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02.28.07
Google Shows Checkout Icons For House Ads
 By
Nathan Weinberg
Google is doing something that can only be described as dishonest.
Google has been showing little (and sometimes not-so-little) Google Checkout icons in ads bought by advertisers who are using the system, which is whatever, their prerogative to do to promote their own service.
What I don't like is Google now using the Checkout icon, obviously designed to draw attention to an ad (and not provide a benefit for the user) to their own house ads:
As you can see in the image above, Google put the li'l shopping cart icon next to a Google Video ad (which you can see makes no mention of selling anything anyway, making it irrelevant).
Now, Google Video may or may not use Google Checkout*, but I know one service that doesn't use it: Google Analytics.
That didn't stop Amit Agarwal from finding an ad for Analytics that contained the icon, even though Analytics is a free service.
Perhaps the icon was earned by the Google Store?
I know Google's getting desperate about making money off anything other than AdWords, but they need to stop doing stupid things like this. It's just questionable decision after questionable decision lately with these guys.
* - The reason I'm not sure if Google Video uses Checkout? Take a look:
Yeah, Google Video's purchase system detects your browser and OS, and if it isn't Windows 2000/XP or Mac OS X, it refuses you. Uh, I'm running Windows Vista, so there shouldn't be a problem.
Whoops. Another thing to fix
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