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CMA takes strong stance on Google’s display ad platform practices
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An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found that Google is using anti-competitive practices in open-display ad tech, which it believes could be harming thousands of UK publishers and advertisers.

As set out in a statement of objections issued to Google on 6 September, the CMA has provisionally found that, when placing digital ads on websites, the vast majority of publishers and advertisers use Google’s ad tech services in order to bid for and sell advertising space.

The CMA is concerned that Google is actively using its dominance in this sector to preference its own services. Google disadvantages competitors and prevents them competing on a level playing field to provide publishers and advertisers with a better, more competitive service that supports growth in their business.

In its 2019 market study into digital advertising, the CMA found that advertisers were spending around £1.8 billion annually on open-display ads, marketing goods and services via apps and websites to UK consumers.

Juliette Enser, Interim Executive Director of Enforcement, said: “We’ve provisionally found that Google is using its market power to hinder competition when it comes to the ads people see on websites.

“Many businesses are able to keep their digital content free or cheaper by using online advertising to generate revenue. Adverts on these websites and apps reach millions of people across the UK – assisting the buying and selling of goods and services.

“That’s why it’s so important that publishers and advertisers – who enable this free content – can benefit from effective competition and get a fair deal when buying or selling digital advertising space.”

The US Department of Justice and European Commission have also opened separate investigations into Google’s activities in ad tech. These proceedings are currently ongoing.

The digital advertising technology sector, commonly referred to as the ‘ad tech stack’, consists of various intermediaries that facilitate the sale of online open-display advertising space on websites or mobile apps between ‘sellers’ (i.e. publishers) and ‘buyers’ (i.e. advertisers).

When a user opens a website or app, while the content loads on the page, a near-instantaneous series of auctions and transactions takes place to determine which ads will be shown to that user on that webpage or app. This process involves sending requests for bids and, in response, advertiser bids being sent through a chain of various intermediaries to match the space on the webpage with the advertiser willing to pay the most for it.

The CMA’s investigation has focused on Google’s role as an intermediary in three key parts of this chain, where it has a powerful market position with high market shares. For advertisers, Google operates two ad buying tools, known as “Google Ads” and “DV360”. For publishers, it operates a publisher ad server, known as “DoubleClick For Publishers” (DFP). In the centre of the ad tech stack, Google operates an ad exchange, known as “AdX”. Ad exchanges typically receive requests for bids from publishers and responding bids from advertisers, and then conduct an auction to match these two sides. AdX is where Google charges its highest fees in the ad tech stack (approximately 20% of the bid amount).

Simplified overview of the ad tech stack, key intermediaries and Google’s ad tech products

The CMA’s provisional findings relate to anti-competitive ‘self-preferencing’ by Google. The CMA has provisionally found that, since at least 2015, Google has abused its dominant positions through the operation of both its buying tools and publisher ad server in order to strengthen AdX’s market position and to protect AdX from competition from other exchanges. Moreover, due to the highly integrated nature of Google’s ad tech business, the CMA has provisionally found that Google’s conduct has also prevented rival publisher ad servers from being able to compete effectively with DFP, harming competition in this market.

Google has done this through various practices that give AdX competitive advantages, disadvantage Google’s rivals, and are against the interests of Google’s advertiser and publisher customers. These practices have evolved over time and include:

  • providing AdX with exclusive or preferential access to advertisers that use Google Ads’ platform;
  • manipulating advertiser bids so that they have a higher value when submitted into AdX’s auction than when submitted into rival exchanges’ auctions; and
  • allowing AdX to bid first in auctions run by DFP for online advertising space, effectively giving it an ‘right of first refusal’ – with rivals potentially not having any chance to submit bids.

The CMA has provisionally found that this anti-competitive conduct is ongoing. The CMA is therefore considering what may be required to ensure that Google ceases the anti-competitive practices, and that Google does not engage in similar practices in the future.

The CMA will now carefully consider representations from Google before reaching its final decision.

For more information, visit the CMA’s investigation into suspected anti-competitive conduct by Google in ad tech case page.

SURVEY: 63% of marketers not prepared for cookieless personalisation
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63% of marketers still have no clear strategy for cookieless personalisation, despite Google’s announcement that it will begin phasing out support for third-party cookies in Chrome at the beginning of 2024.

