I can’t be the only one scratching his head over this new Google print experiment. In addition to the excellent points (problems) raised by Sara Holoubek (“Google Print Ads Raise Issues,” Feb. 27) concerning this advertising model, I also wonder why any intelligent advertiser would even be willing to go through the hassle of a competitive bidding process for the right to pay more for an ad than they’d pay if they placed the ad themselves.
While the exact figures and statistics are sure to prove difficult to impossible to obtain from the parties involved, I’ve little doubt that such “space auctions” will quickly wipe out any supposed cost savings Google could have passed along to its advertisers resulting from its volume ad space purchases (unlike as is the case with the many publications who have been selling full pages to advertisers for years, who then offer up the space to smaller businesses who couldn’t/wouldn’t otherwise advertise in these publications).
In short, why bother? While it’s great to see companies willing to test new models like this (and I hope it works out for them as I still prefer getting my news and information in print form), just what is Google’s value proposition here?
Steve Morsa, Founder, Match Engine Marketing, Thousand Oaks, CA
