Google’s adtech antitrust verdict is a turning point in marketers’ fight for transparency

Monday’s verdict that Google unlawfully monopolized key ad tech markets marks a seismic shift for the industry. Beyond its impact on Google and other providers, the ruling presents a pivotal moment for marketers to rethink their strategies and demand greater transparency.

“This ruling isn’t a minor adjustment; it signals a significant, long-term foundational shift for Google,” said Brian Binder, senior innovation and growth director at Tinuiti. “It is this fundamental change that will likely force Google to re-evaluate its monetization strategies and identify key areas for future investment, particularly as the potential separation of its ad exchange and advertising units moves forward.”

It is also a moment for marketers to change strategies built around Google, said Bradley Keefer, CRO of Keen Decision Systems.

“This ruling is a wake-up call for marketers to stop defaulting to walled gardens and start demanding accountability,” he said. “It’s not just about moving dollars. It’s about making smarter decisions, backed by cross-channel incrementality and financial impact.”

He also warned about immediately moving ad spend to the “usual walled garden suspects.”

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“As the grip of Google’s ad tech weakens, the temptation will be to flood Amazon and Meta,” he said. “But those ecosystems are already saturated. The smarter move is to pause, assess marginal ROI across all channels, and invest where growth is actually possible, not just visible.” 

Keefer expects the verdict’s impact will go far beyond Google, forcing other platforms toward greater transparency.

Opening up the black boxes

The challenge for marketers with “Google or Meta or Amazon or any of these top spending channels is they’re all a black box in their own way, and they’re all black boxes in an inconsistent way,” he said. “A lot that’s exposed through the judicial process here will open up this conversation for the transparency that IAB and the industry have been calling for.”

Regardless of what happens to Google, we will likely see significant changes in programmatic advertising, said Binder.

He said the verdict “could spark significant innovation in this space” because of increasing competition. Specifically, “it could open up new ad formats and expanded opportunities for publishers and partners working with Google and other ad tech companies.”

Better targeting

The potential splitting of Google’s ad systems could impact audience targeting, a current strength of the platform. Google will likely need to evolve internally to maintain its competitive advantages, such as the synergy between YouTube and Google Search. 

Keefer suggests that the current climate, with increasing budget scrutiny and the Google ruling, presents an “opportunity, honestly, for the industry or maybe some of the biggest players in the industry to actually come together and start to push back” for a more transparent and sustainable advertising ecosystem. He believes that “as an industry, we need to band together and say enough’s enough” because “the chaos is not sustainable.” He even calls for “the large brands” to collectively exert pressure for standardization.

The federal court ruling against Google signals a pivotal shift in digital advertising. Despite near-term uncertainty, it allows marketers to push for transparency, diversify strategies, and explore new channels. A united front—especially among major players—could help shape a fairer, more effective industry.

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