When is an AdWords ad tasteless?

Topics that turn readers off

[caNative]

Today the Pope died, which is important to some (1 billion) people.

Today the Washington Post decided to advertise itself with an AdWord and the keyword trigger "pope dead".
<Ad Removed>

Seems to me this is not a wise use of AdWords advertising...after all this is why Google News exists...

Effective, maybe. They were the only ad visible for that term, but appropriate? A good way to create a positive brand impression? Maybe...

I thought I'd just stir up the conversation because it seemed weird to me...

caNative

[edited by: eWhisper at 2:41 pm (utc) on April 3, 2005]
[edit reason] Please Don't Copy Ads [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[ClosedGL]

I don't think it is a matter of taste in this example. People all over the world may be mourning the loss of this great man and want to find out more.

The Washington Post is simply doing what a news distributor should do- provide news and information.

[Woz]

Well, at least we aren't seeing any "find dead popes on Ebay", that would be very bad form. Perhaps G has kept an eye on pope related adwords.

Onya
Woz

[Wlauzon]

Pope must be the only word in the world that does not trigger an eBay and Amazon ad. Or maybe Google blocked them.

[FromRocky]

Well, at least we aren't seeing any "find dead popes on Ebay", that would be very bad form. Perhaps G has kept an eye on pope related adwords.

Pope must be the only word in the world that does not trigger an eBay and Amazon ad. Or maybe Google blocked them.

I'm not so sure about this.

a Pope [google.ca]

[caNative]

Find "a pope" on eBay. Rocky that's classic. You'd think this guy would figure out how to use a bid management platform...

So is it an oversight that they didn't trigger for "dead terri"? No ads showing for that one yet...

BTW - is it only me that thinks this is an opportune moment for some off color humor?

AKA: "What did Terri Schiavo say to the Pope when he arrived at the pearly gates"

I can already think of at least 2 punchlines...but this takes us off thread...or does it?

caNative

[wrgvt]

Check out the Barnes & Noble home page. They're obviously attempting to cash in on recent events.

[walkman]

eBay is by far the worst on that. If I'm searching G and the ad is really stupid, I click.

[Woz]

Hmmm, perhaps geo-targeting is coming into play as I am seeing nothing untoward here in Oz.

Onya
Woz

[FromRocky]

The ad has been taken down.

[patient2all]

It's still unfortunate that the first SERP result for "death pope" is a sickening parody of Pope John Paul II's death though.

patient2all

[caNative]

Barnes & Noble is a business the same as the Washington Post (BTW Rocky - the ad is still live in North America) so I suppose it's inevitable that ANY major news event is going to trigger a spasm of commerce in it's wake. The recent Earthquake/Tsunami spawned it's own type of commerce also. That type was simply more of the giving nature, but you know there were people in our industry who also exploited that disaster.

I suppose my initial reason for posting had an introspective purpose. If I had been prepared in advance to use this moment in history to make a buck (sell newspapers or books) would I have seized the pen and done it also? I suppose I could put up a site right now to sell widgets specific to the moment...but...When do we cross a line in our efforts to earn the next buck? Everyone must have their own personal limits...nevermind the AdWords T's and C's.

caNative

[poster_boy]

I sell some items that feature the Pope... so, I tried adding keywords just now and I received the error:

"john paul" may be offensive to some of our users. (Despite use of the word "may", there's no appeal process evident)

Then, I type in "john paul" to Google - and guess who's ad comes up? Everyone's favorite auction site, of course, using "john paul" via dynamic keyword insertion. What gives?

[patient2all]

Indeed, there is nothing inherently wrong with selling memorabilia about the late Pope John Paul II. People want these items now. I read books written by and about Pope John Paul II are selling like wildfire.

I don't feel it's exploitation. Still, it's something I choose not to do. I would feel funny pocketing the profits as opposed to donating them to those billions whose suffering the late Pope tried to teach us to empathize with.

There are enough other markets out there for me.

patient2all

[AdWordsAdvisor]

so, I tried adding keywords just now and I received the error:

"john paul" may be offensive to some of our users. (Despite use of the word "may", there's no appeal process evident

...What gives?

Poster_boy, although the Popes' death is clearly an event which must be treated with care, the message that you quote surprises me. Did you receive this message in the AdWords interface while creating the ad itself, or after the fact - in a 'disapproval' email?

If it's the first case, I think I'd suggest writing support from within the account with details of what happened, and what you'd like to do.

If it was the second case, and you feel that it was a judgment made in error, I'd suggest responding to the email and providing details as to why you think the ad/keywords should be OK to run.

AWA