When Ad Targeting Goes Wrong

There are times when ad targeting just goes wrong, no matter how targeted you think you get. For example, a recent ad that I saw for a Brookstone, selling drones as Father’s Day gifts, showed up on a local Dallas news website. Brookstone was obviously targeting the keyword “drone” and since “drone” was in the headline of the news article, it was displayed.

But this actual ad targeting does not want me to go buy a drone from Brookstone for Father’s Day. Granted, I still might want a drone for Father’s Day (hint, hint), but seeing this ad, and this ad placement, doesn’t make me want to buy one.

The headline, “FAA: Drone Comes Close To Southwest Flight” is a CBS article, linked from the Drudge Report, talking about how a drone was illegally flown into airspace at Dallas Love Field. This particular ad makes me feel as if the guy in the ad is “having fun” flying that drone into restricted air space, near an airport.

Ad targeting can be great, but honestly when it goes wrong, it’s just a nightmare for the advertiser. In this case, Brookstone.

Well done, Brookstone. Well done!