The numbers keep going up and up for online ad spending projections for 2007 – the latest ballpark figure is at $20 billion. So where will all this money go?  There are only so many search words and phrases
that have commercial viability for advertisers. And despite what you think, there are also a
limited number of actual searches, just as there are a only a certain
amount of cute snowboarders at Squaw Valley. (Although Caren Coffin may disagree.)

Jim Meskauskas of iMedia Connection suggests that U.S. audience growth isn’t going to be able to keep up with demand for specific inventory. Solution? Ad networks. He’s going with the line that they "hold out hope for being one of the only really scalable repositories for the estimated deluge of online spending."

Whaddya think? Will they "save the day"?

Since
when does everybody like Walmart? Did I miss the bus on this one?

One
minute there are angry protestors trying to prevent the spreading of the
empire, and the next minute we find CEO Lee Scott talking about sustainability
and transformation like a proper Green Guru.

Apparently,
Walmart has become the good guy – or at least a wolf in fake-designer sheep’s
clothing. Certainly there have been some good business cases made for going
green. But what about advertising? Does it make sense for ad agencies to follow
suit?

Read
here about the latest trend of “green agencies” – the number of which now tops out
at around 50. (Though, as the American Advertising Association of America has not been keeping track, they claim that no one really knows how many there
are. Are they hiding in the alfalfa?) Flexibility and lack of annoying
bureaucracy have been major pluses for clients when choosing a small agency
over a large, and now expertise in handling sensitive environmental issues has
become an added bonus.

Nonprofits
are realizing more and more that it takes money to create a brand, and the
Walmart case has shown that customers really do care about these issues – and
more importantly, that they are starting to distinguish between mere
greenwashing
and real reform.

It’ll
be interesting to keep an eye on this niche of the agency world as it develops.

Top Ten lists are lame, which is why you should read this one.

In a shameless effort to make money, we took to researching the Highest Paying Keywords on AdSense. With the top ten containing such catchy phrases as "peritonial mesothelioma" and "structured settlement" we are realizing that not much has changed – it’s still the doctors and lawyers who are holding the keys to the Lexus.

But it’s not all boring. Below are our favorites, presented Letterman-style (which doesn’t really mean anything except they’re in reverse order):

10. Online defensive driving – is this really something you can learn online?
9.  Consalidation / Consoladation / Cosolidation 
     We’re pretty sure this is an effort to spell "Consolidation", which is an actual high-paying search term, worth $25.90 per click.
8.  Wrongful Death
7.  Canadian pharmacy – not quite as popular as a "Mexican pharmacy."
6.  Adult diaper – no comment.
5.  Egg credit – a close second to "Frozen Eggs Fertility Treatment – home delivered."
4.  Vasectomy reversal
3.  Alcohol Treatment / Drug Rehab – now attend AA meetings online.
2.  Jesus is our homeboy – I don’t make these things up.

and our Number One Highest Paying Keyword of 2006 is…

1.  AdSense.