Most of Michael Vick's endorsement deals seem to be drying up, but as I mentioned a bunch of companies are trying to cash in on the public resentment surrounding his dog fighting charges.
One thing that always fascinates me when there are tragic news stories is the sponsored link ads which get associated with them by ad networks like Google's Ad Sense and Yahoo's Overture.
When a fire escape collapses and a bunch of people die, you see sponsored links under the story like "Do you need a stronger fire escape?" Publishers have gotten better at turning off their machine-controlled ad links when they have a sensitive story and the ad networks have been tuning their algorithms so that their ads don't offend readers.
On the Yahoo AP stories relating to Michael Vick, I've seen these sponsored links:
- Vick's confession video
- Atlanta Falcons season tickets (good luck with those)
- DirecTV's NFL Sunday ticket
- The NFL's Golf store; and
- Infinite Marketplace which promises "40%-60% Discount. Michael Vick Jersey (in stock)."
When I clicked that last link I arrived at "an endless shopping destination" where people can create virtual storefronts. My first reaction was that the ad was a scam to attract new store owners, but then I thought that maybe they used to have an online Vick Jersey store, but they shut it down out of disgust and the clicks simply redirect to their home page. I'm not sure. Their copyright date says 2004, so I doubt they're policing their stores daily.
It's hard to tell.
GrimJack
EZ Street
Jon Sable, Freelance
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