This is this kind of thing that gives search marketing a bad name – Sleazy Marketers Game Google’s Sponsored Ads – http://ht.ly/2ioxl and turns my stomach.
But this isn’t this really a Google Adwords issue? There are editorial guidelines in place to keep things like this from happening so why weren’t they being enforced? If the guidelines were being enforced as rigorously as they were in the past these ads never would have made it ‘Live’ on the search listings.
When an ad is built in the Google Adwords system there is a short period of time where the editorial process takes place to make sure the ad meets the standards. This used to take a hours or even a full day, now it takes minutes and the ads aren’t always as scrupulously watched as they were when it was actual humans looking at the ads every day.
Back years ago you couldn’t use a brand key term anywhere in your keywords or Ads unless it was your actual brand. But that standard was removed to make it more ‘competitive’ but it looks like unscrupulous and unethical companies are seeing how they can exploit this now. Is it time for Google Adwords to bring back their more stringent editorial guidelines and start enforcing them again?
To protect not only the Google users but also the Google Brand. So many see Google as a ‘trusted’ source and when things like this pop up it takes away that trust. Maybe the staff at Google needs to read “Trust Agents”….psst Chris can you spare some copies for them??
Remote Digital Marketing Pro 
Wish I had a box sitting around for just this purpose. I guess I can run down to the Barnes & Noble. : )
My Barnes & Noble doesn’t have anymore copies, I got the one and only copy they were ordering. 😉 Lucky Me!