Google Buys DoubleClick to Expand Reach

Curt Viebranz, CEO of Tacoda, a behavioral targeting ad network writes a great article today about Google's purchase of DoubleClick.

Google picks up online display advertising revenue, relationships, infrastructure and data...giving it control over the largest chunk of this business in the world.

Is there any doubt that Google (once known as only a search engine) is placing one more pillar in its construction of the largest, most comprehensive infrastructure to facilitate advertising on the planet?

Notice I didn't say "online advertising". I said "advertising". All of it.

While it's true that online advertising's growth is outpacing all other forms and advertisers large and small are allocating bigger chunks to online - Google is interested in monetizing offline advertising activity as well. They've struck deals with newspaper, television, radio concerns on their way to facilitating the purchase, serving and tracking of all types of advertising. Recent deals with Clear Channel radio and Echo Star satellite TV punctuate this point.

For an advertising agency buying media this could prove to be a one-stop shop. Google may make it so easy that clients do it themselves.

In any case, monetizing all types of advertising activity leaves Google a bit less concerned with the ultimate slice of pie Internet advertising becomes. It has those bases well covered and plenty of horses in the race no matter what the growth rate of the Internet is in 10 years time.