The digital advertising industry is at a defining crossroads. Over the last two decades, a small number of dominant platforms have set the pace, built the rails, and profited disproportionately from the engine that powers the internet: ad tech. But now, Google—the largest player in that ecosystem—is facing unprecedented legal scrutiny that threatens to alter the landscape as we know it.
Brado advises clients across multiple industries on how to compete in this shifting digital landscape and we believe it’s critical that we all take a step back and evaluate the moment we’re in—not just as marketers, but as stewards of an open, competitive, and innovative internet.
Google’s Legal Reckoning
In two recent legal developments, the U.S. government has taken significant steps to challenge Google’s dominance. First, a federal judge gave preliminary approval to a $100 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by advertisers who accused Google of overcharging for ads on its platforms due to monopolistic practices. While $100 million is pocket change for a company like Google, the optics and implications of that ruling are far more consequential.
More importantly, a separate federal antitrust case—brought by the U.S. Department of Justice—found that Google maintains illegal monopolies in key ad tech markets. The decision opens the door for the government to pursue structural remedies that could go as far as breaking up parts of Google’s ad business, including forcing the divestiture of its ad server (Google Ad Manager), ad exchange, or even key consumer platforms like Chrome and Android.
In other words, regulators aren’t just asking Google to pay a fine or change its policies—they’re preparing to rewrite the rules of the game.
A Marketplace Defined by Gatekeepers
To understand why this matters, we have to appreciate how deeply entrenched Google is in every stage of the digital advertising supply chain. In many programmatic transactions, Google is the buy-side platform (DSP), the sell-side platform (SSP), the ad server, and the exchange. It’s a closed-loop ecosystem where the buyer, seller, and auctioneer are often the same party.
Imagine placing a bid at an auction where the auctioneer sets the rules, controls the items, owns the auction house, and sells their own items alongside others. That’s not a competitive marketplace—it’s a managed economy. And for too long, advertisers, publishers, and agencies alike have had little choice but to play along.
The question now is: What happens when those walls come down?
Opportunity in Disruption
At Brado, this moment—while filled with uncertainty—is also brimming with opportunity. Here’s how we believe smart brands and agencies should think about this shift:
1. Diversification Is No Longer Optional
If you’re still relying solely on Google’s ad stack, it’s time to seriously consider diversifying. Yes, Google offers unmatched scale, but scale without transparency or competition is a liability, not an advantage.
There are a host of viable alternatives—The Trade Desk, Magnite, Index Exchange, PulsePoint, and others—each offering their own innovations, specialties, and data integrations. As the ad tech ecosystem becomes more fragmented, marketers will need to build more modular, flexible media strategies that don’t tie them to any single platform.
2. Cookies Are Staying—for Now. Don’t Get Comfortable.
Google’s latest announcement that it will delay (again) the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome might feel like a reprieve—but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a strategy.
Yes, this gives advertisers more time to rely on familiar targeting methods. But it also reinforces a dangerous habit: dependency on outdated tools that are out of our control. The real takeaway isn’t that cookies are sticking around—it’s that the entire ecosystem remains in flux, and the ground can (and will) shift beneath us at any moment.
Smart marketers will use this window not to double down on third-party data, but to accelerate their shift toward durable solutions—first-party data collection, clean rooms, contextual targeting, and better CRM integration. Because whether cookies disappear next year or three years from now, the writing is still on the wall: consumer privacy expectations, browser policies, and platform dynamics are evolving—and we need to be ahead of them, not scrambling behind them.
3. Expect a Period of Turbulence—and Be Ready to Lead
Legal remedies—especially those involving breakups or forced divestitures—are messy. If the DOJ succeeds in forcing Google to spin off its ad server business, publishers may find themselves scrambling to adopt new tech. Advertisers may lose access to valuable cross-channel targeting capabilities. Measurement may become less standardized, and media planning could grow more complex in the short term.
But disruption also creates a vacuum—one that agile, innovative companies can step into. Agencies that are proactive, transparent, and consultative will become invaluable partners during this transition.
4. Don’t Sleep on Bing—It’s Time for a Real Strategy
For years, Bing has been the quiet alternative to Google’s search dominance. But with the rise of generative AI and Microsoft’s aggressive integration of OpenAI’s technology into Bing, the tides are beginning to shift.
We’re entering a new era of search—one that’s less about 10 blue links and more about synthesized answers, conversational experiences, and AI-curated content. Microsoft is betting big on this future, and the early signals from Bing’s AI-powered search experience show promise in both user adoption and advertiser value.
For brands, this isn’t just a diversification play—it’s a strategic move. Bing’s market share may be smaller, but its users skew older, more affluent, and more decision-oriented. And as generative search becomes more embedded into the user journey—especially on desktop and enterprise environments—having a presence there becomes a must, not a maybe.
Smart agencies and marketers will start treating Bing as more than just a checkbox. That means optimizing for Microsoft Ads, tailoring creative for AI-powered results, and ensuring brand presence in the emerging formats powered by large language models. If Google’s dominance continues to be challenged, Bing is well-positioned to grow—and those who invest early will benefit most.
The Big Picture: Consumer Behavior Is Evolving—Are We?
At the heart of all this disruption is a simple truth: consumer needs haven’t changed, but their behaviors have.
People still want answers, inspiration, convenience, and relevance. What’s shifting is how they discover, decide, and act. With the rise of generative AI—led by platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft’s new AI-powered Bing—consumers now have more choice than ever in how they engage with content, brands, and information.
Search is no longer just about keywords—it’s about conversations. Discovery doesn’t just happen through ads or organic listings—it happens inside AI chat interfaces, personalized recommendations, and synthesized answers that skip over traditional SERPs entirely.
This means the old playbook—built around optimizing for one platform’s rules—is quickly becoming obsolete. As marketers and agencies, we can’t afford to just respond to change. We have to anticipate it. We must deeply understand the emerging behaviors shaping the way people search, scroll, shop, and share—and meet them there with intent and precision.
Winning in this new era means expanding beyond legacy strategies. It means treating generative search and AI discovery engines as core channels, not experimental ones. It means showing up where attention is going—not where it used to be. And it means helping brands adapt faster than their competitors.
This isn’t just about taking back control from one tech giant—it’s about moving forward with a smarter, more modern approach to capturing demand in a rapidly evolving landscape. The brands and agencies that get ahead of these shifts will not only earn attention—they’ll earn trust, loyalty, and long-term relevance.
Moving Forward
Whether or not Google is ultimately broken up, the signal from regulators is loud and clear: unchecked control over the digital economy is no longer acceptable. For brands, publishers, and agencies, this is a wake-up call to reimagine how we operate in this space.
At Brado, we’re taking this moment seriously. We’re doubling down on education, platform diversification, first-party data innovation, and Conversational AI to help our clients navigate a rapidly evolving ad tech environment. We believe the future belongs to those who are not only agile, but principled—who stand for a more transparent, accountable digital economy. Ready to talk? Reach out at Blake.Decola@brado.net