Tiny Search Bid Becomes Massive Embarrassment

Yesterday I wrote about deceptive downloads and today I wanted to comment on some of the report from the Silicon Insider Spyware story. (For those curious yes I got my own shiny little letter from but prefer not to comment on it. Others have commented on it at length. I would also call people’s attention to the CastleCops retort which brings up the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act.) Let’s get back to ABC:

In addition, Overture itself wrote: “Overture carefully screens our distribution partners and has a formal policy in place that requires partners that offer downloadable software to adhere to high standards of notice, privacy and ease of removal for users.

In addition, we require our partners to obtain the user’s explicit consent to the terms of the agreement and be forthcoming in their terms of service. iSearch is not and has never been an approved partner of the company. We promptly investigated after learning of this issue and determined that iSearch wrongfully obtained access to our listings. Based on our investigation, we promptly terminated iSearch’s unauthorized access and will take other steps, if necessary, to protect the experience of both our users and advertisers

If iSearch is not and has never been an approved partner with Overture than who was approved? How did they wrongfully attain access?

I find it a hard pill to swallow this company wasn’t profiting from Overture links and they were inserting Overture links as non-paying organic results to be kind. Is this a case of account laundering where another approved account is setup to pass funds to another? If iSearch were not the approved partner then who was?

ABC again asks the right questions on page 4 of 6.

There are only three possibilities. First, iSearch is using those names without permission – in which case, who is minding the store? Second, those firms bought placement on iSearch, not knowing what it was – in which case, where is the oversight? Or third, those firms bought placement on iSearch knowing full well what they were doing – which is despicable.

I think these are legitimate questions. Marketers have a right to know how good the quality control is at their favorite PPCSE. Especially the likes of Overture which is a dominant force in the market. If Overture, the cream of the crop, can be so easily caught up in this download mess, what does that say of others?

I am not shocked when I see behavior like this from Tier-2 and Tier-3 search engines but to see Overture caught up in it is simply embarrassing. Overture I think you need take other steps- it is necessary!

Clearly this was complete humiliation for Fidelity Investments and TD Waterhouse.
ABC says on page 4 of 6:

The next time you want to invest your 401(k) money in Fidelity, or you buy stock through TD Waterhouse, or having any dealings with any of the other outfits listed on iSearch, you might want to remember what kind of business they are consorting with.

Take one of the negative hot button issues of the year and yoke your brand to it! You can’t buy press like that!

Isn’t it amazing how a little tiny bid can blossom into such a big thing for major brands? Can someone do a quick ROI calculation for me? Is someone’s brand monitoring agents going to pick up on this? Of course they will. It really starts to make microcontent look good.

If Overture and Google want to get the image of paid search out of the dumpster and capture the lucrative offline media markets they need to offer ultimate control for advertisers.

The two things they really need:

1) Granular Control- Marketers must DEMAND granular control of where their ads show up. It is not as simple as opting into a content network (like Google likes to make it) you should be able to control whether you want to be distributed through software applications, or domain acquisition companies (Name Development Limited) or for that matter what websites you are on- even if it is only by category. No traffic source is the same and certainly not of equal quality.

Google likes to think of it in terms of pricing but this should be a stern lesson to them it is also an issue of quality and brand perception. For affiliate managers still wondering about controlling your marks this is a great example of the potential negative consequences that are hard to envision when you think only in terms of ROI.

2) Accountability- I have no doubt that fraud control is not easy an easy thing. Whether it be an affiliate network or a PPCSE fraud is complex, sophisticated and rampant. My heart goes out to them but it doesn’t excuse being accountable. Less focus on size and more focus on quality. Give the consumer what they want- a great experience.

I will put it at as bluntly as I can: As long as Internet marketers continue to let others crap in their drinking water, they should not be surprised when they come down with dysentary.

About Wayne Porter

Wayne Porter is one of the original founders of ReveNews.com, and served as the CEO and founder of XBlock Systems a specialized research firm on greynets and malware research before being acquired by unified communications security leader, Factime Security Labs. His work includes serving as a panlist at the Federal Trade Commission to shape legislation on software and the creation of two patent-pending technologies for corporate networks. Wayne is a frequent speaker at e-commerce & business events including CJU, ASW and RSA and frequently cited in the press. He has been designated a Microsoft Security MVP three times and is recognized on Google’s Responsible Security Disclosure page- in addition to receiving the first Summit Legend Award. Wayne currently works as a Security Consultant on Social Media and operates a consultancy on digital worlds. His hobbies include reading science fiction, playing chess, fishing, writing, collecting shiny digital gadgets, playing racquetball and studying memetic engineering. He maintains a personal weblog at WaynePorter.com detailing his explorations in security, web 2.0, and virtual worlds.
You can follow Wayne on Twitter: @wporter.

Website: http://www.wayneporter.com