Sicko: Google Health Advertising Blog

Skimming Techmeme this morning, I stumbled upon a new Google blog: Google Health Advertising Blog, News and Notes from Google's Health Advertising Team. It's the "Does negative press make you Sicko?" post causing a bit of an uproar (see Google vs Michael Moore on TechCrunch). The post itself is a bit peculiar:

The healthcare industry is no stranger to negative press. A drug may be a blockbuster one day and tolled as a public health concern the next. News reporters may focus on Pharma’s annual sales and its executives’ salaries while failing to share R&D costs. Or, as is often common, the media may use an isolated, heartbreaking, or sensationalist story to paint a picture of healthcare as a whole. With all the coverage, it’s a shame no one focuses on the industry’s numerous prescription programs, charity services, and philanthropy efforts.

Many of our clients face these issues; companies come to us hoping we can help them better manage their reputations through “Get the Facts” or issue management campaigns. Your brand or corporate site may already have these informational assets, but can users easily find them?

We can place text ads, video ads, and rich media ads in paid search results or in relevant websites within our ever-expanding content network. Whatever the problem, Google can act as a platform for educating the public and promoting your message. We help you connect your company’s assets while helping users find the information they seek.

If you’re interested in learning more about issue management campaigns or about how we can help your company better connect its assets online, email us. We’d love to hear from you! Setting up these campaigns is easy and we’re happy to share best practices.

I don't think Google anticipated people outside of the healthcare industry would read this blog. Note the term "issue management campaigns" used in the post. I think this confirms my Google's Advertising Hubris Reaches Apogee post from a few months back. If you're using any of the "free" services from Google like conversion tracking or analytics, I think it's worth asking yourself how Google is using this data. Are they using your data when they build campaigns for your competitors? Are you sure they're not?

Looking at the current Google search results for sicko, I see that a handful of companies have, indeed, created "issue management campaigns" using Google AdWords. I wonder if these companies thought of this on their own or if they were prompted by Google's health advertising team.

I'll be watching TagTrends over the next few days. I wouldn't be surprised to see either "sicko" or "michael moore" on the list.

Tags (byo w/ TagBuildr): sicko, michael moore, google adwords, health advertising, search marketing, issue management