No, Google, It’s Far, Far From A “Very, Very, Very Small” Problem

Google bosses may be playing down the growing list of brands boycotting it, so much so its chief business officer, Philipp Schindler, yesterday (as reported on B&T), said it affects “very, very, very small numbers” of advertisers.

Schindler’s comments aside, media reports have suggested the boycott by brands concerned about appearing next hate videos on YouTube could cost the tech giant as much as a $US1 billion in lost ad dollars.

However, as much as Google attempts to ignore it, it appears the problem is set to get worse before it gets better.

In response, Google has said it’s set to unveil an algorithm that can detect and remove YouTube videos that feature hate or extremist material.

One of the US’s biggest industry events, The American Association of Advertising Agencies annual convention, is currently underway in Los Angeles, and the reports are that many CMOs want to continue to turn the knife into Google.

CNBC is reporting that the Google boycott is set get much, much bigger judging by the mood of convention attendees. The problem for Google is that it’s on the nose with advertisers and seen as a riskier option just as other medias are hosting their upfronts and broadcasters and the cable TV networks are pitching a slate of new shows.

Traditional medias also have a far more compelling case in terms of actual measurement figures and environment than the likes of Google and Facebook.

“What we’re hearing from members is it’s time for a lot of these platforms to grow up, but they’re still fairly young platforms” 4A’s president and CEO, Nancy Hill told CNBC.

Taco Bell is another brand that’s joined the Google boycott. It’s CMO, Marisa Thalberg, added: We are on a pause … because at the end of the day, context matters.”

While CEO of mobile ad company Kargo, Harry Kargman, believed the Google boycott would have deep implications on the advertising industry itself.

“What we’re finally seeing is that marketers are waking up, and they’re saying – ‘just doing audience targeting at mass scale is not enough for us. We need to be guaranteed that we’re running in great, brand-safe places, we need to know that our brand messages are actually aligned with the messaging on the page itself’,” he said.

CEO of media giant IPG, Michael Roth, said the boycott should see more transparency in media and advertising. “The best way to keep organisations accountable, is to do it with your pocketbooks, and I think that part of it frankly worked.”

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