{"id":2561,"date":"2022-03-28T20:38:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T18:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adpolice.com\/?p=2561"},"modified":"2022-05-10T10:03:57","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T13:03:57","slug":"what-to-do-when-a-partner-advertises-your-brand-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adpolice.com\/en\/what-to-do-when-a-partner-advertises-your-brand-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When a Partner Advertises Your Brand Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I had a meeting with a brand that unfortunately due to COVID-19 has had internal changes, team re-assignments and staff layoffs. When meeting with this brand what was clear that several partners was using the branded trademark in its PPC advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understandably, us as well as the brand wanted to know \u2014is the partner allowed to do that?<\/span><\/p>\n

And the answer (as it often is in PPC) is this: it depends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brand Names as Keywords<\/h3>\n

One point is abundantly clear. Google won\u2019t restrict PPC advertisers from using brand names (i.e. trademarks) as keywords. Even if your marketing team complains to Google, Google will not investigate the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, your partners and competitors (and your marketing team!) are free and clear to use brand names as keywords.<\/span><\/p>\n

But things get more nuanced when it comes to ad text.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brand Names in Ad Text<\/h3>\n

Let us start by examining the case the brand brought to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

A search on our client\u2019s branded product name yielded the following result:<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first ad is the partner ad, appearing above the brand\u2019s own ad in the SERP. Using the brand name in all aspects of the ad including offering a pay now pay later headline to entice the user to its own site.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second ad is the brands own ad.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what (if anything) can you do about it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Use of Brand Names by Authorized Resellers<\/h3>\n

The first thing to clarify is whether the advertiser is an authorized reseller.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now you might think a company would automatically know who is and is not an authorized reseller. But often, it is not so straightforward. Relationships with authorized resellers can be vast and complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, we advised our client to do some digging to confirm whether one of their departments had okayed the use of its brand name by that reseller.<\/span><\/p>\n

If it turns out that the ad <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> run by an authorized reseller (where our client has granted permission for use by <\/span>submitting the necessary form to Google<\/span><\/a>) we would recommend that our client continue to keep an eye on the ad. The client should make sure the ad is consistent with the client\u2019s branding and that the reseller complies with their agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we\u2019ve seen situations where authorized resellers, partners and\/or affiliates operate outside of agreed-upon terms. And things can get ugly, fast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another reason to keep an eye on these ads is to monitor whether resellers are offering promotions that beat our client\u2019s promotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is an example of how those ads sometimes display when we search for the branded product name:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The top ad is the brand\u2019s ad.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in this case, it looks like the partner is offering the best deal (40 percent off)<\/span><\/p>\n

Partners quite often offer discounts that are deeper than what the brand is offering, which poaches potential sales. And when brands make a better margin on selling directly through their own sites than through partner sites, that is not a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use of Trademarks by Non-Authorized Resellers<\/h3>\n

But what if the brand has not authorized the partner use the company\u2019s brand name?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then it\u2019s time to take a closer look at Google\u2019s policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google specifically states that resellers are in compliance with its policies if (to paraphrase):<\/span><\/p>\n