Ogilvy on AdSense

This week I began using Google AdSense to help defray the costs of maintaining four weblogs (Strathlachlan, SatRadio, Saltire, and the SatRadio Archive). I added up all my blogging, web hosting, and domain name costs and my head nearly exploded. In retrospect I probably should have started using Google AdSense a lot sooner.

I wonder what the late advertising genius David Ogilvy would say about Google AdSense? Ogilvy's most well known books, Confessions of an Advertising Man (1963) and Ogilvy on Advertising (1983), are still considered canon in the trade. Or at least for those folks in advertising who know they don't already know everything. So I went and pulled some quotes:

"Avoid superlatives, generalizations, and platitudes. Be specific and factual. Be enthusiastic, friendly, and memorable. Don't be a bore. Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating." - David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man

One could argue that Google AdSense's text ads are simple and to the point because of the size constraints. But it could also be argued that getting to the point and keeping things simple makes sense anyhow. The format of the ads also removes the allure of sizzle and gets right to the steak. The whole truth thing might be hard to discern, but I think Internet users have learned the axiom "clicker beware."

"It has been found that the less an advertisement looks like an advertisement, and the more it looks like an editorial, the more readers stop, look and read. Therefore, study the graphics used by editors and imitate them. Study the graphics used in advertisements, and avoid them." - David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising

From a technical perspective Google AdSense allows users to control the orientation, positioning, and color scheme of ads that appear on their sites. There is something to be said for having advertisements that look like they belong on a site, especially when the ads being placed are driven by the content on that site. This leads us into the next point, which is the ad to content relevance that Google AdSense strives to achieve.

From the moment I dropped in the code it was very evident why those particular ads had been chosen. The goal of course being that people reading/searching on a particular topic also see ads that are relevant to the content being displayed. Readers looking for more information about satellite radio should expect to see ads about satellite radio. A blog entry about comic books should display ads related to comic books. Google AdSense has found a way to effectively target advertising and has built the infrastructure to put it into the hands of more legitimate pitchmen. Can you say gonzo marketing?

"The business community wants remarkable advertising but turns a cold shoulder to the kind of people who can produce it...Our business needs massive transfusions of talent. And talent, I believe, is most likely to be found among nonconformists, dissenters, and rebels." - David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man

The skeptic in me wonders how long the Google AdSense gravy train will last. (Hopefully long enough to pay some blogging bills.) But in the meantime there are a myriad of blogging "nonconformists, dissenters, and rebels" that have something to say, and the advertising on their sites is a reflection of their opinions. This isn't exactly the point Ogilvy was trying to make, but it is a new perspective on what it takes to create compelling advertising. Connect with an audience, gain their trust, and let them decide what ads are most relevant to their needs.