That’s according to a survey from Optimizely that highlights the urgent need for marketers to reassess their personalisation strategies for 2024.

The research, which surveyed 100 UK marketing professionals across the UK, found that more than half (54%) also lack a clearly defined strategy for personalisation using first-party data. This indicates a critical gap in preparation for the post-cookie era, where personalised experiences will rely heavily on direct user interactions.

Currently, 83% of marketers feel that their current personalisation efforts are primarily based on assumptions about customers rather than data-driven insights. To prepare for the future, marketers will need to re-evaluate their personalisation technologies and transition from using third-party cookies to utilising first- and zero-party data.

This shift will require brands to securely manage and use the data that customers provide, which most marketers feel they can prepare for. The survey revealed that 73% of marketers believe privacy and personalisation can coexist – suggesting a growing awareness within the industry of the need to balance tailored experiences with robust privacy measures.

What is troubling, however, is that 74% of marketers express concerns about the obsolescence of their current personalisation technology – signalling the need for more reliable and privacy-conscious first-party data-based platforms.

Commenting on the findings, Shafqat Islam, CMO at Optimizely said: “With Google set to abandon cookies next year, now is the time for marketers to stop thinking in terms of third-party data, and start building campaigns and strategies around the data that consumers are open to sharing.

“Right now, 70% of marketers are combining multiple technologies to achieve their current level of personalisation. Having a single platform that integrates with – and brings data in from – each channel a brand has is critical in developing comprehensive customer identities and creating personalised experiences based on those real-time insights. Making these changes now will ensure brands are prepared for a cookieless future and are able to deliver the digital experiences that customers have come to expect.”

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Google’s latest AI reveals let down by ‘vague timelines’
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While Google continues to impress with the latest round of ‘Duet AI for Google Workspace’ features unveiled at Google Cloud Next ’23, vague rollout timelines stole some thunder from the announcements.

That’s according to Gregg Willsky, Principal Analyst at GlobalData, who said: “’Duet AI’ was likened to an intelligent collaborator poised at the user’s side, waiting to act based on their commands.”

GlobalData analysis finds the ‘Duet AI’ name is intended to evoke the idea of a union between the user and AI. Since the arrival of ChatGPT, the public has feared that AI will soon substitute hard-earned skills. To offset that concern, the industry (Google included) has been attempting to position AI as a tool that helps users, not hampers them.

Willsky added: “Duet AI paired with the Google CCAI Platform would make for an even more robust AI portfolio. Marrying collaboration and contact center capabilities to help deliver a superior customer experience (CX) has become a top priority among players in the unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) market, especially given the current economic climate. Once Duet AI is fully launched, Google will be well positioned to take advantage of this trend and to do so in a manner fueled by AI.”

Google’s existing innovations and the promise inherent in those forthcoming have borne fruit. More than 300 features have been launched in Google Workspace over the past 12 months alone, and Google Workspace now has more than three billion users and more than 10 million paying customers. Currently, thousands of companies and over one million users are using Duet AI in Google Workspace.

Willsky concluded: “Viewing the event holistically, the announcements make for a nice feather in Aparna Pappu’s cap as she begins her second year as chief of Google Workspace. However, somewhat diluting the excitement was a vague rollout timeline. While some features are currently available, much of what was discussed will launch in the next few weeks, months, and even in 2024. Hopefully, Google will offer more specificity soon.”

IAB welcomes ‘opportunities’ from third-party cookie phase-out
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The IAB has welcomed Google’s reaction to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) investigation into internet giant’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, asserting that it creates an opportunity to ‘reset’ the ad-funded web.

Back in January, the CMA launched an investigation into Google’s Privacy Sandbox in response to concerns that Google’s plans for the removal of third-party cookies from Chrome and its introduction of alternatives could impede competition in digital advertising markets.

At the time, Google welcomed the development and has described it as an “opportunity to engage with a regulator with the mandate to promote competition for the benefit of consumers”. 

