Google Pulls Another Product: Print Ads
By Anna Johnson on January 21st, 2009Google sure is slashing and burning. But it seems the search company can no longer ‘carry’ non-viable products in this economic environment. And so, yesterday, Google announced it will stop offering its Print Ads solution on February 28, 2008.
For advertisers that have already booked campaigns, Google will place ads up until March 31.
Spencer Spinnell, Director of Google Print Ads, said Google’s hopes for Print Ads never materialized. The company hoped to create a new revenue stream for newspapers and deliver more relevant advertising to consumers, but Print Ads never had the impact Google or its partners wanted.
Google launched the Print Ads program with 50 newspaper partners in November 2006 and subsequently expanded the network to include over 800 U.S. newspapers. While Spinnell says the Print Ads team will continue looking for alternative solutions to help newspapers (and itself), the announcement is surely a disappointment to all concerned.
Especially to the 800 or so newspapers involved. They just lost yet another revenue stream.
Source: Spencer Spinnell, “Turning the page on Print Ads,” Google Print Ads, January 20, 2009
