Sir Martin Sorrell backs EU inquiry into Google dominance
Sir Martin Sorrell, Britain's most powerful advertising boss, today said some of his leading clients wanted the European Commission to investigate Google.
European Union chiefs said last week that they had received three separate complaints about the internet search giant and could launch a full-scale competition investigation.
WPP chief executive Sorrell said his firm had not thought of complaining to Brussels: "We haven't but our clients have. From a client point of view, we want to see more balance in the marketplace. What clients would like to see is more alternatives [to Google]."
Sorrell described Google as "a much more dangerous company [in competitive terms] than 12 months ago", pointing to the fact the web giant has cut $1 billion (£668 million) in costs and is focusing more on mobile technology.
Google has more than 80% share of the search advertising market in most European countries, including Britain. The internet giant generated £1.9 billion in UK revenues last year — nearly half the UK's internet ad spend.
Sorrell, who was speaking at the Financial Times Digital Media conference in Mayfair, refused to say whether he thought the EU could rule against Google but welcomed an investigation. "My view is if there's nothing [for Google] to hide, that's fine. An investigation will take place and everything will be hunky-dory." He has memorably described Google as a "frenemy" — part friend, part enemy — and pointed out today that WPP is Google's largest customer.
He noted that so far smaller commercial companies have been more willing to express publicly their unhappiness about Google.
British price-comparison website Foundem, French online legal service ejustice.fr and Microsoft's German shopping site Ciao have filed separate complaints with the EU.
They complain that Google should be more transparent about its search rankings, the price it charges for advertising and the way it can promote some of its own services such as maps and price comparison.
A Google spokesman said: "This scrutiny goes with the territory when you are a large company."
