European Union antitrust regulators asked online advertising companies whether prices would rise if Google's proposed $3.1 billion takeover of DoubleClick is approved, according to an E.U. questionnaire.
"If you currently use DoubleClick's ad serving technology, do you expect any changes in the service it offers (in price or quality) by DoubleClick after its acquisition by Google?" the commission asked in a seven-page questionnaire obtained by Bloomberg News.
They won't rise at all. They will become more "relevant". They will be "smart" priced to benefit the advertiser and publisher. A snazzy new interface will be built to make the market more "efficient". And spending will "increase" to match the new features, but no higher prices.
Some cynics may say new layers of complexity will be added so no one understands how the advertising works and that a price increase got snuck in, but they are just stupid conspiracy theorists.
