For well over a year now, the digital advertising and publishing industries have grappled with the growing power of Google and Facebook, which suck up 98% of every new ad dollar spent online, according to some estimates. With so much growth and power concentrated in just two companies, publishers worry about the viability of their ad businesses, while advertisers bemoan their loss of leverage around ad buys.
Deeply unsettled by the idea of a Google-Facebook duopoly, both groups have done what they can to defend against it. But so far, nothing they’ve done seems to have worked. Google and Facebook both turned in mammoth financials in the first
Chavern, like his counterparts, realizes he’s losing ground fast — rapidly enough that he’s taking measures he said were unnecessary even a few short months ago. In February, Chavern told BuzzFeed News he saw little reason to seek government help in leveling the advertising playing field for the nearly 2,000 companies he represents.
