The Trade Desk has launched its Unbreak the Internet campaign, shedding light on the business practices of “walled gardens” like Google, while calling for a more open and transparent advertising approach on the open internet.
The Trade Desk says that while the average consumer may not understand the implications that come with Google’s hold over the internet, the new campaign calls out Google and how their tactics and behaviors within the advertising ecosystem are “breaking” the internet.
Google makes money on both the buy and sell sides of an advertising transaction. It is in Google’s best interest to push more ad dollars to the ad inventory they own, such as YouTube, rather than the ads that are best for advertisers. This creates an inherent lack of objectivity and transparency that are essential for effective data-driven advertising. According to the ACCC, in Australia alone, for every $100 spent on digital advertising, $49 ends up in Google’s pocket.
The campaign serves as a call to action for advertisers, publishers and anyone that touches the advertising ecosystem to come together to do their part to improve the internet, in an aim to create a fair and competitive ecosystem for advertisers, publishers and consumers.
James Bayes, ANZ general manager at The Trade Desk, said: “Advertising is more than just a commercial break – it’s fundamental to the way the internet is funded. It helps publishers generate revenue for the companies that produce the content we love, whether that’s high-quality journalism, music streaming, podcasts, TV, films, radio or mobile apps. These businesses often rely on advertising to make their content free for consumers.
“If brands continue to invest the vast majority of their ad budgets in walled gardens such as Google, they inadvertently reduce the amount of money that the internet needs to produce high quality content.”
The campaign argues that the solution to Google’s dominance is advertising on the open internet, which comprises of fast-growing ad channels like streaming TV, music apps, news websites, blogs and gaming.
Bayes explains: “Brands often assume that people spend their online time on social media, but that’s no longer true. Majority (76%) of the time spent online by Aussies is now on the open internet.
“That’s great news for publishers and advertisers. For publishers, the more time spent on their sites than on social media, the more advertising revenue they’ll attract. And for advertisers, the open internet provides for a more effective way to deliver relevant ads through data-driven advertising, while offering more transparent access to omnichannel campaign performance. This level of openness and transparency helps advertisers make more-informed decisions to drive better-performing campaigns. It’s a win–win for everybody.”
The Unbreak the Internet campaign was conducted programmatically, through The Trade Desk platform. The campaign includes a series of short video ads run across connected TV (CTV) and online video advertising (OLV), complemented by audio, digital out-of-home, display, and paid social executions in Australia, Singapore, the U.S. and Canada.
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