21 February 2008

Targeted Advertising for Chess

It's no secret that About.com uses targeted ads on its network of topics, of which there are currently over 650. What sort of ads are targeted at chess players?


At the top of the screen is a banner for 'Bookworm Adventures [Play Now]'. It leads to a page from arcade.about.com touting the game as 'The ultimate test of linguistic skills!'.

Below it on the right is an announcement that 'Vanessa Hudgens Apologizes for Racy Photos', with the further info that 'Disney star Vanessa Hudgens has apologized to her fans for nude photos of her that leaked onto the internet recently... [Click Here]'. It leads to a page where you can download the 'Starware Celebrity Toolbar'.

Of course, there's nothing saying these ads were targeted at chess players. They could have been general ads used around the About.com network. Still, it makes you wonder. Are chess players

  • Bookworms who like racy photos, or
  • Game players who like Disney movies?

Take your pick.

1 comment:

Robert Pearson said...

I would choose "a". :)