On July 5, a user of Google Maps, Google’s mapping and road guide service, shared a screenshot on the social network X that set off alarm bells. According to the experience he recounts, Google is reportedly experimenting with a new format of pop-up ads that would be shown to users while they use Google Maps as a GPS in their car.
It wouldn’t be far-fetched, and Google could have been inspired, in fact, by an ad format that Waze, a well-known GPS tool, has been working with for several years. Basically, the user receives a pop-up in the Maps application, which shows a business or destination that is on the user’s way according to their established itinerary. Following the screenshot shared by Google, @AnthonyHigmanit could be, for example, an organic fruit shop that is close to the location of the vehicle.
The message displays the business’s logo and name, its star rating, and the distance in minutes to the location. Below it, it shows the user two buttons, one that says ‘Cancel’ and another that says ‘Add stop’. The goal would be to show the user an establishment that might interest them, such as a store, restaurant, gas station or shopping center, and easily offer them a detour from their route to make the stop. By simply clicking on ‘Add stop’, the GPS would be reconfigured to guide the traveler to that point and then continue their itinerary.
This ad format would be a nuisance for the majority of users who would interpret this as an unnecessary distraction on their journey. However, Ginny Marvin, Google’s ad-community liaison, provided some context on X in response to the aforementioned post: “Promoted Pins in navigation are not new: they allow people to see relevant ads for businesses like gas stations, restaurants, and stores along their route. To avoid driver distraction, these ads do not appear, they expand only on tap and quickly disappear after a short time,” Marvin said.
However, the author of the post replied to Marvin, assuring him that the ad appeared on its own, without him having touched anything on the screen, and then disappeared on its own after about 45 seconds. “That is not the expected behaviour,” Marvin replied, inviting him to continue the conversation via private messages.
A technique already used by Waze
Some people have reacted negatively to the post, criticising that this ad format can be dangerous because it distracts the driver. On the other hand, they also add that the “promotional pins” are nothing new, although they could appear more aggressively if they are finally activated as a pop-up. It is not known exactly if Google is planning to add them as a regular feature, or if they would appear while the user is driving or only while the vehicle is parked.
In the case of Waze, users have reported receiving ads in both forms. Waze Waze Ads is not selling new ad space as of September 1, 2023, as they are “working on migrating Waze Ads to Google Ads technology,” but one of their calls to action did include a “Drive There” button.
