Good news trademark holders! Google has recently updated its Google Ads Trademark Advertising Policy, giving you simplified global control of your trademarks.
In July 2019, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that Amazon’s advertising on Google using the branded term “Ortlieb” was a trademark infringement because the Google ad led to a list of results on Amazon that included competitors’ products. Some commentators and bloggers erroneously concluded that the German court was in effect banning brand bidding. Others downplayed the impact or didn’t fully understand the nuances of this decision.
I caught up with Christi Olson, Head of Evangelism for Search at Microsoft at the leading search conference MozCon. In her presentation, “What Voice Means for Search Marketers,” Christi provided an overview of Microsoft’s 2019 Voice Report and offered suggestions on how to prepare for the growing prevalence of voice search. Her presentation focused on voice search usage and how to adapt your strategy to take advantage of voice search adoption.
While MozCon focuses on SEO and organic search, Christi’s presentation raised many questions for those of us interested in paid search and brand protection. Christi was kind enough to answer my questions.
Did you know that today marks 50 years since the Stonewall Inn Riots that catalyzed the LGBTQ+ Liberation Movement? To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the BrandVerity Seattle office honored the history of Pride and a few of its heroes.
Having worked with many different types of companies on their paid search compliance strategy, I’ve seen my fair share of program abuse. Paid search abuse takes many forms and involves a variety of bad actors, including trademark abusers or affiliate program violators.
With the rise of referral programs that reward users for referring new members, a new type of abuse has emerged. Referral programs are a useful means of acquiring new customers and users. By encouraging word-of-mouth with incentives, companies can accelerate growth at a reasonable and consistent cost. Referral programs are also a great way to transform loyalists into full-fledged brand ambassadors. With the opportunity to gain some extra perks, these star customers can bring on a lot of incremental traffic and revenue.
Community service and volunteering are an important part of BrandVerity’s culture. We volunteer 1% of our time each quarter to serving our community. We feel it’s our responsibility to give back to the communities that house us, our families, and our business.
As part of our celebration of International Women’s Day, I thought it would be fun to sit down with Georgia Gier, our VP of Customer Success. Georgia was the first woman hired at BrandVerity six years ago. She started as a Customer Success Manager and now leads a geographically dispersed team of eight and is a key member of BrandVerity’s leadership team.
In January, Microsoft and Verizon Media announced a major update to their partnership. Starting in March, Bing Ads will be the sole advertising platform for Yahoo and AOL ads. We’re excited about these changes because it will become easier for Paid Search Managers to run their campaigns.
We are excited to announce that BrandVerity has been selected as one of Built In Seattle’s Best Small Companies to Work for in Seattle! This distinction is awarded to companies that have gone the extra mile in creating an awesome work culture that empowers employees to live their best lives.
