Burkitt’s head of retail defends use of Google ads
A local flower shop at the centre of an online ad controversy said they have done nothing wrong and have no control over how Google displays their ads online.
In a Facebook post on Feb. 7, Prince Albert flower store Scentiments Floral Ltd. wrote that they were being forced to take legal action against another local floralist, Burkitt’s Floral, over allegations online customers searching for Scentiments were being re-directed to Burkitt’s website.
On Thursday, Burkitt’s Head of Retail Daniel Goldsztein issued a statement arguing the issue of when or how their ads appeared was out of their hands.
“As an advertiser, we do not control the exact search terms customers type into Google, nor do we control the precise way Google chooses to display ads in response,” Goldsztein’s statement reads. “The process is largely automated and increasingly AI‑driven.”
Search Ads are advertisements that show up in Google search results with terms related to keywords. They are one of seven different types of ad campaigns companies can run with Google.
According to the Google Ads site, Google Ads use artificial intelligence to help “find new customers, build creative, unlock performance opportunities, and multiply your business results”.
Burkitt argued that Google uses its own algorithms to decide when to show ads. He said if customers or other businesses are upset with how those ads are displayed, they can file a complaint directly with Google.
He also denied Burkitts deliberately misled customers about where they were ordering from.
“Even if our store’s ad appears when someone searches a generic phrase such as ‘send sentiments floral’ or ‘floral sentiments,’ the ad clearly identifies Burkitt’s Floral as the advertiser,” he wrote. “Our business name and website URL (burkittsfloral.ca) are visible in the sponsored listing, and once a customer clicks through, it is clear they are on Burkitt’s Floral’s website, not any other florist’s. We therefore do not see how a customer on our website, with our name and branding plainly displayed, could reasonably believe they are ordering from a different business.
“If another florist is experiencing a decline in sales, we do not believe Burkitt’s Floral or our legitimate use of Google Ads should be blamed for that,” he added. “We are simply using a standard, widely available advertising platform in a lawful and transparent manner, while clearly identifying ourselves as Burkitt’s Floral at every stage.”
In an interview with the Daily Herald, Scentiments Floral Ltd. co-owner Stacy Coburn said they began receiving complaints from customers during the Christmas rush. Coburn said customers reported trying to order from Scentiments online, but when they clicked the link it redirected them to another site.
Coburn told the Daily Herald she contacted Google, believing it may have been a technical error. The problems stopped after Christmas, she said, but started again in mid-January when a customer called to complain about an unfunfilled order.
“I couldn’t find the order in our system,” Coburn said. “When I asked her to check her credit card, it wasn’t processed through us.”
During the interview, Coburn said she contacted Burkitt’s and later received an email from the corporate office indicating a lawyer would be in touch. Coburn said she wants the company to stop using Scentiments Floral in their sponsored ads.
“That would resolve it for me,” she said.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
