Google, previously recognized by a US federal court as a monopoly in the online advertising market, has proposed a strategy it believes could restore a healthy competitive environment and, most importantly, help avoid the forced sale of its Ad Manager platform.
Following the trial, Google highlighted that the court found its advertiser tools do not harm competitors. Although the company disagrees with the court’s conclusion regarding the Ad Manager platform harming competition, it plans to appeal the decision. Nevertheless, acknowledging parts of the ruling, Google has put forward a strategy aimed at promoting fairness in the digital advertising space.
The proposed strategy includes several key measures:
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Making bid amounts from the AdX ad exchange available to competitors in real time;
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Canceling uniform ad pricing rules, allowing publishers to set different prices for different bidders;
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Reaffirming its previous move to stop using “first look” and “last look” mechanisms in advertising management, which were already discontinued in Google Ad Manager several years ago.
Google has presented the details of these proposed changes in a separate document. The measures are intended to address concerns raised during the proceedings, even as the company continues to stand by the usefulness and fairness of its tools. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Concerns Over Forced Sale and Impact on Small Businesses
In response to the US Justice Department’s proposal to force the sale of Ad Manager, Google stated that such action goes beyond the scope of the court’s decision, reminds NIXSOLUTIONS. The company emphasized that Ad Manager is a valuable tool that helps publishers finance their operations and that removing it could lead to increased costs, especially for small businesses.
Google argues that alienating the platform might disproportionately affect smaller players in the market and hinder their ability to remain competitive. As the legal process continues, the company is trying to balance its compliance with the court’s findings while defending its current structure and operations.
The situation remains fluid, and yet we’ll keep you updated as more integrations or decisions come to light regarding the proposed strategy and the future of Ad Manager.