Ads in Local Finder not marked with "Ad" icon

[Tim Colling]

Is this something new? In the screenshot below, the first listing shown in the local finder is an ad, but it's not marked as such with the "Ad" icon in the list. It is marked in the map pin on the right, but that's not nearly as noticeable.

Is this old news, or something new?

 

[Phil Rozek]

@Tim Colling, that's certainly new to me. When I search for that same term and pull up the same business, I see the "Ad" marking clearly in the location extension (i.e. the "paid 3-pack") and in the local finder. So if it's not a bug, it's a very slippery test to see how small Google can make the fine-print and still be able to claim, "Hey, we did label it as an ad."

 

[djbaxter]

It's clearly marked as an ad for me too.

 

[Tim Colling]

Perhaps it was a test.

Or perhaps it is another step on the road to Google enrichment and ad obfuscation?

Who can tell, these days?