Google's decision last week to launch a new audience measurement tool put comScore squarely in the search giant's crosshairs. But so far, the turf war is being won by comScore.

"They need to add so many things, it's not even a consideration at this point," Dave Smith, CEO of Mediasmith, said of Google's new Ad Planner program.

Smith, who told MediaWeek that Ad Planner doesn't have demographic data or a reach/frequency function, labeled the product "not ready for prime time."

That's certainly music to comScore's ears. The company, which makes its money as a third-party measurement service, could stand to lose a great deal of business if Google decides to make a serious run at gauging audiences for marketers. But the lack of advanced tools prompted Magid Abraham, comScore's CEO, to discount Google's incursion onto his turf.

"I think Google's main interest is to sell more display advertising rather than be in the audience measurement business," Abraham told The Washington Post. "I don't think this will change what we do a whole lot."

But not everyone is so quick to count Google out. While many concede that Google's free service may never offer all the bells and whistles media buyers pay comScore for, John Battelle isn't so sure that the playing field will forever remain uneven.

In a blog post, Battelle pointed out that Google has a long history of making substantial improvements on its products.