In this post by Jim Stewart from Stewartartmedia.com.au, Stewart argues that Google’s recent changes to its Chrome browser software (as reported on B&T last week) are all part of the tech giant’s master plan to further dominate online advertising…
Google made an announcement last week that basically claimed it was going to start doing something about all the ads on the web. Which is interesting, because that’s how it make its money. Nevertheless, starting next year, Google Chrome intends come with an ad blocker. Hooray! Who likes popups, ads that run with sound, interstitial ads and the like? They’re all annoying because, for the most part, they interrupt the experience of the user.
Last year, in response to the growth of ad-blocking software, Google and a bunch of other companies formed the Coalition for Better Ads. Publishers weren’t happy that their ads weren’t being clicked on, and no one was making the money they expected from their ads. The coalition is made up of Google, Facebook and some of the biggest news publishers and advertisers. They got together and made rules about what should and shouldn’t be in online ads and how they are shown.
What Google Chrome’s ad blocker will do is block every ad that doesn’t conform to the coalition’s rules. They’re basically telling you, as a marketer, how to use ads successfully. All the normal stuff that most people find annoying is now going to be blocked, such as popup ads that cover your whole screen and auto-play videos with sound.
What does this all mean when it comes out next year? Basically, most of the ads you’ll see on Chrome are Google’s, along with the rest of the coalition members’ ads. Google already has a huge amount of control over the internet and sales and, by telling publishers what ads they can and can’t use, its gaining even more control. This is more than a little bit disturbing. It’s something we’re all going to have to watch out for, and I’m interested in hearing what you think about it.
This article first appeared on stewartmedia.com.au.
