Google Maps to show where to get coffee on the go

by Andrew McCormick, revolutionmagazine.com 28-Sep-09, 09:51

LONDON - Google is seeking to cash in on Google Maps, one of its most popular products beyond search, with a range of new advertising opportunities for brands.

The search giant has only previously run ads on a large-scale basis across Google Maps in Japan, where the mobile market is most advanced. But now Google Australia is planning to test some ads, with other markets including the UK rumoured to be next in line.

Fast-food chains, coffee shops and restaurants are the likely advertisers for Google. McDonald's is already an advertiser in Japan, as are coffee shop chains and other food and drink outlets.

"We get one million searches a year for railway stations. We're trying to figure out what things people might want. It could be a coffee shop or it could be a McDonald's," David Egan, general product manager at Google Australia, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Ads on Google Maps seems to be a logical move from Google as more people access the service on their phones but the search giant has yet to reveal what specific opportunities it will offer to advertisers beyond logo and location.