Ads for large national and global advertisers are starting to pop up next to what you might call "questionable" adult online content. This is strange because advertisers have traditionally been
terrified of having their brands associated with anything that might cast them in a less than wholesome light. Is porn going mainstream--or are advertisers not paying attention to exactly where the
money spent on a large network buy is going? Two of the brands, AT&T and Apple Computer, were approached by Cnet News.com. Only AT&T responded, saying "It appears the sites in question were part of a
large buy vs. a specific target. To date, we've had no complaints or concerns. We are reviewing these sites, and if we determine that it is an inappropriate placement, we will discontinue advertising
on those sites." As shocking as it may seem for those of us used to seeing advertisers associated with gentle, PC content, the growing popularity of user-generated content like blogs, podcasts and
homemade video clips means advertisers can no longer pick and choose their spots based on content, because in many cases, they have no idea what the content is going to be anymore. This is also the
risk advertisers run when they or their media buying shop make a network buy and want to target a specific demographic. Comcast placed an ad next to a homemade video of a parade of high-school aged
Chilean girls in which the camera looked up their dresses; the company said it had no idea until told by Cnet. Comcast was not only embarrassed, the company moved immediately to fix the "problem."
Read the whole story at Cnet News.com »
