Google’s stark white home page, the most-viewed Web site on the Internet, would be any advertiser’s dream. On Tuesday, Google took full advantage of that — for itself.

Google is running an ad on Google.com for the Nexus 7, its 7-inch, $199 tablet computer that competes with the Kindle Fire. It shows the tablet popping up from what looks like a slit cut through the home page and announces, “The playground is open. The new $199 tablet from Google.” Clicking the link takes you to the Google Play store to buy the Nexus 7 and see a promotion for the other things the store sells, like apps, games, books, music and TV shows.

Though it is rare, this is not the first time that Google has advertised its products on the valuable ad space of its home page, which 183 million people see every month. It did so for the Nexus S cellphone and the Google Plus social network, for instance, and has used the home page for causes, like directing people to the remembrance of Steven P. Jobs on Apple.com after he died.

For people who use browsers other than Google’s Chrome browser, the company also shows ads for Chrome on the homepage.

But the ad for the Nexus 7 and Google Play store comes at a crucial time for Google. The tablet has been selling well, but competition is on the way, with product announcements by Amazon.com and Apple expected next month.

And in order for Android devices like the Nexus 7 to be successful, Google has to convince people to invest in apps and media from its store instead of others, like Apple’s, which is one reason that its Nexus Q media streaming device faltered. Also, Android is under attack after the verdict last week that some of Samsung’s Android phones infringed on some of Apple’s patents. Though the Nexus 7 is made by Asus, Google may have to tweak Android to avoid violating patents.

These are all reasons that Google has been making a major advertising effort on behalf of the Nexus 7. In addition to the home page ad, it has run display and AdWords ads across the Web, full-page color ads in newspapers and magazines, TV ads and billboards, including one near the San Francisco International Airport.

Article source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/google-advertises-its-nexus-7-tablet-on-its-homepage/?partner=rss&emc=rss