Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Digital Transformation
    Marketing Operations
    Data
    Customer & Digital Experience
    Performance Marketing
    Marketing Management
    Special Reports
    MarTech Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Staff
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Marketing Management » US Sen. Markey Calls For FTC Investigation Over Google’s “Shared Endorsements”

US Sen. Markey Calls For FTC Investigation Over Google’s “Shared Endorsements”

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a closer look at Google’s “Shared Endorsements” ads. On Thursday when the New York Times story discussing the program was published it initially appeared that Google was introducing a new “Sponsored Stories”-like ad unit. I was confused at first (before talking to Google), as […]

Greg Sterling on October 14, 2013 at 11:19 am

online privacySenator Ed Markey (D-MA) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a closer look at Google’s “Shared Endorsements” ads. On Thursday when the New York Times story discussing the program was published it initially appeared that Google was introducing a new “Sponsored Stories”-like ad unit.

I was confused at first (before talking to Google), as were others. However as we later clarified Shared Endorsements is not a new ad unit. The company was merely expanding the range of social and user-generated content types that could be included in search and display ads.

I was quite critical of the move at first. However since Friday Google has done a good job of notifying people about the change and giving them an opportunity to opt-out (people are unlikely to opt-in to such programs).

Across devices Google has put a prominent notice at the top of its homepage.

Screen Shot 2013-10-14 at 8.18.44 AM

Opting out is two clicks away. However  the relevant screen is easy to get to and Google offers a straightforward explanation of how the ad unit works and what the implications are of not opting out.

Google Shared Endorsements

Members of the FTC are furloughed and so cannot initiate an investigation right now. Regardless, this is a situation where an FTC investigation may be unwarranted. There isn’t any “deception” going on.

The larger issue of opt-out vs. opt-in is worthy of discussion in a broader context: when do consumers need to opt-in vs. being permitted to opt-out? As mentioned there’s substantial survey based evidence that most consumers would not opt-in to most online advertising programs, which would compromise the ability of publishers and ad networks to serve more targeted ads and maximize revenue.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    Native video tops social media in brand awareness study
    Worsening economy has more shoppers getting online info before making in-store purchases
    Getting started with the Agile Marketing Navigator: Building a Marketing Backlog
    3 ways to dominate with Google Auction Insights and search intelligence
    Webinar: Work smarter, not harder, to give customers what they want

About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Marketing ManagementMarketing OperationsPerformance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Agencies: Grow Revenue Streams Through Web Accessibility & Compliance

Protect Your Paid Advertising Spend Against Ad Fraud and Invalid Traffic

Build an Integrated Search Strategy Across Google, Amazon and YouTube

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

5 Best Practices for Bringing Together All Your Marketing Data

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.