Google and Yahoo! Many marketers have probably seen a competitor’s advertisement appear when searching for their company or service name in the search window. As a competitor, it’s understandable to be concerned that the company is intentionally trying to capture users considering its own services. Although there are some companies that display advertisements intentionally when operating listing advertisements, in most cases advertisements are displayed unintentionally.
This time, we will introduce the reasons why other companies’ advertisements appear next to your company name and service name in listing advertisements, and what to do about it.
Why are ads from other companies appearing on your company’s services?
There are two possible reasons why you might see advertisements from other companies when searching for your own services. There are cases where the ad is displayed intentionally, and there are cases where the ad is displayed because many related words are set as keywords.
① Intentionally advertising
<br/> Users who search by a company’s service name have already identified a problem, and they search after knowing about the service to solve that problem. This makes them an attractive target for competitors and a great opportunity to attract new customers with listing ads.
Companies that intentionally advertise other companies’ service names have a clear strategy to capture users who are considering that service as their own customers, so it is difficult to compare the service with the destination LP. In some cases, customers are introduced to the company, telling them how attractive their services are, and inviting them to make inquiries.
However, from the advertising company’s point of view, there is a risk that users who search for their services may see advertisements from other companies and cause confusion, and this cannot be overlooked and can easily lead to trouble. For this reason, it can be said that most companies intentionally avoid advertising on other companies’ services.
② Many related words are set and displayed.
Google and Yahoo! The accuracy of listing advertisements is improving year by year. We study every day to maximize the effects companies seek, such as clicks and conversions, and display ads using more effective keywords.
If you set a lot of related words (strictly speaking, keyword settings using broad match) for the keyword you want to display an ad, the learning of the listing ad will recognize the name of another company’s service as an effective keyword and display the ad. It may be stored away.
On the other hand, it is difficult to learn a competitor’s service name, so operations must manage it. Therefore, if they are not specifically managed, they will continue to be recognized as effective keywords and will be displayed in your ads.
In this way, your company’s advertisement is unintentionally displayed in the name of another company’s service, and there are often cases where you are not aware of it unless the other company makes an offer.
Isn’t this a trademark infringement?
If you are a marketer for a company that has trademarked a service name, you may wonder if it is a trademark infringement for another company to advertise the trademarked service name.
In conclusion, it is not subject to any restrictions on the use of trademarks. This is Google and Yahoo! However, it is clearly stated on each site.
[Google Ads]
Use of Trademarks as Keywords The use of trademarks as keywords is not subject to Google review or restriction.
https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6118?hl=ja
[Yahoo! Advertisement]
Regarding restrictions on trademark use in search advertisements Keywords are not subject to restrictions under this application. This does not limit the display of advertisements when searching for “keywords” that are trademarks.
https://ads-help.yahoo.co.jp/yahooads/ss/articledetail?lan=ja&aid=36704
Google and Yahoo! does not tacitly approve the use of trademarks by other companies, and if the company’s service name is used in advertising text, Google or Yahoo! You can file a complaint with. If this request is approved, we will impose usage restrictions on advertisers.
[Google Ads]
Help for trademark owners
[Yahoo! advertisement】
Regarding applications by trademark rights holders to restrict the use of trademarks
What to do when you find another company’s advertisement in a listing advertisement
If Google or Yahoo! cannot restrict it, what should we do? First, we will request the advertiser not to publish the advertisement. At this time, it is important to proceed in a polite and low-key manner without assuming that the advertiser is intentionally displaying advertisements.
Also, rather than unilaterally requesting that advertisements not be displayed in your company’s name or service name, it is important to work together to avoid displaying advertisements in each other’s company or service names.
① Contact the advertiser
<br/> If we have a connection with the advertiser’s company, we will first contact the person in charge, but if we do not have a connection, we will make inquiries from the company’s homepage. We have prepared a template of text that can be used at that time, so please feel free to use it.
Title: Consultation regarding listing advertisements
Text: Co., Ltd. ◇◆◇◆ Listing advertising person
Thank you very much for your continued support. My name is XXX and I am in charge of marketing at △▲△▲Co., Ltd.
We apologize for the sudden contact. We have contacted you regarding the matter in the title.
If your company’s listing advertisements use many related words as keywords, your advertisements may be displayed unintentionally.
Regarding the above, it is possible to set the listing advertisement operation settings so that the advertisement will not be displayed.
If you would like, we would appreciate it if you could have an opportunity to consult with the person in charge of listing advertisements so that advertisements are not displayed in each other’s company/service names.
We are very sorry to have to make this request despite your sudden contact.
Thank you for your consideration.
② Be on the same page about the detailed settings
<br/> Once you have connected with the advertiser’s listing advertising representative and received their approval for the offer, it is time to get on the same page about the specific settings. Keywords set as negative keywords include not only company names and service names, but also English, katakana, and hiragana.
In addition, you can set negative keywords as “partial match” so that related words such as “service charges” are not displayed, so that the keywords are not displayed for search keywords related to the company name or service name.
| Negative keywords | Kanji, English, katakana, and hiragana for company and service names |
| Detailed setting method |
Partial match* Exclude all search terms related to the target keyword, including the combination of “service name and price” (even if the order is reversed) |
③ Once the settings are complete, report to each other.
Once you understand the detailed settings, immediately set the negative keywords requested by the advertiser for your company’s listing ads, and notify the advertiser of completion. Once you receive a notification from the advertiser, it’s over.
After both are completed, we will check to see if your ad will be displayed in search results for the keywords you set as negative keywords.
Other countermeasures
In the unlikely event that the advertiser does not take action, or if you wish to take sufficient measures, there are two options.
①Include “official” notation in the advertisement text
<br/> By stating that it is an official site, you can prevent leakage to other advertisements.
② Increase your bid and gain impression share
<br/> This is a specialized method for listing ads, but by increasing your bid and increasing your chances of having your ads displayed, you can stand out from other companies. We will also make sure that your ads are displayed at the top.
Increasing your bid will also increase your advertising budget, which risks increasing your cost per acquisition.