Google has now announced a range of binding commitments to address the CMA’s concerns. These include: 

  • That it will work with the CMA to resolve concerns and develop agreed parameters for the testing of new proposals. Google will also provide transparency around the timetable, as well as a clear notice period for changes.
  • Once third-party cookies are phased out, Google’s ad products will not access synced Chrome browsing histories (or data from other user-facing Google products) in order to track users to target or measure ads on third party web inventory.
  • As the Privacy Sandbox proposals are developed and implemented, that work will not give preferential treatment or advantage to Google’s advertising products or to Google’s own sites

You can read the full list of commitments here. The CMA has now launched a consultation on whether to accept Google’s commitments, which you can respond to by submitting written representations to Angela Nissyrios and Simon Deeble at  50****************@cm*.uk  by 8 July 2021 at 5pm.

IAB UK’s CEO Jon Mew said: “At the IAB, we have always been really clear that the phasing out of third-party cookies is an opportunity to reset the ad-funded web for the better, which is why we have laid out clear principles that we believe any viable User ID solutions must meet. I think that the CMA’s investigation into Privacy Sandbox and Google’s commitments to address its concerns about the potential impact on competition are an important and valuable part of this process. 

“The commitments  allow the wider industry to have confidence that Google’s proposals are being developed in a way that takes into account both competition and privacy objectives, with the benefit of regulatory oversight brought by the CMA. The phasing out of third-party cookies is the most seismic shift that the digital ad industry has ever experienced and it’s only right that developments in this space are subject to appropriate scrutiny.”

How to dominate Google with featured snippets
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Heard of featured snippets but not sure what they are or how they can help you climb the search results? Selesti‘s quick guide will tell you exactly what featured snippets are and how you can use them to dominate the search results!

What are featured snippets?

The idea behind featured snippets is to provide a short, simple answer to a user’s search. The text is pulled from pages within Google’s index, and they often appear as paragraphs, tables or a bulleted list.

More importantly, featured snippets typically appear at the top of Google search results, even if the site from which the text was taken ranks on page 2 of the SERPs.

This means you can use them to rank at the top of listings even for some of the most competitive terms.

How To Win At Featured Snippets

There are certain things you can do to improve your chances of ranking for a featured snippet. 

Keyword research

Use your own knowledge about your industry as well as common keyword research tools, such as SEMRush and Google’s Keyword Planner to get an idea of the interest in your chosen topics.

It’s worth noting that you have a higher chance of getting a featured snippet for more niche topics: over 85% of snippets appear for queries with a volume of 100 or less a month.

Understand Your Audience

It’s important to understand the intent of your audience whilst searching if you’re going to get a featured snippet. One way of understanding what questions users are commonly asking is the “people also ask” section, which sometimes appears alongside the search results in Google.

You can also ask your staff what questions they hear from customers. This can be an effective way of identifying previously unthought-of queries, as well as helping your existing customers!

Structure your post better than your competitors 

Ensuring your content is well structured can make the difference between appearing for a featured snippet or not. Most content that ranks well for featured snippets tends to be driven from question-based content. Indeed, 41% of all questions searched on Google have featured snippets and this is only likely to increase.

You can also use something called “snippet bait” to increase your chances that your content will be chosen for a snippet.

Snippet bait is typically a section at the start of a post that is specially designed to appear in a featured snippet. For paragraph snippets this may be a short (40-60 word) paragraph that quickly summarises the response to a query in a straightforward, simple fashion, You can then go into further detail later into the post. 

Making the most of featured snippets

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to dominate the top of the search engines, even if you’re not ranking on the first page. 

If you’d like some help to supercharge your position in the search results, get in touch with one of our experts today.

Five trendsetters in digital marketing to follow this year
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By Gary Peeling, CEO at Where The Trade Buys

Whether it’s changes in algorithms, innovations in technology, or cultural trends that are gathering swarms of online attention, there is always something new to keep on top of in the digital marketing sector. Because of the ever-changing face of digital marketing, there are always new trailblazers and trend setters to watch out for. 

AI first began to influence the world of marketing in 2019 and, according to the Smart Insights report, content marketing was thought to be the single marketing activity to make the biggest impact. Throughout the year, consumers were swayed by experiences rather than traditional ads, and we continued in the shift away from television advertising towards a completely digital world based on big data.

