The thing about Google AdWords is that it gets it SO wrong sometimes. In light of the fact that people just don’t click ads or anything that looks like ads anymore, you would think the contextual ad industry (um, Google) would work a bit harder to get the context right.
Take, for example, this story about SNL on cnn.com.
Headline: ‘SNL’ hires two to replace Amy Poehler
First few lines:
NEW YORK ((AP)AP — “Saturday Night Live” was left with some big shoes to fill when Amy Poehler departed for her new role of motherhood.
As a step in that direction, two fresh recruits, Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins, will be joining the show this week as featured players, NBC announced Thursday.
And then the ads:
1.) How gay is your husband? How does that even qualify, at all, to be considered contextual?
2.) Chevy? They get a pass. It’s an ad.
3.) Who’s replacing Amy Poehler? Well, good thing the story tells us so we don’t have to worry about clicking your ad.
Get with it. Consumers aren’t fooled by ads anymore, especially when they are completely and totally out of context. I wouldn’t have even clicked one of these ads in 1999.
