buckworks - 9:57 pm on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

If you can prove that adwords can effectively build a brand, then I would say that such sites can hurt the brand.

I can't "prove" anything, but I can tell you about a friend of mine who is a much bigger Adwords advertiser than I am.

He's a manufacturer, CEO of a family owned company which is a major player in his industry. They advertise in many places, and one thing he really likes about Adwords is that the company name is seen by lots of well-targeted eyes besides those who click through to his site. He considers that exposure to be a valuable part of his advertising mix.

One day while checking stats (yes, a CEO who checks his own site stats), he spotted some referrals from trashy Adsense sites. He had serious concerns about what being seen in such sleazy contexts might do to his hard-earned reputation for quality, not only in the eyes of consumers, but also the hundreds of stores who sell his products.

He still likes Adwords, but his ads no longer appear on Adsense, and won't until there is some control over where his ads appear. He has bigger things at stake than just immediate ROI on this or that click.

Every legitimate content site in that sector has been robbed of the chance to show this company's ads.