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May 31, 2007

Agency Orgs Ask FTC to Assess Recent Acquisitions

Advertisers, like most of us, have little clue as to what major online ad industry acquisitions, particularly Google's DoubleClick buy, will mean in the long run. They're hoping the Federal Trade Commission can help 'em figure it all out. According to AdAge, the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers sent a missive to the FTC before the commission announced Friday it will look into the DoubleGoo deal.

In the story, ANA CEO Bob Liodice stresses the agency orgs want the FTC to look at all the recent acquisitions (Yahoo/Right Media, Microsoft/Aquantive, WPP/24/7, etc.). "We asked in a very neutral kind of way to say, 'would you please take a look?'" he's quoted as saying.

I haven't tracked down a copy of the letter sent to the FTC, but here's a bit of what the story quotes: "These mergers, if approved, certainly would change the online advertising marketplace. As such, those proposed combinations deserve careful scrutiny. It is essential to ensure that none of these combinations restrict competition in the internet advertising marketplace."

The story also points to the fact that Google filed a notice with the FTC after announcing the DoubleClick buy, which was followed by an FTC request for more info on the deal. Google said it will comply.

Posted by Kate Kaye at May 31, 2007 11:36 AM

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