Guerilla anti-marketing tactics

[stutteringp0et]

Just a thought from someone who plays with SEO and online ads regularly... I have several webpages dedicated to the candidates in the 2008 election. Each of the candidates has a profile page and approximately 21,000 other pages of astrological calculations. Because of the SEO that I've implemented in my site, each candidate who's purchased Google ads can be easily identified. I, of course, don't click my own links...google doesn't like that.

Advertising online is relatively expensive when you're aggressively pursuing the higher placements. Ron Paul, of course, doesn't need to place online ads, although there are several organizations that are doing it for him. There are plenty of opportunistic and entrepreneurial folks out there who have started up RP merchandise outlets, and that's a free market and it's OK.

I'd like to mention the amount of money that the other candidates are spending on ads (both Dem and Rep). It's nearly impossible to find a site with ads and a Hillary or Rudy mention that doesn't drag up several campaign ads.

Now, here's my suggestion...and maybe this is going a little too far.

1. When displaying ads on your RP site, exclude RP ads, as well as ads for all other candidates. Anyone visiting a RP site doesn't need to be coaxed to another candidate...even for comparison. No help to the opponent. No wasting RP ads on those already on a RP site.

2. Locate and catalog sites/pages which consistently display ads for the other candidates. Distribute the page list (on a forum, perhaps) and everyone go click happy with the other candidates ads. We click more, they pay more. They pay more and get no additional support.

Perhaps that's mean spirited.

No, I'm not posting this so everyone will go to my site and click links. I'm specifically not mentioning my URL, because I think this is an interesting idea and I don't want to taint it with greed.

[idiom]

Spike their google accounts? Ouch.

[jake]

2. Locate and catalog sites/pages which consistently display ads for the other candidates. Distribute the page list (on a forum, perhaps) and everyone go click happy with the other candidates ads. We click more, they pay more. They pay more and get no additional support.


no. that is click fraud.

[stutteringp0et]

Hmmm, you're right, upon further research, it does appear that Google considers that "competitive ad" click-fraud. Although, I don't understand how it can be fraud when we (as viewers) have no binding contract with Google to NOT click on ads that we're not interested in.

I have a contract with Google not to click my own adsense displayed ads, but no contract regarding any other ad I see.

I suppose it's for the best. RP campaign has been walking entirely in the sun whilst other candidates are already digging in the mud.

[ItsTime]

what is it with people with one or two posts coming in here and suggesting that we do uncouth things?

[stutteringp0et]

I'm not a troll, not trying to give anyone a bad name.

I just had an idea and thought I'd share it.

It bothers me to see other candidates, and the MSM call RP supporters terrorists, suggest we be tasered and tortured, attempt to link us to characters like Timothy McVeigh, attempt to exclude and discredit us, and suggest that our form of free speech shouldn't be free.

I get a little upset when being slandered, threatened, excluded, and ignored.

Maybe my idea was a bad one, but I'll be the first to tell you that my decisions are not always correct. Recognizing my own weaknesses, I brought the idea to the forums instead of to my dry-erase board.

I may jump head first, but I do look before I leap.

[Matt Collins]

If you want to play dirty, then that is defiantly an option. My business spends THOUSANDS of dollars a month on Google ads, and I also make just as much on another website I own.

More importantly however is the fact that only 30% of voters are proficient on the Internet. That means that 70% of our efforts need to be offline!