Google Halts Print Ad Sales Service - Warc News

News: January 22, 2009

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: Google is to terminate its Print Ads program, which sells advertising space in over 800 US newspapers, at the end of February. The search behemoth admits it has not had the impact desired either by itself or its clients.

Print Ads was launched in 2006, with the promise it would allow advertisers to target ads more effectively and manage their campaigns entirely online.

However, many newspaper owners saw the scheme as an invasion by Google on the industry, and most titles using Print Ads only made a limited amount of ad space available to purchase via the system.

Spencer Spinnell, director of Google Print Ads, said in a company blog: "While we hoped that Print Ads would create a new revenue stream for newspapers and produce more relevant advertising for consumers, the product has not created the impact that we – or our partners – wanted."

Yahoo is working with a large number of newspapers on a system selling ads on newspaper websites, while a Google spokesman said "nothing is changing" with its radio and TV programs similar to Print Ads.

Data sourced from Wall Street Journal Online; additional content by WARC staff, 22 January 2009

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