Google applies for voice advertising patent to make money from Voice

Google applied for a patent this month for an advertising service called “Ringback Advertising“. The service would be integrated into the Google Voice service. It essentially watches for dead space during phone calls, and inserts audio ads into those spaces. Importantly, the service would also search for information about the number being used the place the call, and would serve a targeted audio ad based on that info.

The “dead space” times that Google is interested are ringtones, call waiting and on-hold tones. So, if Google were to get and implement everything it has applied for, this is what would happen:

• You place a call using your Google Voice number.
• Ringback Advertising detects the call, and accesses all available info on your number. This data would be gathered from geolocation, user-provided profile info and (possibly) browsing or usage data.
• Instead of getting a dial tone for the number you’re ringing, Ringback Advertising plays an audio ad based on what it knows of you.
• If you get put through to call waiting, or are answered and placed on hold, Ringback Advertising takes the opportunity to play further ads

Actual ad placement would be organised along the lines of Google Adwords. Advertisers would bid for placement, frequency, keywords (?) and user categories.

All the details are available from Googles patent application

Via Ars Technica

What we think?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a proposal like this, although it’s certainly the most ambitious proposal we’ve seen. Adfortel has a similar service already up and running, although as far as I remember it only replaces ringback tones.