The Wall Street Journal is running a piece discussing how tech companies (like Google, Yahoo, AOL, Groupon, etc.) are touting new online ad formats. Author Jessica E. Vascellaro has some quotes from Google CEO Eric Schmidt about some things the company is thinking about within this realm.

For one, according to this piece, Schmidt says Google is looking at addressing an apparently popular concern from advertisers – that there are too many ad formats to choose from.

So too many choices in how to reach consumers is a problem? Is Google going to reduce the number of options available? Well, I guess we’ll see, but at the same time, Schmidt is also quoted about some new interactive video ads Google has in store. Vascellaro reports, "Such ads, which could appear anywhere on a Web page, not just inside a video, would be like mini-Web pages. That means they could allow Web users to watch a video, leave a comment and see real-time updates within the ads that are more customized to their interests." She adds that Schmidt suggested such ads will become "prevalent", but didn’t comment on specific plans.

Search Engine Land contributing editor Greg Sterling suggests, "I would expect these forthcoming video units to also show up in search at some point, making them perhaps the ultimate combination of search + display."

Google is always experimenting with different ad offerings and strategies, so I find Schmidt’s comments about the "too many formats" issue interesting. Regardless of the amount of format choice Google provides, they’re also increasingly offering more tools and resources for advertisers to better hone their campaigns.

As far as rich media ads are concerned, it looks like we can expect spending on this kind for format to continue to increase.

Would you rather Google offered less choices for ad formats? Share your thoughts.