Google China resumes recruitment

According to a Bloomberg report, with worries about Google's possible withdraw from the Chinese market dissipating, Google's business in China is now beginning to pick up, and its recruitment and advertising have seen a significant rebound.

Marketing agency EmporioAsia Leo Burnett General Manager Vincent Kobler said, "The situation has stabilized." As agent, Kobler's company is responsible for buying advertising space from Google and Baidu for clients. He also said that Google needs to start the deployment of operations in China as soon as possible to avoid being further left behind by Baidu.

Six weeks after Google said it plans to stop reviewing its search results and hinted it will pull out of the Chinese market the company began recruiting engineers, managers and sales staff. At first, in anticipation of Google's pulling out, advertisers turned to Baidu, but as Google negotiates to retain business in China, the situation has turned around, and advertisers started to decrease spending on the on Baidu site.

Media giant Zenith Optimedia Group Co., Ltd. CEO Steven Chang said, "Customers once again see Google as advertising strategy cooperation partner in the future."

Steven Chang said earlier that because Google hinted that it might withdraw from the Chinese market on January 12, more than 20 percent of Google's customers in China switched to other search providers. However, after a turnaround in the situation, Google users in China began to come back to Google's arms.

Baidu expects its first-quarter revenue may exceed analyst expectations. Baidu CEO Robin Li said that after Google threatened to withdraw from the Chinese market, advertisers have become more confident on Baidu.

First Financial Daily quoted part of Google advertising agencies, sources said after Google threatened to withdraw from the Chinese market, the company's advertising orders in China fell by 50 percent.

By People's Daily Online