Google is the "fox in the henhouse"

The NYT lead business article on Google entering radio advertising, "The Ad Search, Offline" is a shining example of the theme in my recent blog "Google-YouTube: What's really going on."

• Google is not negotiating with content networks as a "friendly partner" but is a clever competitor sneaking in to disintermediate content-networks from their customers.
• Broadcasters need to realize Google is their competitor, not their ally.  

I got the "fox in the henhouse" title for this blog from the last quote in the NYT article:

• "Google "would not say that they are replacing the buyer-seller relationship, said Jeff Lanctot, vice president and general manager at Avenue A/razorfish, an interactive marketing agency. "But it is what they are doing. For a radio salesperson, it is a fox in the henhouse scenario." 

The article is a great read because it hammers this theme home.

• Google is saying to content networks:  I have a bigger and better "network" than you, so you should let us sell your content on our network.
• What broadcasters are slowly beginning to realize, is that they are vertically-integrated content/distribution models, and Google is coming along and trying to mess with that model and unbundle that value by peeling off and undermining the distribution arm of the bundle.
• Smart broadcasters will be very wary that they are not letting the "fox into their henhouse."
• Viacom gets it.