Some Noises from AOL – cool stuff, CEO talks tough

 

AOL CEO Andy Falco was talking tough this week at the IAB meeting in Arizona:

“I hope they [Google & Microsoft] beat each other’s brains out over search and leave the display market to us,” he said to the Interactive Advertising Bureau annual conference. “I think it’s a mistake. But I think Napoleon said never interrupt your enemy when they’re in the middle of making a mistake.”

…

“Microsoft and Google can ignore us and leave us of charts if they want, but they do that at their peril,” this from AdAge.

Good stuff. Let the games begin. I would love to see more innovation and more dynamism from AOL. For that matter lets see more from all of the big 4 – GYMA.

I also like this video posted up by Mr Scoble about some cool tools from AOL – GO HERE  to view it.

Follow-up notes/comments: I would comment that actually Microsoft definitely gets display, just check out MSN’s ad offerings and the Aquantive acquisition last year as proof. Plus Yahoo is a BIG display player. Google too has made moves in the area with expansion of ad types for AdWords/AdSense and their attempt to buy DoubleClick. I agree that while GYM are distracted with each other that creates new opportunities for AOL – they just have to execute. Here’s a wild predication: Microsoft does buy Yahoo in the end and then Google buys AOL.