Anti-Amazon Alliance Ad Unites Google, Walmart, Target, Costco and More

A new ad campaign is targeting Amazon, albeit not by name, by linking historically fierce competitors such as Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens and PetSmart under the banner of Google Express. The ads on YouTube and other social channels, Google's display ad network and Android TV show people grasping for details about what they want to buy. The common solution in the end, driven home by a swirl of eight retailers' logos, is Google Express access to lots of online stores that aren't called Amazon. Google Express is an e-commerce shopping and shipping service that's similar to Amazon Prime but without a paid subscription. Google recently waived the $95 annual fee for free Express deliveries, provided the order meets the minimum threshold for free shipping from participating retailers, a tactic that's worked well for Walmart.com this year. Google Express made a splash in August by announcing a partnership with Walmart, the biggest of Amazon's rivals. Google Senior VP-Ads and Commerce Sridhar Ramaswamy joined Walmart U.S. E-Commerce CEO Marc Lore on stage at Advertising Week in New York last week to field some questions about the alliance. But the ads help make clear that free shipping via Express and voice ordering via Home are available through other retailers, too, provided people link their accounts to the Google services. The three-spot campaign comes from Minneapolis-based Mono, which also works on Walmart and previously worked on Target. The campaign comes as Google and Amazon battle for the living room, or just about anywhere that where online orders can be made. Google is planning a version of its Home smart speaker with a screen to compete with Amazon's Echo Show. In the latest sign of how heated the rivalry has become, Google pulled YouTube off of Show last week, saying the Amazon device didn't meet the standards for its app.

Anti-Amazon Alliance Ad Unites Google, Walmart, Target, Costco and More

Featured Stories