Yesterday, June 24, 2008, Google announced the beta release of Google Ad Planner. According to Google this is “a research and media planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers.” It will gives users the ability to enter sites and demographic information about their intended target audience and the tool will return results of likely matching sites and aggregate statistical information about them. There has been a flurry of activity at Google and this announcement comes on the heels of last week’s news of Google Trends for Websites.
The news may have been a decisive factor in sending Comscore’s shares plummeting by nearly a fifth late Tuesday. However, Comscore has a dominant position in this market with relationships with major advertisers and publishers so it’s still too early to tell how the markets knee-jerk reaction to the news will affect their position longer-term. However, it’s never good news for competitors when Google decides to offer a free tool to users.
For the official Google announcement click here.
Currently, this new product is available by invitation only. You can signup for Google Ad Planner here.
