Google Ads - A Disparity

Within days of each other, there were two political articles posted to this DogReader space. One was critical of Senator Obama. The other was critical of Senator McCain. Both of these articles have Google ads, as this is how Chris Pirillo pays the bills. What is striking is the disparity of the Google advertising on those two articles.

As I look at these articles on a Sunday morning to archive them, every Google ad space on the Obama article has an Obama-related advertising. It ranges from things like polls to show Senator Obama’s lead to a soda drink which features Senator Obama’s photo.

By stark contrast, the Senator McCain article has one Google ad related to the Arizona senator. Oh course, the Google ads will change and the disparity may change. However, it is clear that the advertising advantage goes to Senator Obama, as far as a limited sample on an internet site.

This may illustrate the ‘coca-cola phenomena’. Everyone on the planet knows what Coca Cola is. It is synonymous with what is a soft drink or a soda pop. Nevertheless, Coca Cola continues to advertise. There are continual Coca Cola advertising campaigns. And the reason for this is that Coca Cola wants its name presented to you continually. It is emphasizing name recognition. It wants to be first and foremost on your subconscious. Think soft drink and then think ‘Coca Cola’. Coca Cola wants to be the first name that comes to mind. And Senator Obama wants exactly the same thing.

Senator McCain supposedly has people telling him what is happening on the internet. Perhaps he might be interested in seeing this for himself. As Anna Quindlen noted in a recent article, there are “tens of millions of voters” out here on the internet.

Catherine Forsythe