Google began testing video ads in its search results this week - taking a big leap away from the minimalist approach that made it so popular.

Advertisers will be given the option of running video links under traditional text advertising available through AdWords. While only a small percentage of end-users will see the new video ad units, the development clearly indicates Google's shift towards a more "universal" search system which will combine multiple sources of information for search results (news, images, local results, etc.).

It is expected that Google will show a thumbnail, the duration and rating next to videos, while providing the option to play the video inline. I have not been privy to these new video ads on any search results yet (nor has anyone else as far as I can tell).

In an interview with the New York Times, Google’s vice president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer, said, "The big insight of Google wasn’t text ads; it was that the ads should be conducive to the format. We were doing text-based search that was all textual. Visual ads don’t work in that format. With universal search, something is getting shaken up a bit on the bottom part of the page. The ads on the top part of the page should match."

I have not been privy to these new video ads on search results yet (nor has anyone else as far as I can tell).