RSS
Google Don’t Be Evil - Danny Sullivan
By Daya Baran at March 12, 2008 2 CommentsDanny Sullivan has a great post on the conflict of interest facing Google with the consummation of DoubleClick. DoubleClick is online behavioral target ad network. DoubleClick also owns Performics, one of the largest paid inclusion and pay for performance providers. Danny points out that by owning Performics, Google is essentially competing with is customers - in this case SEO and SEM specialists. Even the perception of such can be dangerous to Google’s search and advertising business as it erodes the trust of the professional services industry that has built Google’s revenue base.
Google has been shopping Performics since May 2007 - DoubleClick Performics Shopping according to sources. A very high level source also told me that last year Google and Performics transacted upwards on US$70 million in revenue. So losing Performics would have an impact on Google’s share price (GOOG) which is enjoying a fat multiple. Further, only an entity with deep pockets can afford the money to take Performics off Google’s hands. I contacted four (4) CEOs of advertising companies and none of them are in discussions with Google about Performics. So who would Google be shopping Performics to? I don’t have a clue. Send me your thoughts.
Labels: doubleclick, performics
2 Comments
The only problem I have with doubleclick, is when is a marketing program an intrusion, and when does collecting cookies become spyware? Is this a right only large corporations have? My computer can’t even find doubleclick to remove it any more with the anti-spyware/adware programs I use.
John it’s not such a big deal. Companies like Doubleclick have an opt-out option. i dont recall if its from their privacy policy or from a shared site of the OPA organization. Though Google itself probably collects much more data on you than Doubleclick ever would.