Turkey Probes Google’s PMAX Ad Campaign Over Market Competition Concerns

The Turkish Competition Authority has opened a formal investigation into Google’s Performance Max (PMAX) advertising campaign, citing concerns that the tech giant may be abusing its market dominance and distorting competition through data consolidation and AI-driven ad optimization.

Announced on Friday, the probe focuses on whether Google violated Article 6 of Turkey’s Competition Act No. 4054, which prohibits abuse of a dominant market position. Authorities are scrutinizing whether Google unfairly leveraged its strength in online search advertising to bolster its position in other segments of the digital ad ecosystem by way of PMAX, a campaign format launched in 2021.

According to the authority’s statement, “The investigation centers on claims that Google exploited advertisers using PMAX by transferring its dominance from search ads to other advertising services, and that it may have restricted competition by combining data from multiple platforms.”

PMAX campaigns, part of the Google Ads suite, differ significantly from traditional campaigns. They allow advertisers to publish ads simultaneously across all Google-owned channels, including Search, YouTube, Google Shopping, Display Network, Maps, and Discover. Using AI-powered real-time optimization, PMAX determines the most efficient ad placements to maximize conversions.

While this innovation offers significant efficiency and reach, critics argue that it may give Google an unfair competitive edge, especially if data from one platform is used to dominate others, potentially limiting advertisers’ transparency and control.

The authority emphasized that the launch of the investigation does not imply guilt, nor does it mean that Google has violated the law. It is, instead, a procedural step aimed at examining whether competition rules were breached through cross-platform data utilization and preferential ad placement.

This move adds to the growing global scrutiny of Google’s advertising practices, as regulators around the world assess the impact of AI-driven ad tools and big tech’s control over data ecosystems.