“We threatened and then they told us that solution, so we aren’t pulling,” the second brand said.
A third media buying source at an agency said it did not pull or threaten to pull spend, but did reach out to discuss Adalytics’ findings and understand how Google was fixing the issues.
Of note, another agency buyer was told by their Google rep that opting out of SPN on Pmax would not be possible on Monday. Another brand media buyer—concerned that a significant proportion of Search campaign impressions up on SPN sites—asked for greater visibility from Google as to exactly where its ads ran. So far, the brand has received no response and has paused its spend on Pmax.
Not addressing all grievences
Adalytics observed 36,000 websites in SPN eligible for advertising, including 390 pornographic sites, four sites for entities sanctioned by the U.S. government and more than 2,200 domains that seem to violate copyright laws. Adalytics found websites part of SPN by observing code on websites.
Google says Adalytics’ claims are overstated, sharing data with Adweek that in the last 30 days, over 90% of SPN impressions went to top 100 sites and apps, including YouTube. Brands that do opt into SPN see a measurable improvements in clicks and conversions, but the vast majority of spend still lands on Google search, Google said. The company also said sites in its SPN are subject to strict rules, adding that Google had taken enforcement action against many sites in the Adalytics report.
Google seem to be focusing on the low-incident rate of the issue.
Anonymous agency ad buyer
While now brands can opt out of SPN, they cannot see which websites within the network their ads ran on. Prior to the Adalytics report, buyers had complained about a lack of transparency with Google’s Pmax and its mobile cousin, App Campaigns.
Buyers’ newfound ability to opt out of Universal App Campaigns and Pmax represents a step toward mitigating the issues the report raised, though doesn’t address all grievances, one buyer said.
“It’s about as much as we could hope for,” an agency buyer said. “Ideally, Google would better internalize the larger issue in the study and respond to the need for more transparency and control in campaigns on their ecosystem. But they seem to be avoiding that takeaway like the plague and focusing on the low-incident rate of the issue.”
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