Inside Google’s Grip on Advertising

How did Google become one of the most powerful forces in advertising—and what happens when that power crosses the line? Ari Paparo, ad tech veteran, Marketecture founder, and author of Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance, takes us inside the deals, innovations, and strong-arm tactics that reshaped the industry. From behind-the-scenes stories of the “Rocket Docket” antitrust trial to the coming AI disruption of search, Ari shares candid insights on market dominance, branding, and the future of digital advertising.

• How Google bought, built, and bullied its way to dominance in the ad tech industry — and why multiple governments have called its behavior monopolistic
• What happened inside the Virginia “Rocket Docket” antitrust trial that inspired Ari’s book Yield, including behind-the-scenes stories from the courtroom
• How Google’s market power has steamrolled smaller ad tech companies and shaped the open web — and what might change if regulators break it up
• Why AI and large language models could disrupt Google’s search dominance for the first time in decades, reshaping SEO, SEM, and marketing strategy
• The branding lesson Ari took from clothing retailer Buck Mason — and why a perfectly on-the-nose brand experience can leave a lasting impression

Ari Paparo began his career in digital advertising during the early days of the internet and went on to shape how online ads work today. He has led product teams at AppNexus and Bazaarvoice, helped create industry standards including the VAST video specification and Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings, and founded the media company Marketecture to make sense of the complex ad tech world. A sought-after speaker and host of the Marketecture podcast, Ari is also the author of Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the rise of one of the most powerful forces in technology.

Ari pointed to Buck Mason—a clothing store he stumbled into with his wife in New York. Despite describing himself as “not a big clothes person” who usually dresses like a slob, he was struck by how perfectly the brand nailed its vibe: black T-shirts, a classic car parked in the middle of the store, art books casually scattered yet deliberately placed, and even a liquor bar to loosen wallets. Founded less than a decade ago in Venice Beach, Buck Mason impressed Ari as a masterclass in creating a brand experience so spot-on it feels like it was built in a lab for its ideal customer.

• Connect with Ari on LinkedIn and the Marketecture website.
• Check out his new book, Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance.
• Go down the internet rabbit hole on Ari’s Adland.tv — home to 80,000+ vintage TV ads.

On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

(00:00) Intro

(00:29) Ari’s background in ad tech and industry standards

(01:20) Breaking down Google’s strategy: bought, built, bullied

(03:08) Conflicts of interest and antitrust cases against Google

(05:10) Covering the “Rocket Docket” trial and stories from the courtroom

(06:32) The impact of Google’s dominance on smaller ad tech companies

(08:02) What might change if regulators break up Google

(12:01) Google’s brand halo vs. behind-the-scenes behavior

(16:12) Privacy, third-party cookies, and regulatory pressures

(19:00) AI disruption and the future of search