London - Google has introduced a new form of advertising to Gmail users, directly emailing individuals with unsolicited messages from brands and companies.
Currently in beta mode, the ads are sent only to those with the updated Gmail inbox where they are stored under the promotions tab.
Although this means advertisements are categorised as such, the scheme further blurs the line between legitimate communication and chatter from brands.
Also sporting a new icon next to the subject line, the messages are a step forward from the Gmail-sponsored promotion ad – ads that looked like regular emails but which didn’t appear in the inbox.
Clicking on the ads opens the messages like a typical e-mail with options to forward or dismiss. However, the only way to opt out of receiving the messages entirely is to disable the promotions tab, which returns ads to a Gmail sidebar.
Google has long shown ads alongside Gmail messages, analysing keywords from individuals’ emails to target advertising as well as picking out what it believes are relevant topics: “For example, if you’ve recently read a lot of messages about cameras, maybe you’d like to see an offer from your local camera shop.”
Marketing Land website says the new ads are “likely to be very attractive to advertisers”, with pricing based on a cost for each click model, with companies charging each user for only one click. – The Independent