There are reports at both DigitalPoint Forums and WebmasterWorld that Google AdSense is testing a new ad format. The new ad format has “featured ads” within the ad units, with little yellow stars next to them.
I was to hunted down an ad myself to confirm it is real. I spotted the ad on ukcarinsurances.blogspot.com, here is a screen capture:
The ad, as you can see, has a yellow star next to it and if you mouse over the star, it using a title attribute that reads “Featured Ad.”
I was only able to replicate this once…
There has been no word from Google on this yet, I will do my best to get an official statement shortly.
Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums and WebmasterWorld.
Update: Google sent me a statement confirming this test. They said:
