What's that on your fridge? A Google ad of course.

What's that on your fridge? A Google ad of course.

by Mihai Neacsu on 22 May 2014 · 1832 views

1 full Whats that on your fridge A Google ad of courseNow this little story is just about everywhere on the internet these days, just like anything a bit out of the ordinary that Google thinks of doing next. So what is it this time? Well of course, advertisement, at a new level.

In this letter to SEC (the Securities and Exchange Commission) from December 2013, Google mentioned at one point that:

We expect the definition of “mobile” to continue to evolve as more and more “smart” devices gain traction in the market. For example, a few years from now, we and other companies could be serving ads and other content on refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches, to name just a few possibilities.

In this back-and-forth conversation between Google and SEC, SEC is asking how much revenue Google made from 'mobile', while Google is dodging the answer stating that 'mobile' is wrongfully classified as 'tablet + handset' and that advertising could further expand in the near future to other types of mediums such as refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches.

Will Google place ads on your fridge or watch?

Maybe, maybe not. All we can do is speculate based on this phrase from the letter "could be serving ads and other content on refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches".

They will sure try if that will benefit them financially. Google's revenue is currently based on advertising. About 90% of their revenue comes from ads (as we can see from Google's financial tables), so it's safe to assume they will pursue advertising further, even if it means having an ad on your bathroom mirror while you brush your teeth in the morning.

Or maybe have a Glass experience filled with ads like below:


Fan made video of Google Glasses Remixed with Google Ads

What's your take on this? Drop a comment below if you have something witty to say about it.

Comments (3)
kshu's profile
kshu on 25 May 2014
Later edit (and a little bit off-topic): just watched the first series of Black Mirror and it's pretty awesome!
kshu's profile
kshu on 23 May 2014
Thanks for the tip Dan. I'll give it a go myself - the show looks very interesting ... just saw a few of its trailers on YouTube.
dan's profile
dan on 23 May 2014
I would suggest everyone watch Black Mirror TV series by Charlie Brooker. It's a series of short tv novels with one thing in common - futuristic tech, like memo chips in everyone's head "The Entire History of You" and the ads on the walls and in the toilet "15 Million Merits." It is the kind of sci-fi that gives you goosebumps because it nails down where we are heading.
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