A pretty large commotion was made over Google buying DoubleClick a few months back, especially from Microsoft, who filed against Google with the feds, flinging antitrust concerns. On Friday, Google responded with: Everybody else is doing it!
Google: All The Other Companies Are Doing It
Even tattletale Microsoft.
Pablo Chavez, policy counsel for Google, gleefully notes that since Google’s April 13 acquisition, Yahoo bought Right Media, AOL bought ADTECH AG and TACODA, WPP Group bought 24/7 Real Media, and Microsoft bought both aQuantive and AdECN Inc.
That’s a lot of advertising companies and a lot of money. Excluding three acquisitions where amounts were not disclosed, that’s at least $10.4 billion in online advertising companies being toss around.
Chavez argues that the number of advertising companies bought recently, as well as “several” startups that have entered the space encouraged by acquisition activity, means that there is no danger of an online advertising monopoly.
He then uses aQuantive CEO Brian McAndrews’ words against Microsoft. “We’re in the first or second inning of a long game here,” said McAndrews. “There’s no monopoly on innovation. I don’t think you’re going to see two or three big players and then game over. There will continue to be a broad range of companies.”
Of course, in that same MediaPost article Chavez cites, McAndrews said the Google/DoubleClick deal was a “completely different story,” though why is not elaborated.
Then again, he sort of has to take Microsoft’s side.
“[W]e think that these acquisitions signal a new phase in online advertising, in which barriers between technology providers and advertising agencies are beginning to fall,” echoes Chavez, sticking to his talking points like a good spokesperson.
“These market dynamics will ultimately benefit consumers who will see more relevant and useful ads, and provide advertisers and publishers with more choices. And these are exactly the kind of competitive and innovation-driven market conditions that policy makers should be encouraging in our economy.”
