Google's Dominance May Limit Choice, Ad Agency Says

Google's Internet dominance is a concern to advertising firms, because it could limit the choices they can offer clients online, said Bob Lord, the head of Publicis Groupe SA's Razorfish agency. "People don't want Google to become Kleenex," said Lord, the chief executive officer at Razorfish, which Publicis acquired from Google rival Microsoft Corp. this year. Microsoft took a 3.3 percent stake in Publicis as part of that deal. "I don't want one big giant here. If I only have one major platform to go to like Google, it's hard for me to do my job." Google, which already leads the market for search advertising, is now gaining customers for display ads -- an area where Microsoft and Yahoo! Inc. have had an edge. Google also is bolstering its mobile-ad business. Even so, Microsoft's new Bing search engine is letting the company "give Google a run for their money," Lord said.