Eliot Spitzer, Pay to Play

  |  March 11, 2008 

Eliot Spitzer.jpg

A newspaper and a retailer that sells surveillance devices each bought the keywords "Eliot Spitzer" on Google a day after the news broke that the New York governor was allegedly a customer of a high-end prostitution ring.

Newsday.com, the Web site for the Long Island, NY, based newspaper, calls attention to its coverage of the Spitzer scandal. The sponsored result, headlined "Spitzer Prostitution Ring," promises news, pics, and gossip about the guv.

Brickhouse Security sends visitors to a landing page, "Catch a Cheating Spouse" that features for sale semen detection test kits, covert GPS trackers, and other items.

Not to be outdone, NYPost.com also purchased the keywords, "Eliot Spitzer," promising readers: "New York Post has Complete New York Coverage. Check it Out!"

On the other hand, there's no takers for the keywords, "Emperor's Club VIP," the name of the escort service that apparently arranged the tryst.

Attend SES New York March 19-23 to learn the latest in social media marketing, integrated marketing, SEO, PPC, and more.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna Maria

Anna Maria Virzi, ClickZ's executive editor, is a journalist who's covered Internet business and technology since 1996. She was on the launch team for Ziff Davis Media's Baseline magazine and has worked at Forbes.com, Web Week, Internet World, and the Connecticut Post.

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