This week Business Week reported on Google's slow offline efforts,...

...in particular, the Google Publication Ads program, where marketers can bid for print media slots. Having both an agency and search background, this comes as no surprise

Picture this: Google makes the announcement that the Publication Ads auction is open for business. What happens next? Well, one needs to place a bid. To do so, the bidder must have a Google Adwords account and be familiar with the auction process. This account and expertise is normally maintained by the Search Engine Marketing Agency (SEM), and not the offline agency usually tasked with traditional media strategy, planning, buying and execution.

In a nutshell, the print decision-making team is not technically equipped to engage with Google. Those most familiar with Google don't have access to print dollars.

One might picture a scenario where the traditional team engages with the SEM to execute on such a project, or vice versa, but I am sad to say that playing nicely in the sandbox does not come easily in the intra-agency world.