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

[rdrabkin]

Sort of reminds me of ...ever tried to log into Microsoft Adcenter using Chrome? "Unsupported Browser Try Another One!"

[Discovery]

RD - logins have become a nightmare across the board.

How many social accounts do you have? Per company you represent? For each product line? For your own personal use?

Microsoft has definitely struggled with the multiple user account issue.

Hotmail, Live, Adcenter, Forums, Developers, Beta... it goes on and on. But at least you can understand how MS got there, they had legacy accounts with millions and millions of people and changing this around and understanding how their customers would need and use logins for a variety of seemingly unrelated services was difficult to envision and thus plan for.

But Facebook - Now what the hell are they thinking? My business account must be tied a personal account? Call HR we just decided to have a product manager use his public and personal Facebook profile as the account to promote our multi-million dollar widget maker. And don't worry that he plays smurfsville and has pictures of himself drunk and facepainted by laughing frat brothers...

Facebook and other "newcomers" have no excuse. Business use, agency accounts and multi-user accounts in general should have been planned for and built into their system.

[bhartzer]

How many social accounts do you have? Per company you represent? For each product line? For your own personal use?

I actually have a spreadsheet in order to keep up with it all. Most are typically the same email address that I use (about 3 or 4 of them), though. I probably should keep a separate password, though.

[Discovery]

Yes, certainly we all have a way of keeping track of the accounts. However the platform should recognize the needs of agency or business users and create a single login to manage multiple accounts and or sub-accounts.

[AussieWebmaster]

they do have the MCC accounts

[Discovery]

Aussie, FB has MCC accounts now?

Well I guess I'm not surprised I missed that. I think facebook is a great social media service but advertising there has been less than rewarding.

Set up, interface, editorial, reporting, it was all a big hassle. For the types of services we market it just turns out that this is looky lu traffic, nobody serious. And that truly is what facebook is, millions of casual viewers that stumble across your ads and offers with very little intent or motivation to take action. If the avg. CPCs were pennies it may work, but they are on par with Google for our keywords and that just doesn't fly.

I will be very excited to see them evolve into a major advertising platform and then perhaps Google with purchase them for a Gagillion dollars. Or whatever 1000x a Groupon purchase would equal.

[expertsguy]

hello ,
yes you have a google account.so you have to start that.But with from Google AdWords advertising, you can do exactly that – right NOW.
…Yet most people find out that this is much harder than it sounds!

A day or two after you start out, your keywords get disabled, your ads are disapproved, and you’re disappointed to have to pay $1 or $2 or $4 or more per click for popular search-terms.

[Discovery]

Yes, a Facebook Ad campaign rollout looks like this:
Get over the initial shock that you have to associate a business account with a personal profile...?

You decide to translate your campaigns from Google to Facebook.
You spend a number of painful hours creating transforming your existing campaigns into Facebook using their antiquated interface.

You struggle to figure out that you can hardly exclude anyone or anything from running your ads. Apps, phones, browsers it goes out to everyone.

You think, well hell it's a ton of traffic, let's give it a try.
A day later you rip through your budget faster than a gnats breeding cycle.

The next day you get a message stating your ads have been disapproved.

You can't find any reason why they are disapproved or how to resolve it and you don't care because...

You're no longer going to advertise there.

I say all this a bit tongue in cheek. Facebook can be fantastic for the right products and services and if you have the proper strategy to work with their members. However, if you think you're simply going to move campaigns over from Google and receive similar types of user interactions and results/conversions at Facebook you are in for a very rude awakening.

In two words it comes down to:
Consumer Intent

Google people are pro-actively seeking
Facebook people are wandering and killing time.

I have high hopes for Facebook and I am cheering them on from the sidelines. I can't wait to have a product that is appropriate for their user-base. Working on a do it at home Teeth whitening product made from salt, soda water and bleach right now