Get Their Attention

[mikecyber]

People like to Google themselves. That is, search for their own name to see what pops up.

Google Adwords lets you choose what phrases trigger your ad.

A man recently used this knowledge to get the attention of people he wanted to be employed by. He paid $6 for the ads. It worked, and he got the job.
Video Demo: YouTube - The Google Job Experiment

I'm sure there are quite a few people we'd want to target, to get our message out. I think it would also be a good idea to design a website specifically for that group of people, with all of our information distilled. And, of course, links to everywhere else they can gain relevant and, more importantly, correct information.

And added bonus is that the ad would appear to anyone Googling the person's name, increasing exposure.

I'd be willing to donate a bit of money to this particular idea. I think it has the potential to really get their attention.

 

[D103]

I agree this is a good idea! I had another thought - regarding Elaine's recent post (sorry
I cannot find it to reference it right now) - the one where she writes out a mock courtroom scenario with an FDA spokesperson answering questions about side-affects and supposed dangers - it is hilarious, but so True!! It would be awesome and hysterical if we could write the creator of "The Family Guy" and convince him to do a version of that scenario with his characters - I can just see Brian as the attorney doing the questioning - how funny

 

[Vocalek]

I'm thinking that the following would be good words/phrases to create an ad for:

Lung Association
Heart Association
Cancer Society
American Medical Association
Campaign for tobacco Free Kids
FDA
ASH
Smoking
Cigarette

So let's hear some ideas about the content for the target web site. The entry page needs to be a real attention grabber. I'm thinking something like...

The Quit Smoking Prevention Plot

If you smoke, or care about someone who does, you should know that your government and most of the anti-smoking organizations are working very hard to prevent smokers from quitting.

That's right. Prevent.

Click here to learn more....

Concern for Current Smokers

"In the long term, the most effective way to reduce the harm from tobacco products is to prevent people from becoming addicted."

-- tobacco Product Regulation — A Public Health Approach, by FDA leaders Lawrence Deyton, Joshua Sharfstein, and Margaret Hamburg. New England Journal of Medicine, May 13, 2010. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/NEJMp1004152.pdf?ssource=hcrc

What does this say about the FDA's concern for the health of nearly 50 million Americans who smoke and the 70% of them who would like to quit? A Carole King song title comes to mind: "It's Too Late, Baby."

The FDA has written off current smokers as a lost cause and believes that it can be 100% effective in preventing children from taking up smoking. But do either of these ideas reflect reality?

 

[Vocalek]

"...it is the central accepted tenet of modern health ethics that people have a right to make informed choices about their own health..."

--Catherine M. Nissen, Carl V. Phillips & Courtney E. Heffernan. The implicit ethical claims made in anti-tobacco harm reduction rhetoric – a brief overview. Tobacco Harm Reduction 2010.

We could start a new group: PETS

People for the Ethical Treatment of Smokers.

More from the same article:

When anti-THR activists decry the use of low-risk smokeless products to “get around” the
restrictions, they are effectively admitting that they were lying about their motives for restricting the behavior of smokers. They were not trying to protect nonsmokers from the minor effects of small doses of second-hand smoke; they were trying to hurt smokers by leaving them longing for a cigarette.

 

[mikecyber]

I cooked up an ad, to show what I mean.
We wouldn't have much room for text. Also, it gets more expensive the broader and more popular term.

Search on Google for "vocalek" without the quotes.
Look for the ad on the right hand side.
...You may have to click search a few times for it to show up.

Important: Please do not click the ad, it costs money for every click
Thank You!

 

[Vocalek]

Yowza! I saw it. Did not click it (You're welcome). I get over 2000 hits? I know I'm pretty "vocal", but I didn't think that I talked that much!

Yup, the Google ad does work.

 

[mikecyber]

More to the point:

That will be live in just a few minutes for searches
"congresswoman vocalek"
"vote no on ecig ban"

Google's AdWords offer so many options.
You can set demographics, like location, age, etc
You can select where to show it, like in search, or partners, or mobile, even in youtube videos

If getting the word out is what we want to do, this approach will reach a lot of eyes.

 

[mikecyber]

Congresswoman VocalEK

I used that instead of a real name, as to not get Google needlessly concerned. I hope you don't mind..

FWIW, From what you've written, I'd vote for you. Heh.

 

[Janetda]

I LOVE this idea!

 

[Slickstick]

I used that instead of a real name, as to not get Google needlessly concerned. I hope you don't mind..

FWIW, From what you've written, I'd vote for you. Heh.

vote # 2

 

[mikecyber]

From Google AdWords Content Policy:
Political advertising is allowed.
We allow political ads regardless of the political views they represent. Stating disagreement with, or campaigning against, a candidate for public office, a political party, or a public administration is generally allowed. However, political ads cannot include accusations or attacks relating to an individual's personal life, nor can they advocate against a protected group.
If you're soliciting political donations, your ad's landing page must clearly state that the donations are non-tax-deductible.
We encourage political campaigns and candidates with questions about these policies to contact our Elections Team by visiting Google Advertising
Link


Has anyone else spent some time looking at all of the options?

 

[Vocalek]

I cooked up an ad, to show what I mean.
We wouldn't have much room for text. Also, it gets more expensive the broader and more popular term.

Search on Google for "vocalek" without the quotes.
Look for the ad on the right hand side.
...You may have to click search a few times for it to show up.

Important: Please do not click the ad, it costs money for every click
Thank You!

Just to clarify: The text I was entering in some of the previous responses was my thinking out loud about the content for the web site where the clicker would land if they are grabbed by the ad -- not suggested text for the ad.

Suggestion for Ad text:

American Lung Association
encourages smoking

Repeat with names of the other organizations as the search terms.

For those seeking a method to quit smoking:

Quit Smoking
without being miserable

 

[mikecyber]

Good idea, vocalek.

I think targeting members of government in the states with legislation being passed is a great idea.
And set the ad to show in that particular state only, where it is most likely to do good.

As for the national level, targeting the Associations who have spoken out against e-cigarettes would be good.

There isn't a limit to how many ads can be run from a single account,

Yeah, Google hasn't decided whether or not that ad can run. It is most likely because the site it points to has pointless content. And its keywords are bogus. Both of those are easily fixed if its decided to go this way.

I've never seen an approach like this, and it's likely to get a lot of attention.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much interest in this thread.

 

[Janetda]

<waving hand high in air> I'm interested, I'm interested! I really think this is a great idea. How much do you think something like this would cost on a monthly basis, any idea?

j

 

[mikecyber]

It depends on what words trigger the ad. The cost is per click. For the ads I've shown the cost was $0.17, per click. Google offers a prepay system and daily maximum cost caps. When you run out of money or the daily limit is reached, the ads stop showing.

I would imagine something like $150, per market, per month, would be sufficient for statewide campaigns. I haven't a clue how much a national campaign would cost, it really depends on how many clicks there are.

I'm not in a position to spearhead this effort, but I like the idea and I'm willing to donate. This idea should be employed by a group that already has a voice, or something.

 

[mikecyber]

Google allowed the ad! I would take it to mean that we could target any politician's name, and be allowed to write a message to them, in the ad.
To see the ad:
congresswoman vocalek - Google Search

 

[lonercom]

I owe you $.17.

There are other alternatives too. This site generates revenue from doubleclick ads. They can be customised ad well. Funny how I get an ad from my employer on one thread and our competitor (the phone company) on another thread.