Semantic Targeting Gone Wild!

Posted on March 7, 2009 by David Rodnitzky

Let’s say you work at DoubleClick and your job is to develop an algorithm that matches display ads with appropriate content on, say, CNN.com. An article shows up that is focused on “Mexico.” You figure that perhaps this is an ad about travel – after all, it is winter and a lot of people are looking to get out of the cold and soak in the warmth of Mexico’s beautiful beaches, right?

Well, maybe not. Check out this ad for Tanzania tourism – I don’t think this is the kind of content they wanted to get matched on, unless the pitch here is “at least we’re not Mexico!”

About David Rodnitzky

David Rodnitzky is founder and CEO of PPC Associates. He currently serves on advisory boards for several companies, including Marin Software, MediaBoost, Mediacause, and a stealth travel start-up. David has a B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago and a J.D. with honors from the University of Iowa. In his spare time, David enjoys salmon fishing, hiking, spending time with his family, and watching the Iowa Hawkeyes, not necessarily in that order.

View all posts by David Rodnitzky →

This entry was posted in Analytics. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Semantic Targeting Gone Wild!

Steve says:
March 8, 2009 at 1:12 am
Today I enjoyed seeing an ad for mail-order Russian brides attached to an article in the Slashdot RSS feed about the relationship between Russian cybercriminals and their government.Marketing is so awesome. AWESOME!
Reply
David Rodnitzky says:
March 8, 2009 at 7:17 am
Well, with all the crime in Russia, it only makes sense that Russian women are fleeing into the arms of loving American husbands, right?
Reply