Tag Archives: Holidays

How Google products help you observe and adapt to Ramadan

Every year around Ramadan, people turn to Search with questions like “What is Ramadan?” or “Why do Muslims fast in the summer?” For those who celebrate Ramadan, the questions can be a bit more complex: “When is Iftar in Finland?” or “How do I stay healthy during Ramadan?”

A few weeks ago, searches—my own included—started pouring in. I looked up a recipe for Qatayef, the crescent-shaped dessert which has signaled the arrival of Ramadan in my house over the years. Now, I’m closer to recreating the Qatayef my mother used to make for my siblings and me years ago (and many others have also looked up the recipe to try to master the dish as well).

You can go beyond finding recipes with the resources in our Ramadan Hub. There, you’ll find most relevant information to help you observe the holy month.

The Ramadan Hub will walk you through different ways Google products can help you this month.

Taking care of the little things

Now that we’ve entered Ramadan mode, the technology we use every day should adapt accordingly. To make it easier for you to find helpful content, the YouTube homepage in the Middle East, North Africa, Indonesia, and Turkey will display a collection of trending Ramadan videos. This ranges from videos that help you prepare an ambitious recipe, or that episode from the Ramadan series everyone is talking about.

Ramadan mode: on

Google Maps, Allo, Duo and Google Play will also keep up with you this Ramadan. A notification from Maps will tell you when to leave the office to beat the Ramadan traffic so you can get home in time for Iftar. Duo will remind you to call your friends and family before Eid, and we’re launching new Allo stickers that will help you convey those Ramadan feels. And the Play Store homepage will show you the most relevant and popular apps to help and guide you through Ramadan.

When words fail you, check out Allo’s Ramadan stickers.

As you adapt to Ramadan, our products will adapt with you. With these new product updates, we’ll take care of the small things so you can focus on the things that matter.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Santa Tracker: ready for take-off

For the last 23 days the residents of the North Pole have been working day and night to help Santa Claus get ready for his big flight. And if you’ve stopped by Santa’s Village this month, you know the elves are coding, geography and dancing machines!

Now the time has come to #TrackSanta on his round-the-world mission with Donner, Cupid, Comet and Vixen (Rudolph and the other reindeer too).

Starting today you can follow Kris Kringle around the world as he delivers presents to all the good boys and girls. Get a front-row seat to the show using Android, Google Maps or Google.com. You can also stream Santa’s journey on your TV using Chromecast.

Happy holidays from the Google elves at the North Pole!

Source: Google LatLong

Santa Tracker: ready for take-off

Now the time has come to #TrackSanta on his round-the-world mission with Donner, Cupid, Comet and Vixen (Rudolph and the other reindeer too).

Happy holidays from the Google elves at the North Pole!

Source: Search

Santa Tracker: ready for take-off

Now the time has come to #TrackSanta on his round-the-world mission with Donner, Cupid, Comet and Vixen (Rudolph and the other reindeer too).

Happy holidays from the Google elves at the North Pole!

Source: The Official Google Blog

Three ways to grow ad revenue this holiday season

A staggering $6.9 billion was spent on mobile digital ads in Q4 2015. In this second installment of the #SuccessStack, learn how you can claim your share of advertising budgets spent this quarter and grow your revenue.

Tip 1: The early bird catches the worm

Does it feel like the holiday season gets bigger and starts earlier every year? You’re not wrong. This year Black Friday set a new record with over $3 billion in online sales. The entire holiday shopping season has evolved into a truly multi-month, online affair.

Take advantage of the holiday ad spending spree by placing ads on your site. A good first step is to choose the right tool to sell and manage ads on your site. Then, make sure your available ad space is optimized and mobile friendly. Finally, when the holiday season is in full swing, you can use experiments to measure and improve your use of ad space further.

Tip 2: Tailor your content to what users are looking for

The holiday shopping season creates big opportunities for AdSense publishers. According to Luth Research*, the way people search when shopping becomes more niche as they move closer to buying an item. For example, individuals may start their shopping journey with search terms like “gadgets for men” or “laptops” but finish a few weeks later with searches for specific models or screen sizes.

To capture audience attention and increase your ad impressions, build a content strategy that taps into this insight. Try creating content that taps into each stage of the buyer journey like gift inspiration articles for those early stage “i need ideas” moments, and product comparison content for those “i want to know” moments before users make a purchase decision. To help you make the most of these moments check out our guide to help you draw the crowds to your site.

Tip 3: Use the right advertising partner

Partner with an ad network that can help you earn more during this peak advertising period. AdSense, with its access to millions of Google AdWords advertisers offers an easy, profitable and low touch advertising solution.

Already an AdSense user? Enjoy an expert consultation to walk you through DoubleClick’s suite of tools to help you manage and optimize the ad inventory on your site. It could help you grow your revenues even further this holiday season.

*Google/Luth Research, U.S. Google partnered with Luth to analyze the digital activity of its opt-in panel participants. The data was analyzed between April and Aug. 2016.

Source: Inside AdSense

Take a virtual tour of New York City’s iconic holiday windows

Ice skating bunny rabbits, Santa’s high tech command center, couture cotton candy dresses, the characters of “South Park” — these are just some of the wonders awaiting visitors to New York City’s magical holiday window displays.

Each year, more than 5 million people travel to Manhattan during the holiday season. Many of them brave the icy weather and chaotic holiday traffic to take in the displays lining Madison, Fifth Avenue and beyond.

Now for the first time, anyone from anywhere in the world can peer into New York City’s magical windows with Window Wonderland. Using your smartphone or computer, you can take a virtual tour of holiday windows from 18 stores, even if you can’t make the trip in person.

We’ve taken hundreds of high-resolution photos of each window and stitched them together with a new technique that creates a rich, life-like panorama — you’ll feel like you’re standing on the streets of Manhattan during the holidays, gazing at the windows as if you were walking next to them. If you have a virtual reality headset like Google Cardboard or Daydream, you can even be surrounded by the sounds and sights of the city street, taking in the storefront view alongside other onlookers.

Barneys - Window Wonderland — Barneys New York window at 660 Madison Ave, New York, NY

Some windows let you enter a magical world: in Lord & Taylor’s Enchanted Forest, bunnies ice skate while raccoons fish on a frozen pond. Others are a chance to visit the museum — such as Barney’s, where artist Nick Cave takes on the issue of race and gender in sculpture. At Saks 5th Avenue, it’s runway meets holiday, where designers like Carolina Herrera, Marchesa and Jason Wu were commissioned to create bespoke couture gowns inspired by holiday treats like cotton candy, cake icing and peppermint sticks. We’ve captured displays from 17 stores in all: ABC Carpet and Home, American Girl, Barneys New York (two stores), Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, Burberry, Cartier, Fendi, Henri Bendel, Lord & Taylor, Louis Vuitton, Macy's, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co. and Tory Burch.

At any point in your virtual walk, you can zoom in to see the details on these intricate displays, like gorillas peering out from a lush green jungle embellished by beads and flowers at Bergdorf Goodman. You can also listen to audio guides from the stores’ creative directors, as they describe the process and painstaking detail that goes into the displays. Or head over to the special Google shopping gift window to find the perfect presents for the special people in your life.

With all of the artistry and time that goes into creating these holiday windows, we want to open them up to the whole world. So go ahead, walk down the wide avenues of Manhattan, peer into Santa’s high-tech communications command center at Macy’s flagship store, imagine sitting atop the 9 ½ foot tall Jackalope at Bergdorf Goodman, take in all the sights and sounds — and enjoy the magic of a New York holiday.