(Warning! This post is way off topic. I’m just in a mood to bark today.)
I’ve long been an advertiser’s nightmare. The few times I do find a commercial memorable enough to tell someone else about it, I generally have to preface the story with, “I don’t remember what it was advertising, but…”
This total disregard for ads has carried over the Internet. On blogs and wikis, I don’t notice the Google Ads in the sidebar. I mean REALLY don’t notice them– to the extent that I hadn’t even realized that one of MY OWN wikis had Google Ads on it until another teacher complained about them.
Therefore, it surprises me that I eventually noticed that in my Gmail account, the Spam folder lacks the usual Google Ads in the sidebar but does have a single ad just above the message window. Being a Google Ad, it is trying to match the ad to the content of the messages. And since these are Spam messages, the only ads Google can find to put on the page, are SPAM recipes.
For those of you not familiar with SPAM, it is a spiced ham product sold in tins by Hormel, a company based in Austin, Minnesota. Or, you may be familiar with “Spamalot!”, the Monty Python musical which features the Spam song.
I’ve eaten many a SPAM dish and actually enjoyed a number of them, but for some reason, I seem to find great humor in the recipe titles. Each new SPAM recipe title that appears sounds worse than the previous one to me. I grimaced when I read “Spam Potato Casserole” yesterday, but today’s “Spam Veggie Pita Pockets” sounds even worse. Or, how about the “Spicy Spam Kabobs”?
You may not find these Google Ads as funny as I do, but it makes me realize that there could be some pretty funny mismatches in other places. based on letter content. I hate to admit it but now I am going to start watching to see if the ads get it really wrong sometimes.
(BTW, someone had WAY too much fun creating the Spam website. Stop by and watch a tin of Spam ascend into the heavens atop cloud radiating light.)
I always laugh at these Susan! For a while I tried to remove them, but I never got it to work. Now I just chuckle when I see the bizarre spam recepies at the top of my junk mail.
Wonderful post, Susan!
I was in Austin a few years ago working with librarians in the region and we all went to a local restaurant where one of the entrees was Spam. I offered to buy the meal of anyone who had the Spam special. Only one of the dozen or so took me up on it.
Be proud of your Minnesota roots and Spam! Spam was staple around our house when I was growing too, and we still take it for breakfast when we are camping.
Kim, Glad to know someone else is enjoying the humor.
Doug, I had the honor of biking a few miles in the company of Team Spam on the Ride Across Minnesota for MS (TRAM). Team Spam was decked out with Spam jerseys. They had pigs on their helmets, their handlebars, their packs. They even sang Spam songs. I’m glad to hear you were encouraging others to support this team’s livelihood.
Funny! I haven’t noticed the SPAM folder advertising but will now. I have seen some funny ads to go along with emails I’m reading in GMail.
I also spotted a few funny contextual ads in the last year (blogged here).
It is always good to laugh a little!
Susan I wasn’t sure how to contact you other than a comment here.
Since playing with your wikispace project I have stumbled on another idea that I thought might interest you. It actually comes from a blog entry by David Muir. Anyway take a look at my blog or our planning wiki which is at photoaday.wetpaint.com..maybe it will be of interest to you.It is designed to bring together kids from around the globe. I’d love your thoughts on the project.
Megan, That one made me laugh out loud! Thanks for sharing it.
Barbara, I’ve been watching your project with great interest. I haven’t been able to get a class here to take part, but I haven’t given up hope. Best of luck with it.
I have never read your blog before, but, I was referred to it (and many others) by a trusted colleague. You had me shaking with laughter in your paragraph about Spam titles.
In my spam folder, I’m sure my ads would be about men from Nigeria with Billions of dollars for me, or various enlargement drugs…
Thanks for the laugh! Going to eat some Spicy Spam Kabobs!
Thanks Dan! You would have loved yesterday’s recipe. It had the words Spam and Parfait in the title. I NEVER expected those two to appear together.