Paid Media News & Opinion #121

Google Ads in video games? Immersive ads in Roblox

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> What’s happening

Immersive Ads are Google’s answer to seamless in-video game ad experiences, such as billboards and big screens as you drive through a city. The ads “blend naturally into the game environment, enhancing the experience”, with image and video formats now available. Google has been rolling out this tech since last year.

Now, it’s expanding its partnership to Roblox, an online virtual universe game where users create and build worlds & experiences.

Rewarded Video ads – where users can get in-game credits for watching 30s ads – will also be available for SSPs to tap into, meaning ads through Google and eventually other programmatic platforms could be shown within the Roblox world very soon.

> Why we care

Are we about to see the next seismic shift in advertising through this metaverse-style inventory? It’s something we’ve been expecting for some years, but now that a large brand like Roblox (with over 380M MAUs) and Google are leading the charge, this could accelerate opportunities.

Our view is that if the ads are seamless and non-obtrusive, they should enhance the experience rather than annoy or frustrate users. Video games are an escape for many and need to remain fun. Roblox claim an average completion rate of 90% on Rewarded Video ads.

Perhaps we’ll see ‘In-game’ as a device segment within Google Ads soon, or perhaps a new campaign type will become available specifically for these placements. The future is bright and filled with ads – great for advertisers but their implementation will determine how

Google Ads policy shift: Multiple ad placements now allowed

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> What’s happening

Google is making a change to its Unfair Advantage Policy, a substantial shift from its long-standing rule that restricted businesses from showing more than one ad at a time on a single search results page.

From April 14, Google will permit advertisers to show multiple ads for the same business, app, or site, as long as those ads appear in different ad locations on the same search results page. Previously, this type of double serving ads was restricted to prevent one business from dominating the search page.

Now, advertisers can enter separate auctions for different ad positions, such as top-of-page, mid-page, and bottom-of-page placements, significantly expanding their potential visibility.

> Why we care

This change is a substantial shift from Google’s previous stance, which limited ad dominance by ensuring only one ad per advertiser per results page. This change is not just a policy tweak, but potentially a signal of a new competitive landscape in Google Ads.

Larger advertisers with healthy budgets now have the opportunity to dominate the search results page by serving in multiple ad slots. This could result in higher visibility, better click-through rates, and more conversions. For those with bigger budgets this is a chance to secure even more real estate.

On the other side, this could significantly increase competition and cost-per-click (CPC), especially for smaller advertisers. As big brands take up multiple placements, smaller players may find it harder to compete for attention, driving up the cost in what could be an already competitive auction environment.

This policy update is one of the most significant shifts in recent years for search advertising. While it opens opportunities for those with big budgets to dominate visibility, it also raises the barrier to entry for smaller businesses and may lead to a more competitive and costly ad environment.

Google to begin enriching listings with your marketing content with automatic opt-in

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> What’s happening

Google is now automatically extracting marketing content from merchants’ emails, websites, and social media, and will use it to “enhance” listings on Search, Shopping, and Maps.

The feature pulls from promotions, social posts, and brand materials to enrich listings, although they have yet to release any projected improvements that brands can expect to see from this activity.

> Why we care

Whilst this could boost visibility with minimal effort, it does raise concerns around brand control. For example, maybe you have an email-only offer for existing customers that then makes its way into the more public domain.

As Google have yet to provide any metrics to suggest any likely improvements, it’s difficult to understand the true benefit brands at this stage.

The key fact to be aware of is that brands will be auto-enrolled and must opt out via Merchant Centre, so if you have any concerns then make sure you do this as soon as possible.

What else we've been talking about:

• Microsoft Ads Product Update: April 2025

• Reddit Ads rolls out new SMB tools to boost campaign performance

• New: Your guide to YouTube Shorts ads

• Location Manager Coming to Google Ads

• Color attribute showing in Google Shopping

• Reddit rolls out updates to its Conversation Ads

• Conversion Rate Benchmark Report