Been meaning to write this post for a while – because more and more search inventory is being monetized by running ads including Text Ads in Google Image Search as the latest example.  But lets stop for a second can consider something which no one seems to want to talk about.

Most people, like you and me, don’t have any extra money to buy anything – we’re all, mostly, broke.

It doesn’t matter how many ads Google wants to run and where they decide to run them – we don’t have the money buy anything much – and anything we’re going to buy is probably a considered purchase (meaning less instant purchases – unless it’s a iPhone application for 5.99, or something like that – probably, that’s it, and the pitch for that is going to have to be really, really good or the buyer is going that have to be really, really desperate or uninformed) and it’s getting harder to find uninformed people.

So … here’s my question to my readers and to Google – why aren’t we trying to do in Online Advertising and Marketing what we’re having to do with the Economy? - referring to ideas in Paul Krugmans’s book The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 – if we’re in the Bizarro World of World Finance where left is right and up is down - then the normal rules of finance don’t apply, including rules of supply and demand – here’s a  quote from Wikipedia on Bizarro:

“…The concept of “Bizarro” has been ingrained in popular culture where it has come to mean a weirdly mutilated version of anything, not confined to characters in DC Comics publications^[1] and as such, so has the concept of Bizarro World.”

As Krugman maintains in the Economic sphere – the government needs to massively invest and stimulate the economy, perhaps over 2 Trillion dollars will be needed in the next 2 years, just to make up the gap between what our GDP could be vs what it is, now,  and, to have any hope of bringing down unemployment by more than 1/3 (that’s counter to normal theory that Government spending will deplete private spending and investment – but we’re in Bizarro territory now – what would make sense, normally, doesn’t make as much sense now).

So here’s what I’d like to see Google do,  instead, of running more ads.

I don’t want to be pitched to buy stuff every where I go – I want to see people advertise in order to help me, to help us , to be of service.

In the case of the example shown in Text Ads in Google Image Search, how are these hotels going to help me?  I’ll spend money as I have it and where I see people are really interested in being of service to me.

Are they going to provide extra messages?     How about shuttle service and 3 free meals, if I want it, for no extra charge?

Social Media, with it’s emphasis on Community and Transparency, it’s peer to peer nature, is likely, all things being equal, to work better now than a regular ad, if it’s targeted well and delivered at the right time.

In other words, Social Media + Behavioral Targeting – with an focus on what we can do for you, is probably where businesses will thrive.

So, Google – challenge to you …. stop trying to expand inventory to sell stuff on – I’m sick of seeing ads everywhere I go – if I want something, I’m probably going to see the same ads with the existing inventory – let’s focus on benefits and rewards for us, and let sales and marketing take a back seat – because in the Bizarro World – that’s how it is.