Target is the new Ebay of pay per click ad exposure.  As evidenced in the link, Ebay use to bid on all kinds of words (they’ve tightened it up this year…) and, due to having a dynamic keyword insertion strategy employed with their ads, had some some of them read ridiculously funny.

Well, apparently whoever is managing Target’s PPC campaign never learned the saying, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  Here are some examples of what kinds of keywords Target is bidding (and not bidding!) on:

• clouds – http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=clouds&btnG=Search – apparently there are clouds online and they’re at Target

• stuff – http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=stuff&btnG=Search – Target lets me know that there is stuff online.  And, believably, it’s (whatever it is) at Target.

• furniture baby – http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=baby+furniture&btnG=Search – for whatever reason, Target thinks I’m looking for “furniture baby” when I’m really looking for “baby furniture”.  What IS furniture baby?  A code word of some sort?  A baby that is oblong-shaped?  A couch potato baby (thank you, thank you; I accept tips)?

There are lots of other examples, but I found those three particularly amusing.  Come on Target!  Let’s tighten up that keyword list a bit!  All you’re doing by bidding on & showing up for those keyword searches is wasting impressions, clicks & ultimately the opportunity to capture interested searchers looking for baby furniture or whatever else your (at times) discombobulated ad copy reads.