Watch out: Google will become the auction marketplace for advertising in any medium. They just bought a radio ad company:
Google Inc. agreed to acquire dMarc Broadcasting Inc., a radio advertising firm, for $102 million in cash and additional payments that could be worth up to $1.14 billion if performance targets are met over the next three years.Newport Beach, Calif.-based dMarc’s technology connects advertisers directly to radio stations. Its technology helps advertisers purchase and track radio ads and lets broadcasters automatically schedule ad spots. Google, Mountain View, Calif., said it plans to integrate dMarc’s technology into its AdWords advertising program.
“Google is committed to exploring new ways to extend targeted, measurable advertising to other forms of media,” said Tim Armstrong, Google vice president of advertising sales, in a press release.
“We anticipate that this acquisition will bring new ad dollars and accountability to radio by combining Google’s expansive network of advertisers with dMarc’s talented team and innovative radio advertising technology,” he said.
The Fate of Print Media
There has been some interesting discussion recently about the fate of print media, and both sides do have a very compelling argument. Jeff Jarvis dukes it out in Fast Company with John Griffin of National Geographic (registration required) about whethe…
That reads almost like “Googles true purpose: revealed!”. I guess it’s no surprise they’ve made this move given their business is really only about advertising…
Sounds to me like Google’s going to take over the buiness model all the podcasters out there are using to validate their existance. Especially the podcast creation companies like Odeo, ClickCaster, Podshow, PodOmatic, etc.
[...] Now PodShow will have to have a very clear business model. Google has bought (or is about to) dMarc Broadcasting, a company that has a technological solution to handle advertising on radio. Very well and congratulations. I haven’t looked closely at the company yet but one thing seems clear. Add Google’s expertise, dMarc’s access to customers and radio expertise and you have a powerful AdWords driven Podcasting ads engine. Seems like Podcasting might get itself a very cool player. Looking forward to see how this unfolds. [...]