With all of this in mind, we consulted Google’s own data dig into their marketing resource ‘Think with Google’. They uncovered the most-read articles of 2019 on this go-to marketing resource platform. Here’s what marketing experts were most interested in over the past year.

  1. Inside Google Marketing: 3 ways we think about SEO by Sean O’Keefe

“How does Google approach SEO?” is the golden question in marketing. Every digital marketer wants an answer to this almighty query. It’s no wonder that this topic was the most read and hotly discussed in 2019. With a constantly changing, mysterious algorithm, it is essential that digital marketers stay up to date with this topic. Sean O’Keefe leads the way and gives us all an insight into the world of Google. 

Beauty products have dominated the marketing world over the past year and Rihanna’s Fenty range lead the way with the slogan “Beauty for All”. The concept of a truly inclusive brand shook up the way digital marketers approach the beauty industry. Merging marketing with celebrity culture and progressive positivity, there’s no wonder that this piece brought hooked in so many readers. 

Everyone enjoys a viral video. Especially one that rakes in thousands of pounds! In this think piece, Travis Chambers explains the marketing beauty of telling a story and monetising it — something that we could all learn from! Clearly, in 2019 video marketing still reigned, and storytelling was key to any brand’s success. 

If we needed any further evidence that video marketing was king in 2019, Sadie Thoma brings it. The fact that this piece was among the highest in terms of engagement proves that many digital marketing agencies focussed on telling their brand’s story through video. 

Again, storytelling is at the centre of this piece, shedding light on what we were most focussed on in 2019. Quick fixes and short marketing campaigns clearly didn’t capture people’s attention in 2019. Instead, we wanted to know the full story. For this article, Haller made reference to the Nemeziz soccer shoe launch by Adidas and how their marketing team utilised YouTube’s video ad sequencing tool to guide the viewers through an advertorial journey. 

These marketing trailblazers have set the bar high, and their insights are sure to inform big brands over the coming year. It’s safe to say that many agencies will want to get hold of these expert’s business cards as they plan their strategies for the upcoming years. With big predictions for 2020 in place, including ‘snackable video content’, inclusive marketing, and experience personalisation, it’s time to step into the new decade with a creative mindset and an ambitious digital marketing plan. 

Online visibility is more than Google search: ignoring other platforms is losing you sales
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The number of consumers heading to the internet as the first step on their purchasing journey is growing at a rapid rate. In fact, with over half of UK consumers preferring searching online than browsing a physical store, it’s easy to see why brands are utilising search engine optimisation (SEO) for comprehensive online visibility.  

Holding 92% of the global market share, Google is the natural choice when implementing an SEO strategy. However, taking a linear approach to your online visibility with Google alone is losing you sales. 

Jimmy McCann, Head of Digital Strategy at Search Laboratory is here to explain why you need to take a holistic approach to your integrated digital strategy to ensure 360 online visibility for your brand… 

The importance of organic, paid and multi-channelled advertising

If recalling the last time you purchased an item without searching it online beforehand seems like a distant memory, you’re not alone;  82% of all smartphone users say they consult their phones on purchases before they make them in store. In addition to searching on Google, consumers may look at reviews, marketplaces and social media to gauge whether a brand and its product is trustworthy.

It is therefore important for businesses to create a multi-channel strategy, rather than focus their entire marketing efforts on Google. 

Widening your brand’s reach by appearing in multiple channels is a crucial step that will allow you to reach prospects at more touchpoints in their customer buyer journey, increasing the likelihood of making a sale. 

There are various platforms that offer paid and organic methods to reach your target audience. Not all will be valuable to your business; using an appropriate attribution model along with carrying out an analysis of your customers and target audience will help to identify which channels you should start with.

Paid media is a great way of reaching your exact audience. Paid search on Google is invaluable, but there are other platforms that your business needs to take advantage of to get in front of consumers at different stages of the customer buyer journey:

A good digital strategy should have paid and organic activity across multiple channels, with each channel’s activity integrating with the overall strategy.

Scaling your brand internationally

For enterprises looking to expand their brand into international markets, understanding the local search landscape is crucial, and often requires going beyond the precincts of Google. 

