A recent Google job posting seeks a “head of national TV sales” to help build a “world-class national TV advertising sales team.” And on the radio front, Google is putting together a sales and technology team that will eventually number 1,000 people. But can Google become a big player in broadcasting? A NY Times story today takes a look at the company’s chances.
Adds Will in comments: “Google is doomed to failure in the broadcast advertising space. Why would any successful broadcast outlet give up prime airtime for pennies on the dollar to junk up their air with ads for quack medicines and get-rich-quick schemes when they can sell airtime at top rates to reputable advertisers? And if Google thinks it can get high-profile advertisers like P&G to buy into this scheme they have another thing coming. The broadcasters simply won’t give up the high-value inventory necessary to make it work.”
Adds Safran: “The answer lies in leftover inventory. Stations often have unsold ad time…. here are already web companies that run remnant ads. This is simply a logical extension of that. Whatever you can’t sell, we’ll give you something that, while not paying as much, is better than nothing. Nobody’s gonna give up time for pennies on the dollar. They’re going to get more money for unsold ad time. And I imagine that’s just to start. Stations go through national ad sales firms. No reason Google can’t be one of those. P&G doesn’t buy its own ads – its agency does.”
