Microsoft wants a piece of Google's search advertising business, and the company is not afraid to let marketers know. A Microsoft executive publicly trashed Google's ad selling practices this week and implored marketers to expect more from the search giant.
According to Mary Snapp, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, advertisers should demand that Google let them use data gathered by its AdWords tool for other digital advertising initiatives. Snapp also condemned Google's practice of letting competitors bid on search terms associated with a brand or company. Microsoft only sells search ads based on brand names to companies that own those keywords, according to Adweek.
Snapp's comments were delivered at the ANA Advertising Law & Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Google responded by saying that its system gives advertisers the best possible return on their investment and that its trademark policy strikes a balance between trademark owners' rights and offering consumers the best possible search results.
Microsoft reached a deal with Yahoo last year that combines the two companies' search businesses, with Yahoo taking charge of both companies' ad sales. The move is an obvious ploy to steal Google's share of the paid search market; SEM was one of the few digital sectors where revenue grew in 2009, according to eMarketer.
