It’s no secret that consumers start their holidays online or on mobile. New research shows that for millennials it’s as many as half using their mobile to research and buy their trips away.
It’s why Google felt compelled to launch ‘Destinations’ earlier this year, a feature you may well have experienced, which enables consumers to browse flights, hotels and even attractions within Google’s ecosystem.
Now the search behemoth is introducing a new AdWords format which could have even more profound consequences for businesses in the travel sector, and, unless they act now, not in a positive way.
The new AdWords format is called Extended Text Ads (ETAs). First announced in May, ETAs are set to shake up the world of search. The new format has already started to be rolled out but businesses will be able to keep using the old format, at least until the end of January 2017.
Instead of a single headline and two short description lines, advertisers now have the ability to run two headlines and an extended description. It’s AdWords on steroids, and it becomes the sole format early next year, with advertisers no longer able to update campaigns in the old format.
The 31st January deadline may seem a long way off, yet it’s just over 70 working days away, and for many there’s a lot of work involved.
Many marketers have already taken advantage of the extra legroom, yet it’s those in the travel industry who are set to be hit hardest by the move. Given the travel industry’s global reach, it has very specific needs for contextually relevant, region specific ads in different languages. It’s a mammoth undertaking to update ads to the new format and many may struggle to get it all done by the deadline.
