The Digital Lookout

Here is a classic example of how mis-management of PPC affiliates can cost a brand dearly.  The screenshot below shows listings on the search term bet365.  All of the first page PPC listings are taken up by (presumably one) rogue affiliate who has registered a load of domains containing bet365 and will be earning commissions on the back of all sign ups.  Not only does this mean bet365 will be losing out on cheap sales through their brand it also gives a very bad brand experience for the searcher and could confuse the uneducated Googler.  I know bet365 are hot on their affiliate scheme and so I cant imagine the affiliate in question will ever see any of the commissions they were expecting but it still isn’t good to see this sort of thing going on.  The industry has a bad enough name in some circles and this sort of thing doesn’t help.  what it does highlight however is the need to have stringent programme guidelines in place and a solid affiliate management process to allow you greater control.

Following hot on the heals of the rumours of TV advertising through Adwords, it is reported that Google may introduce the ability to buy in game advertising through their online portal.  Dubbed Adsense for games, it is reported that Google “has developed an in-game advertising technology that allows it to insert video ads into games.”  Whilst there are a large number of other providers offering in game advertising, most notably Microsoft through the acquisition of Massive Incorporated, this would make Google the first to simplify the process and increase its viability for inclusion in a standard media plan and their purchase of Adscape in February of 2007 certainly gives them the expertise.

If all the rumours and news stories are true about Google’s plans, coupled with the recently launched Adplanner tool, Adwords could be on its way to becoming the holy grail of advertising platforms, incorporating online offline and in game into one web based portal.  Whether they can pull it off or not remains to be seen but they seem to be putting a lot of effort into achieving the same dominance in other media that they have in search.

I used to think gambling companies were pretty intelligent when it came to online advertising. I have dealt with a few of them and due to the size of the online market in their industry, and prioir to a few months ago, the restrictions which prohibited them from using many of the traditional forms of media, they are usually pretty clued up. Many have large in house teams to deal with their online activity as it is a key to their business and over the past few years more and more gamblers are turning to the internet to feed their addiction 24 hours a day and away from the environment of the traditional bookmakers.

A couple of searches today however have made me think otherwise. The biggest sporting event this weekend, and the most eagerly awaited boxing contest of the last 12 months, takes place this weekend in las vegas when Ricky “the hitman” hatton goes toe to toe with floyd mayweather for the title of best pound for pound fighter in the world. This event is a bookmakers dream, all the hype, all the build up and unlimited interest. But yet when I search on phrases related to the fight and specifically betting on it the big players are conspicuous by their absence searches on “hatton odds”, “mayweather odds” and “hatton mayweather odds” produce just 4 results in total. In the past when I have been involved in gambling campaigns attention to detail and the major sporting events have been key to their success but it appears that they are missing a trick at the moment. I know boxing isnt one of their major sports for account driving but surely this weekend would be a time to make hay?
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