Last week, Google experienced a major reporting glitch that affected a small fraction of advertisers. The glitch resulted in the blackout of Report Editor, Dashboards, and Saved Reports in the Google Ads web interface, as well as the Products, Product Groups, and Listing Groups pages across the web interface, API, and Google Ads Editor. This caused disruptions in normal reporting services and exposed sensitive data across accounts.
Advertisers had mixed reactions to the glitch. Some were grateful that they didn’t handle e-commerce and were not affected, while others found the lack of listing and product group data to be a massive obstacle. Greg Finn, a partner at Cypress North, highlighted the practical challenges faced by shopping advertisers who rely on listing and product group data to ensure their campaigns are working correctly. He expressed the fear of flying blind without any product data and emphasized the importance of being able to view product data even when there is a mistake.
The glitch also raised concerns about data usage and potential breaches. Sarah Stemen, a paid search specialist, questioned if Google leverages the data it collects in the auction more than it admits. Kate Luke, the head of digital, emphasized the gravity of the data breach and called for Google to address those affected directly instead of delivering generic resolutions.
Transparency was another issue raised by advertisers. Meriem Nacer, a performance and marketing consultant, questioned if Google would notify affected brands and reimburse them or if they would only respond if contacted. She also raised suspicions about the timing of the glitch, suggesting that it may be related to the Merchant Center Next rollout. Mike Ryan, the head of e-commerce, expressed concerns that the issue may have been occurring for longer than Google claims.
The glitch also raised questions about the automation and feed security. Julie Bacchini, the president and founder of Neptune Moon, highlighted the concern about firewalls between accounts and the sanctity of the feed. She questioned if advertisers would even know if a similar incident happened in the future as automation takes over. She called for a detailed explanation from Google Ads on how another advertiser’s feed data was allowed to infiltrate another account.
Scott Fredrickson, a marketing director, detailed the potential competitive intelligence leaked due to the glitch. He mentioned that screenshots showed custom label content in the reports, which could reveal information about margin bucketing, seasonality, stock controls, promotions, vendors, and divisions.
While some advertisers viewed the glitch as a minor inconvenience, the majority expressed serious concerns about data privacy, competitive intelligence, and Google’s handling of the situation. Trust in Google was already low, and this incident only added to the disappointment.
Advertisers are now demanding more transparency and better safeguards from Google to prevent similar issues in the future. They want reassurance that their sensitive data will be protected and that incidents like this will not happen again.
In conclusion, the Google reporting and product listing glitch caused disruptions in normal reporting services and exposed sensitive data across accounts. Advertisers had mixed reactions, with some facing practical challenges and others raising concerns about data usage, breaches, transparency, timing, automation, feed security, and competitive intelligence. The incident has left advertisers demanding more transparency and better safeguards from Google to prevent similar issues in the future.
