There are a growing number of reports across the web of Google Ads account managers threatening to contact customers directly when they are not authorized to do so.
According to the reports, agencies that don’t respond to emails from Google Ads account managers face threats from Google employees to contact customers directly.
In some cases, Google Ads account managers call clients and ask them to hire their agencies.
Here are two things to clarify:
- Agencies don’t need to speak to Google employees
- At no time should a Google Ads account manager call an agency’s client
A Google Ads employee asking clients to fire their agency crosses the line.
However, these reports are becoming more and more common.
Marketing Labs CEO Matt Janaway shared his experience on LinkedIn this week:
Screenshot from: linkedin.com/posts/mattjanaway, November 2022.Janaway’s post caught the attention of Google Ads liaison Ginny Marvin, who says the issue is being addressed “immediately.”
Marvin adds, “This is not how we expect our team to support our advertisers and agency partners.”
Screenshot from: linkedin.com/posts/mattjanaway, November 2022.Janaway is not alone in his experience.
Throughout October, reports circulated on Reddit of Google officials engaging in similar practices.
A Reddit user posted a screenshot of an email received from a Google Ads Account Strategist stating:
“I am writing to you one last time as a courtesy as my honest goal is to bring you value and advanced strategies with Google Ads and to work closely with you to help you save time and make your customers more successful with Google Ads I am contacting you for the final time to inform you that if I do not reach you, I will assume you are not receiving my emails and will contact my assigned clients directly.”
Another Reddit user has much the same story, saying he was “harassed” with daily emails from a Google Ads rep trying to get a call to implement campaign changes.
Again, agencies aren’t required to speak to Google staff or make changes that clients don’t request.
If you receive an email like the one above, your best bet is to submit a complaint using Google’s official form.
Beware of these aggressive sales tactics. As long as you don’t violate any policies, Google has no say in how you run your clients’ campaigns.
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