The search engine’s market share varies internationally, which means an international SEO strategy needs to encompass other search engines.

For example, Bing’s presence in America far outweighs its UK presence, which took 33% of the market share in 2017. Whereas Yandex is prevalent in Russia, and Baidu is the market leader in China. 

In order to successfully expand into new markets, you will need to combine mother tongue knowledge of the local culture with digital marketing expertise. This will ensure that your strategy is localised successfully, avoiding any pitfalls of simply translating your brand. 

Set up an appropriate attribution model for your business needs

A customer will come in contact with your brand across multiple channels before finally converting. Using attribution models will help you to identify which touchpoints are most valuable in the customer journey. Google has multiple attribution models available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Setting up the appropriate model will help you to identify which channels to focus on in your digital marketing strategy.  

Building online visibility is a multi-faceted and often a time-consuming process but an integral part of growing your business, sales figures and customer retention rates. Your approach to digital marketing should remain a ‘work-in-progress’ and be constantly adapted to improve results. More importantly, your online visibility should span across different platforms and follow a paid and organic advertising strategy, which will ensure you remain market leaders and grow online revenue. 

Google top again in YouGov’s global brand health rankings
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Google tops YouGov BrandIndex’s annual global brand health rankings. In a list dominated by digital brands, the search giant stays ahead of sister company YouTube.

The ranking is based on over six million interviews over the 12 months to the end of June. It shows Samsung jumps one place from last year, climbing to third position as does messenger service WhatsApp, which rises to fourth. WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, falls two places to fifth.

There are three new entries in the top ten. While Amazon remains sixth on the list, IKEA enters the rankings at number seven. Colgate falls one position to eighth, while clothes brand Uniqlo makes the top ten for the first time in ninth place, while toy manufacturer Lego is another new entry at ten.

The rankings are based on YouGov BrandIndex data from across the world. BrandIndex operates in 37 countries across the globe, covering markets in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia.

For the list YouGov used data from 26 countries – data from markets that cover three sectors or fewer were not counted in the global top ten. The rankings use the Index score which assesses overall brand health. It takes into account perceptions of a brand’s quality, value, impression, satisfaction, reputation and whether consumers would recommend the brand to others.

Digital brands dominate this global ranking and with good reason. By their very nature the likes of Google, YouTube and WhatsApp are available in most places on earth to anyone with internet access. However, while many of the top five have only been around for the last decade or two, classic brands that have been around a good while longer also make the list. IKEA, Colgate, Uniqlo, and Lego, all still connect with the public and as a result have very positive brand health.

UK brand health rankings

YouGov has also released its UK brand health rankings. The list is characterised by the presence of brands that have been in the public consciousness for a long time. Traditional high-street favourites John Lewis and Marks & Spencer are first and third respectively while BBC-related brands – iPlayer and BBC One – are in second and ninth positions. Meanwhile Heinz makes an appearance in fourth place.

The rankings are drawn from over 1.46 million interviews in Britain conducted between July 2017 and June 2018. Each day consumers are asked their view on 1,384 brands in the UK, which allows YouGov to build a picture of how different brands are perceived by the general public, their own consumers, people considering using them, and their competitors’ customers.

YouGov’s analysis shows there are two new entrants in this year’s top ten – IKEA in fifth and Cathedral City in eighth. Ikea had a particular strong campaign in 2017, which featured its ‘Lion Man’ character. Sony is the most notable absentee from the rankings, having been in third place this time last year

Two brands from the global rankings are also in the UK list, with Samsung in sixth and Amazon in seventh. Pharmacy chain Boots rounds off the top ten.

Over the past year the retail sector has struggled to combat problems arising from ferocious online competition and increased business costs. However, in the face of this, the public clearly retains an affection for traditional high street brands with long and rich histories, such as John Lewis and Marks and Spencer. Similarly, while the BBC has faced challenging headlines over the past 12 month. But the public clearly still rates what the corporation offers and iPlayer and BBC One continue to be in strong brand health.

Most improved brand health

YouGov’s annual analysis also where the biggest increases in brand health have come in the past year. For several brands, escaping negative press coverage has seen an improvement in their scores, although many of them still remain in negative territory.

