Google Funds Online Ads Research

Internet giant Google recently partnered with media group WPP to fund research into the influences and effects of online advertising.

And last month saw the partnership announce the first round of projects to receive money from the $4.6 million (£3m) fund.

Various aspects of online advertising are to be studied by a range of academics from institutions across North America.

For example, a team of psychologists at the University of California will investigate how people decide what is relevant to them with regards to online advertising.

A project led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will study whether online advertising is more useful to established brands or niche brands.

The full list of research award winners is on the WPP website, and further details about the three-year partnership between Google and WPP can be found on Internet News and the Wall Street Journal (subscription needed for full article).