery Ads with two Google execs: Amy Hemmati, a product manager; and Max Hagler, a global product lead.

Here are Google's slides that show how it is pitching the ad format to advertisers. A slide at the end from Tinuiti shows the agency's results using Discovery Ads.

Discovery Ads target people when they aren't searching for products or topics

Google

Google's core business is keyword-based search ads that target people based on what they're looking for. Discovery Ads are aimed at people who aren't in search mode. With Discovery Ads, Google recommends advertisers think about ads that promote broader goals like brand awareness.

"We all know that people come to Google to find information and to get things done," Hemmati said. "But consumers have also told us that they turn to Google sites and apps when they don't have a specific goal in mind, sometimes they're simply looking to be inspired, learn or just be entertained."

Google is pitching its massive reach

Google

With Google's reach across YouTube, search, and Google Maps, it can give advertisers a deep understanding of people's intent. Discovery Ads target "hundreds of millions" of people.

Google says that advertisers can repurpose social campaigns on Google

Google

Creative is a big part of Google's Discovery Ads pitch. The ads can be a single-image post or a carousel post with up to 10 photos. Google is also encouraging advertisers to repurpose their existing social ads on Google.

"The rule of thumb is to talk to the social teams or use the Facebook scan features in AdWords to bring in creative from social," Hemmati said. "We've seen customers be very successful simply lifting and shifting social creative."

She also recommended advertisers avoid click bait and misleading copy and use copy that prompts consumers to go to a website or buy a product.

Google

Google

A few weeks into a campaign, Hemmati recommended that advertisers start looking at results to see which creative is performing best.

Google

Ad targeting is based on Google's lucrative audiences - like people who are looking to buy a car

Google

Discovery Ads are targeted based on data like life events, interests, and demographic information including income, employment, and relationship status.

Hemmati said that advertisers have seen good results using the ads to retarget people based on their search results using its custom intent targeting option.

Google claims that it is more effective than social platforms

Google

A case study for mattress brand Nectar was used as an example of how Google Discovery ads have lower acquisition costs than other social ads.

The ads featured images from an existing social campaign and promoted free trials, deliveries and warranties.

Carousel ads convert better than static images, according to Tinuiti's research

Tinuiti also presented the results it's had using Discovery Ads for clients. A chart showed carousel ads performed better than those with one photo.

Tinuiti

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