Advertising Evil Honors: IntelliTXT, Kontera, Google CPA Ads
Welcome to the who needs “Web site advertising with keyword popovers” club, Ryan! I have been calling attention to the nefarious nature of IntelliTXT and Kontera all summer.
DON’T FOREGET THE NEW GOOGLE CPA Ads, though.
In June, I asked the head of Google AdSense, Kim Malone, to explain Google’s claim that their new in-line text ad product, “Google CPA text link format for pay-per-action ads” is consistent with the Brin & Page infamous “you can make money without doing advertising evil” slogan. SEE Google Exec Skirts CPA Advertising Evil
Malone was unable to explain away Google’s own official description:
Text links are hyperlinked brief text descriptions that take on the characteristics of a publisher’s page. Publishers can place them in line with other text to better blend the ad and promote your product.
For example, you might see the following text link embedded in a publisher’s recommendatory text: “Widgets are fun! I encourage all my friends to Buy a high quality widget today.”
Ryan Block, saying “you know who you are,” at his personal blog. exhorts to all those bloggers and media companies which make money off of the likes of IntelliTXT to “friends, fucking stop it.”
Stop what exactly? Block:
Polluting your content, confusing your audience, and tricking them into clicking on ads that just won’t go away.
I have said same, many a time:
Google PPA Advertorial: The Next PayPerPost?
The new “Paid” but not quite identified as “Sponsored” Links Google advertising product, Pay-Per-Action (PPA) text link format, encourages the ”blending” of paid for ecommerce transactional links into publisher editorial, but does not require any upfront “advertorial” disclaimers by AdSense publishers for the Google ad product being shown to consumers “blended” with “objective,” non-paid for content.
Google Advertising Evil: Pop-Ups Bad, In-Editorial Ads Rock
Google’s decision to disclaim its new CPA / PPA embedded advertising within publisher content depending upon whether unsuspecting readers “mouseover” the unidentified as advertising Google AdWords ecommerce link, or not, is CONTRARY to the spirit of best online business practices determined by the Better Business Bureau.
The American Society of Business Publication Editors has also taken a stand against IntelliTXT and the like, as I report in Blogging Ethics: Why Blog ‘Disclosure’ is NO Panacea
At the ASBPE conference in New York City earlier this month, I heard the organization reaffirm how “ethics guide transparency.” In fact, the ASBPE “Guide to Preferred Editorial Practices” was the event “schwag.”
ASBPE rallied against the deceptive nature of sponsored links embedded in online editorial, underscoring:
Contextual links witthin editotrial contents should not be sold.
Will the blogosphere pay heed to the Better Business Bureau, the American Society of Business Publication Editors, Ryan Block AND myself, OR will blog advertising evil “pollution” continue?
PLUS: Can Facebook, MySpace, YouTube Escape Junk CPM Ad Purgatory?