Best Ad Ever?
Those that saw our "You Give Leads A Bad Name" presentation will know that one of our favorite topics to cover outside of (the lengthier and more time consuming) strategy / analysis pieces are more observational in nature. Regularly readers know that search arbitrage makes for some of the most fertile space. An example we ran was back in August on big names in search in effect doing click arbitrage (a topic that Search Engine Land later covered).
We all come across irrelevant ads, even more now that a) we’re entering the equivalent of an online media recession, and b) Google needs even more clicks to feed its profitite (profit appetite). Occasionally, though, you come across an ad that is simply too hard not to comment on, especially when it is not actively searched for but contextually shown (Google.com versus ads in Gmail). Such is the case here, which I will simply file under – I should have better things to do and other ways to find amusement.
Here, keeping our Gmail company, was the following. Enjoy.
Happy Ending
Looking for Happy Ending? Find exactly what you want today.
Yahoo.com
Naturally, we had to click. Hand it to Yahoo – not completely irrelevant! (But not completely safe for work either…)
I especially like some of the other sponsored results (leading back of course to the never ending click arbitrage cycle):
- Happy Ending – We find Men’s Spas-Salons-Services – Get Thrillist Free Daily Emails.
- Asian Massage Parlor Stories – Looking For A Japanese Massage? Search Local.com To Find One.
- Asian Massage Happy Ending – Find Asian Massage Happy Endings at Great Prices.
Alas, our favorite of the results from when we captured the page, Local.com’s, has been replaced by a close second – an affiliate doing dating arbitrage.
And, it’s a classic example of all that arbitrage based affiliate marketing has to offer. On one hand, it plays a key role in filling in the keyword gaps – finding behaviorally relevant words that have limited coverage. But, it also exposes an ongoing reputation problem within our industry – pushing the boundaries of misleading.
Can you really chat for free? Not really. But that expectation will be enough to produce the following steps – 1. Click on ad, 2. Click on Jump page, 3. Click on landing page, and 4. Fill out short form for True (in this case). That last step earns money for the affiliate and the network but produces a user whose expectations aren’t met. A Happy Ending? No, but they rarely are.
