Google: branding, beyond adwords
Google is trusting the advertiser’s motivation to target ads to
relevant sites, but Google has never before trusted the advertiser to
make that judgment. The AdWords method has always been to
automatically sever the connection between any underperforming ad and
its keywords, curtailing the appearance of that ad. Google’s
technology was the sole arbiter of relevance, and that relevance was
determined by clickthrough rate. Now, placing ads on
advertiser-determined sites, with payment by the impression, ad
performance is no longer a viable concept. Accordingly, any advertiser
with the loony idea that motor oil will sell on an environmental
activism site can outbid competitors and place that ad. And Google’s
reputation for relevance gets poured into the ground.
[via weblogsinc's google]