Can eBay "Auction Off" Google?

Ebaywants to auction anything and everything, and now it's using its auction technology to create an efficient ad sales system to compete with Google, which dominates the online ad sales space. Starting today, eBay is going to begin brokering radio advertisements. Working with Bid4Spots (quite the obvious name) some 2,300 radio stations will auction airtime through eBay media marketplace. Ebay profits by taking a piece from advertisers payments.

This puts eBay directly into competition with Google's dMarc Broadcasting. In April, Google announced plans to sell ads on 674 Clear Channel radio stations.

Since Google's also aiming to bring its ad technology to print ads, will eBay follow?

Online ads may be the fastest-growing part of the ad business, but the online business of selling offline ads is bigger than ever. Last year eBay began using its Media Marketplace website to try to sell cable TV ads, which failed in the face of TV executives not really wanting the most efficient ad sales system, god forbid that bring down ad prices.

Which online giant will win the online ad wars? E-mail me your thoughts at [e-mail].

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