"Encouraging clicks"

So what *can* I say here?

[Sunflux]

I just received an email from Google that some text on my is encouraging users to click on AdWords ads (no ifs ands or buts in their wording). The small text in question states "Help support ****, click on our sponsors!" and is currently running directly beneath 468x60 banner ads, which are positioned at the top of the page. It has been there for 2 or 3 years. We sell 90% of that inventory direct to very small companies (CPM based, not CPC), the remaining 10% goes to a generic ad company.

Between one and three screens lower on the page (no Google ads is visible on the same screen as that text) is a 120x600 Google ad, with no text surrounding it (except the standard "Ads by Google" text on top).

Now, I can't exactly see how my text would encourage users to click on anything not immediatly visible (readers have a short memory that way), but I'm not about to screw around arguing with Google about it. I agree that the text is probably a bit dated with the whole "click" thing (back in the days when I was on crummy CPC networks where you'd be lucky to earn $15 a month), so I want to improve it, but aren't sure what's allowed.

I still want to say something at the top concerning our small companies - to the effect that "support these small companies, as doing so will make them advertise another month, thereby possibly keeping this site going for another month".

So, what do you think I'd be allowed to day?
"Support our sponsors"
"Help support xxx - support our sponsors"
"Help support xxx, buy from our sponsors"

Or are all of those kinds of things going to be rejected by Google?

[dkoller]

thereby possibly keeping this site going for another month

Sunflux - I don't know how attached you are to these advertisers, but I would be willing to bet that moving your adsense banner to the top location and dumping the other ads completely would make you more money than using both in the current configuration.

Kinda offtopic, but just a thought.