The two are bitter rivals in advertising, but they sometimes need to work together

Oct 19, 2013 07:13 GMT  ·  By

Google and Facebook don't like each other very much and it's understandable, they're some of the biggest rivals on the web. But sometimes, even these two know it's best to work together. The two companies have announced that Google's Double Click will be joining Facebook's ad exchange, the FBX.

"We're excited to announce a new way to help our clients succeed by working with Facebook to participate in FBX, their real-time bidding exchange," Google announced.

This is a big move, it's the first time the two have collaborated on ads and it marks the addition of the only big player missing from the FBX.

The deal will allow Google customers to buy ads on Facebook, something that benefits advertisers, Google and Facebook.

"DoubleClick Bid Manager (formerly Invite Media) has been helping agencies and advertisers buy ad space on sites across the web for years," Google added.

"We help clients access dozens of private and public exchanges in more than 75 countries, and continue to see double-digit quarter-over-quarter growth in spend – last quarter was our biggest ever," it boasted.

"But we're always looking at ways to serve our clients even better – starting in a few months, clients will be able to buy inventory on FBX via DoubleClick Bid Manager."

The FBX makes it possible to target users based on their web habits. That is, by relying on tracking cookies, advertisers can now follow you around with the same ads on Facebook as well, not just on every other website you visit.

The Facebook Exchange has been open for more than a year now and, while it partnered with pretty much all the big names in advertising, it didn't include Google. But it seems that pressure from clients pushed Facebook into inviting Google, the biggest ad player on the web.