Google is jumping on the video ads bandwagon.  Whereas traditional ads show slowing growth, video ads are a hot topic.  This week is the first week of Google's video ad deployment, so users may begin to notice them appearing during their searches.

The Wall Street Journal received word from Google about the new development, but since then Google has been tight-lipped about exactly how they are implementing it.  The only specifics Google revealed is that some users will see video ads, and these video ads will be targeted partially, based on searches. 

The new initiative is part of Google's universal search campaign, which mixes images, videos, and other information with its traditional text links.  Google wants to both provide video-like experiences for both its search results and for the advertisements that accompany them.  The goal, it states is to provide a "TV-like" experience, which combines still and moving pictures into a rich-format experience.

A Google spokesman stated that the new ads will have a small plus sign button on them.  When users click this button, a small video player will be displayed that then plays a commercial or movie trailer.  The spokesman would not reveal exactly how small the button will be, but assured it would be relatively small.  For now advertisers will pay the same amount for video as text advertising, though that may soon change, says Marissa Mayer, vice president of search and user experience for Google.

According to market research firm ComScore, 20 percent of viewers averaged 841 minutes of online viewing and an additional 30 percent of the users, averaged 77 minutes per month.  Furthermore, Google's YouTube property reaches 54 percent of online video viewers according to the survey.  This all bodes well for Google and its new campaign.

Last year Google made over $16B USD in ad revenue.  It is choking out its competitors in the advertisement and search engine markets.  Its advertising got a powerful boost last year with the acquisition of DoubleClick. 

Still, despite epic success, Google is always hungry for a bigger piece of the pie and looking for innovative ways to get it, as evidenced by its new video ads.