Gmail Sponsored Promotions: how it works and what it is used for

10.11.2021

In Google, they found a non-standard way to adapt email advertising for mobile devices. We have reviewed the key aspects of Gmail Sponsored Promotions and are sharing them with you while the service is still in beta testing. Will GSP become a revolution in the advertising market? What is Gmail Sponsored Promotions Gmail Sponsored Promotions is a highly targeted advertising service from Google. Ads are based both on the context of a specific email and on topics the user is interested in. Google allows users to influence the ads they see by removing topics they are not interested in. This approach increases targeting accuracy and also improves user loyalty to the service. It should be noted that when a service enters your inbox, user trust becomes a top priority. For users interested in the topic of a specific banner, there is a “More promotions” button. The “Sponsored promotions” page has a permanent URL: https://mail.google.com/mail/#pinbox. If your Gmail is not showing contextual ads, enable them in the ad settings page.(https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads). Thus, the user has three options:

save to “Inbox”;
close and refuse to see this ad in the future;
forward it to a friend without spending traffic.

Targeting settings in GSP (Gmail Sponsored Promotions) are built with a very flexible targeting system. Here are some of the filters:

Geo-targeting via IP (country, region, city, district);
User language;
Targeting based on keywords found in the last 300 active emails (forwarded and replied to);
Interest-based targeting (also based on keywords);
Demographic targeting – gender and age;
Professional targeting based on the user’s specialty and job skills;
Targeting by email addresses appearing in correspondence. One of the most interesting filters, allowing ads to be directed at customers of competitor companies;
Targeting by consumed products. Based on evidence of online orders received in the mailbox;
Targeting by devices from which the Gmail account is used.

Although GSP has been operating for almost two years, the service is still in beta testing. Payments can only be made in euros, dollars, and a few other currencies, among which there is still neither hryvnia nor ruble. Another downside of the beta stage is that only a personal Google manager can launch a GSP campaign, if you have one. How to launch a Gmail Sponsored Promotions campaign? Now let’s look at what is needed to start a GSP campaign. When contacting a Google manager who will create the account for GSP and later transfer it to you, you need to specify which credit line you want to use (which legal entity) and the payment currency. At the same time, you must provide the registration document of the legal entity. You also need to provide standard contact details of the person who will oversee the activation of the credit line. In addition, Google has quite strict requirements for launching a Gmail Sponsored Promotions campaign:

The business must be registered for at least 1 year. Otherwise, a guarantor will be required.
The legal entity must be registered in a country where the credit line (Invoicing) is available. Ukraine is not included in this list, so registration will need to be done through another country for now.
The account must have been active for at least 1 year and have no payment issues.
The account’s monthly spending must be at least $5,000 (any 3 months within the last year are considered).

Here is the literal translation:the payment scheme is as follows: ad impressions are provided on credit, and on the first day of the following month you are issued an invoice. After the invoice is issued, you have 30 days to pay it by bank transfer. The taxation conditions of transactions depend on the country in which the legal entity is registered – this should be taken into account when choosing a country for registration. In summary, it should be noted that Google builds a well-thought-out system of relationships between advertisers and users, creating a comfortable environment for both parties. Combining contextual advertising with email marketing is a new step in the development of the market. And this step looks most promising in the transfer of advertising to mobile devices.

Gmail Sponsored Promotions: how it works and what it is used for

a little more