For example, Sports Direct, the most improved brand this year, has seen its score improve by +6.2 points, moving from -12.4 to -6.2. While in past years it has often garnered negative press, it has enjoyed a period out of the headlines and its Index score has now returned to mid-2016 levels.

Similarly, Southern Trains – for a long time blighted by strikes, cancellations, and ensuing adverse media coverage – has seen its score change from -16.1 last year to -11.3 now, an improvement of +4.8 points.

Value fashion chain Primark has made a notable leap in the past year – going from having negative brand health to positive. Its Index score improved from -0.9 to +2.7 in the last 12 months, an improvement of +3.6.

Elsewhere, Netflix continues to advance, with its score improving by +5.9 points (going from 19.5 to 25.4). Tech firm WhatsApp has seen its score increase by +3.5 – up from 18.9 to 22.4.

Booking.com leads the big spenders for PPC in the travel sector
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A small group of online travel agents, including Booking.com, OnTheBeach.com and Trivago, dominated paid search in the first quarter of 2018.

Each of the aforementioned firms spent £7 million+ on search through Google (on the keywords monitored), with Booking.com splashing out almost £20 million, according to research by Kantar Media.

The study – which uses data from Kantar Media’s Digital Advertising Intelligence Solution, combining insights on both pay per click and organic search/display ad spend – also identified TripAdvisor as the clear leader when it came to organic search in the first three months of the year.

TripAdvisor saw over twice as many impressions and almost twice as many clicks as Lastminute.com, its nearest rival in the travel sector, with an estimated PPC value of over £120 million. Of the three biggest PPC spenders, only Booking.com features amongst the top six sites for organic search impressions.

Accommodation tops the keyword charts, but the battleground is for cheap holidays

‘Hotels’ was the keyword with the highest spend during the three-month period, with businesses spending an estimated total of £8,504,262, over seven times more than on the next most invested-in keyword, ‘air bnb’.

Booking.com in particular made huge investments in hotel related search terms. The site’s top ten keywords for both spend and estimated PPC value in organic impressions all contained the word ‘hotel’ or ‘booking’, accounting for a total spend of around £4.8 million.

Outside of accommodation, the key battleground for PPC in the travel sector is around low-cost breaks. ‘Cheapest holidays’, ‘cheap holidays’ and ‘cheapest flights’ all feature among the 20 most sought-after travel related keywords, accounting for almost £2 million in spend between January and March this year. 21 separate advertisers were spending on the keyword ‘cheapest holidays’ and 19 on ‘cheap holidays’, making them some of the most competitive keywords in the industry. In comparison, for all the spend on ‘hotels’, the keyword was only contested by 14 advertisers.

Richard Poustie, CEO, Kantar Media UK, commented: “Both search and display advertising are incredibly competitive in the travel sector, especially in the first quarter of the year, and this is reflected in the huge investments brands make in this space. It’s important, therefore, to remember that spend in itself is only one part of the campaign – if brands want to get a good return on their advertising investment, it is vital that there is consistency across their online search and display, and that their chosen search terms complement their display advertising.

“In such a competitive space, being able to see what competitors are investing in – across both search and display – and to understand why, will help businesses tailor their own advertising strategy in order to stand out from the crowd and to continue to attract consumer spend.”

Is this article written by Google’s AI?
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Well not yet, but boffins in the search giant’s Google Brain division have been training artificial intelligence (AI) to write original articles based on information gleaned from web pages about particular subjects.

The Register has done a deep dive on what Google is attempting and some other initiatives in the same vein, and it’s actually pretty compelling stuff – albeit limited in its current form, which is basically Wikipedia-style articles.

In short, Google’s AI analyses what it sees as the top 10 pages on a subject (for example, ‘why do Arsenal FC keep doing stupid things on the pitch?’), then attempts to tie all the available info together into a single, hopefully readable, document.

It’s a bit hit and miss right now, but we think it’s probably got more chance of success than the so-called ‘infinite monkey’ theorem of writing Shakespeare.

Time will tell what practical real world uses the tool has (cheating at essay writing will probably be right up there).

However, we’re not not sure there’s enough time in the world to explain what’s going on at Arsenal.

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