Google Appoints Howe As UK MD

Search internet giant, Google, has appointed Mark Howe as managing director of Google UK, continuing Google’s ongoing investment in Europe.

Howe brings with him over 20 years worth of experience working in the British television industry, with his previous position being managing director of Flextech’s media sales house, Interactive Digital Sales.

Commenting on the appointment, Howe said: “I am thrilled to have been given this fantastic opportunity and look forward to building a strong relationship with the online advertising and marketing community in the UK.”

Google is currently seeking to recruit more staff in Europe, aiming to be the “number one choice for Europeans wanting to pursue a career in the media or technology industries.”

Kate Burns, director of Google for the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands added: “Mark has been a leading advocate of interactive advertising in the UK and we’re delighted to have him on board. We want to ensure that advertisers, big and small, are able to make the most of search advertising.”

At the end of last year, Google announced that it had begun testing a new product, giving consumers a free and immediate way to speak to advertisers on the Google search results page (see Google Tests Click-To-Call Service).

The new initiative will allow users to click on the phone icon in the results page and then enter in their phone number. Once the “Connect for Free” icon is activated, Google will call the provided number.When it is picked, up the caller will automatically be connected to the chosen advertiser.

Google also recently launched a separate content bid service for its search marketing tool Adwords, with the new system integrated into the existing AdWords campaign management interface and available to all advertisers, allowing them to set one price when their ads run on search sites and a separate price when they run on content sites (see Google Launches Content Bid For Adwords).

Google: 020 7031 3000 www.google.co.uk/