Google AdWords Advertisers must have Google Accounts to log in?

[andrewgoodman]

I'd be interested to hear what people think of the following. It strikes me as pretty strange, if you think about it.

A business to business relationship being mixed in with a B2C portal login? Microsoft and Yahoo aren't trying to link advertiser accounts to MS & Yahoo portal logins, I notice.

Will there be a hue and cry about it? Or just puzzlement?

Announcement below:

--

Why is Google asking me to update my AdWords login?

Soon, we'll be changing our AdWords login system to Google Accounts. We're doing this to help increase your security and make your life simpler with one email and password. A Google Account lets you access multiple Google services (such as AdWords, Froogle, Google Groups, and more) with a single email and password.

You'll soon be able to update your login any time before Jan. 15, 2006, through your account. Here are some things to consider when updating your login:

* Your login is the only thing that will change. All your account information - such as billing and campaign details - will remain the same.
* We recommend you don't share your Google Account with other users in order to safeguard your information.
* If you already have a Google Account, you can use it as your new AdWords login. You might already have a Google Account if you use Gmail, Google Groups, Google Alerts, Froogle Shopping List, Personalized Search, Personalized Homepage, and Google Answers.
* If you currently share your AdWords account with other users, each user will be asked to create their own Google Account when they sign in. You can also send each person an invitation to make the switch.
* After you choose your new Google Account, you'll still be able to sign in to AdWords at adwords.google.com. In addition, if you choose a Google Account that you use for your other Google services, you'll be able to move back and forth between accounts - without having to sign in and out each time.

[I, Brian]

For some reason the only words that come to mind are "user tracking".

[Chris_D]

Smells like MS Passport gone out of control, doesn't it?

"Create your sign in credentials (e-mail and password) once, then use them everywhere on the Microsoft Passport Network. You can even set the site to remember your credentials for you! Use the Passport Network to sign in to MSN Messenger, MSN Hotmail, MSN Music, and other sites and services!"

Good call Andrew - combining the 2 - a private individual's Gmail account and a Publically listed company's Adwords account - looks just like a recipe for a security disaster.....

[dannysullivan]

I'm OK with it. I was kind of tired of having three different logons, adwords, gmail and everything else. Now I can have just two, gmail and everything else. Maybe one day they'll fix it so I can have my gmail account united, as well.

Having said that, I can also see that it woudl be nice to have the option to keep advertising separate. I'm betting this is all united around a common email address. So if you changed your email address on your advertiser account, would that escape things?

[Vural Cifci]

I wonder how this will work for MCC users. How are they going to consolidate all accounts under one account. I may have to sign in using agency login and out everythime I login to MCC and check my gmail since my personal account is different than the agency account. It would be great if Google lets users add alias username or add other google accounts under their main login.
Just an idea.

[andrewgoodman]

I understand the concept of unified logins. For example, I recently linked my Flickr login to my Yahoo account and am very pleased with the convenience of moves like that. Some years ago, Yahoo did a better job of integrating their portal than MSN did -- huge advantage went to Yahoo.

But advertisers shouldn't be treated the same as "users." Some advertisers spend millions of dollars. There's no explicit security risk or inconvenience if you handle it right as an advertiser, but I would think that a basic degree of respect for such an important business relationship would mean a separate identity for the advertiser account. Optics matter.

It's a slippery slope towards a complete disregard for privacy.

[eWhisper]

Have to agree with Andrew on this one.

Even without the business reference (which I agree with completely), if everyone makes me have a different email address login - doesn't that really defeat the point of a central point of contact - i.e. my OWN email address?

I can't use my gmail for MSN or vice versa. And with all the other logins, if everyone made me have my own it just gets unwieldy. Right now I need several dozen email accounts. None of these are actual accounts, they just autoforward - but it's a pain to organize, and this won't make it any easier.

[giubany]

I believe it all has to do with their future statregy. There are two reasons I believe Google is doing this. One to make it easier for users to access different accounts as they expanding on their services, and the other reason is quite interesting. Google seems to be going towards the mobile industry. Why? Because most people in the world have mobile phones. What does this mean? It means that people can be billed for internet transactions through their mobile carrier. Just think about how many people in the world have credit cards, and how many have mobile phone, hmmm makes sense. I believe this is the answer to monetizing users online. I don't know if anyone noticed that Google now asks for your mobile phone number for future services. Also Google encourages people to create webpages compatible with cells. Example, Mobile Site Maps.

Any thoughts? Quite interesting?

[AdWordsRep]

Glad to see this thread at the top of the page again, as it gives me a chance to point to an Inside AdWords blog post that speaks to concerns raised in the thread earlier.

Please see the Google Accounts for AdWords post which, as I write, is at the top of the page here: http://adwords.blogspot.com/

Since another topic may well be posted in the near future, here is a permalink too: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2005/10/...r-adwords.html

I hope this will set some minds at ease. And, as always, I'm happy to pass feedback along to the proper teams.

AWR

[Christine]

I'm trying to be open minded about this, but I have to agree with Andrew, this screams of privacy invasion.

AWR, I read the section on "Inside Adwords" you referenced and didn't find it particularly enlightening or comforting. Any possibility this could be made optional rather than a forced migration?

Maybe we ought to do a poll and get a barometer on how users feel about this change being imposed on us.

[AdWordsRep]

AWR, I read the section on "Inside Adwords" you referenced and didn't find it particularly enlightening or comforting. Any possibility this could be made optional rather than a forced migration?

Christine, while I'm not a decision-making for this 'migration', I'll be happy to pass your feedback on to the right folks. Consider it done.

As a general aside, there was also second post on the Inside AdWords blog that offered additional tips and best practices for a variety of advertiser scenarios. It may be found here:

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2005/10/...r-adwords.html

AWA

[maildeepak]

i had opened adwords a/c long ago even though i am using it now only. recently when i went into my adwords a/c it asked for migration and i honestly dont remember now what i gave there...

now the problem is when i try to loginto adwords a/c using gmail id it is not logging in bcos gmail id password has only 6 characters agains my adwords a/c p/w has 7 characters(6c+1n) which was a must at that time.

will this create any problems for me in the future. how do i rectify the mistake that i may have done?

regards,
deepak