So a search engine walks into court… and just like that, Google might not be able to search for a solution to its current woes. Google is in an antitrust trial, and it is looking like U. S. v. Google is going to be quite the digital debacle. The stakes are high.
How high?
Well, think about how much ad revenue Google’s homepage traffic generates annually during the Super Bowl courtesy of spectators' knee-jerk reaction on where to look up information on the commercial they just watched.
That high.
Whether you’re in advertising, digital content creation, or just your regular Joe who has come to rely on the search engine giant for instant answers to all of your questions; this trial is going to affect the way you exist in the digital world.
So what is Google on trial for this time?
Well, think of that one kid in your class who always nailed it. They knew the answer to every question so predictably that even the teacher glanced at them before asking the class to raise their hands if they wanted to respond. They organized every aspect of any group project, and even had everyone clamoring for their side-hustle selling bags of chips during study breaks when everyone was already lining up at their desk in the library to ask questions about the upcoming quiz.
Except instead of forking over a dollar for a bag of Cheetos, it’s $700 billion in digital advertising revenue.
Google owns the top tools for ad-buying, ad-selling, and generally just managing the whole bidding process from beginning to end. The Department of Justice has accused Google of squashing all potential competition by controlling data, tech, and pricing. Google’s response has been something along the lines of “It’s not our fault that we’re better at this than everyone else, complain to your mom.”
So the DOJ did… sort of. An antitrust lawsuit was the closest they could get.
What will happen if Google loses this case? Well, a DOJ win would mean that Google would be forced to break up its advertising business, giving advertisers, publishers, and consumers the opportunity to utilize other options.
Huh?
Ok, let’s go back to the classroom metaphor. Imagine your teacher has a bin full of crayons for classroom use, and you have an assignment that requires the use of said crayons. You go to grab your preferred ROYGBIV combo, and realize that smarty-pants from earlier? They’re hoarding the rainbow, and they’ll only let you have access if you agree to continue purchasing chips in the library— and if you purchase in bulk, they’ll let you have your pick of the colors. If teach caught wind of what was going down, they’d step in and make their pet share, yes?
It’s kind of like that, but instead of crayons, it’s giving advertising opportunities to other providers. Other publishers and advertisers may finally be able to get a leg in on the ad pricing game. Consumers might get to see better innovation in ads, or in the very least; stop being targeted with ads that seem to know your brain better than you do.
On the other hand… what happens if Google wins? Google gets to do a Regina George-esque hair toss, and carry on with being Google as is. The competition will have to out-google Google in order to survive, ad pricing will stay the same (or go up based on Google’s say-so), and Google’s algorithm will continue to know your life WAY too intimately. No one will realistically switch to another search engine without legal intervention when Google’s been the default for so long, even if we do all miss taking our questions to Jeeves.
The long and short of it all is this; this trial has some very large implications for Big Tech. If the DOJ wins, it sets the stage for other tech giants that we won’t name outright here, but here’s a hint: it rhymes with "schlamazon." If Google wins, regulators will think a little more carefully before attempting to go after other giants in the digital space.
Regardless, you should probably brace for changes in the ways ads are sold, served, and priced. Smaller platforms might see this as a win, or they might just keep making offerings to the Whatever Atop The Thing in hopes of a Google fall from grace.
Whether Google ends up forking over big dollars and making big changes, or just ends up continuing to enjoy being Queen Bee of the digital marketing world; get a broom ready, cause it’s going to get messy out here in these internet advertising streets.
