Have Google Adwords Ads Become Transparent?

Advertising is quite literally everywhere. The average magazine places its content after 10 pages of ads. A 30-minute sitcom is actually only 22 minutes long because of commercials. Tiger Woods wears Nike gear by contract in Gatorade commercials. You cannot browse the web for more than 5 minutes without encountering a Google Adwords ad.

Obviously, the key to success in advertising in this cacophonous world of advertising is to stand out. Viral marketing is a term that did not exist ten years ago. The DVR has threatened to kill television advertising revenue. Google discovered the largest cash cow since the discovery of a use for petroleum by providing economical, scalable and simple to use advertising venues for anyone with a website.

But Google's success, and subsequent omnipresence begs a question: Have Google ads become as transparent as the hum of a fluorescent light or a speed limit sign? We all know they are there, but we rarely take notice.

Take your experience while reading this article. What did you notice first? Second? Not until I pointed it out?

Google Adwords has created a cottage industry of individuals trying to make money online. I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I have an e-commerce website with Adwords. I have a blog with Adwords. I have this profile on Hubpages with Adwords. In theory, I should be laying the groundwork for an infinite flow of cash as my online identity grows. With any luck, my children will never have to work so long as they inherit my ID.

There are success stories of course, but most are from individuals trying to sell you their unique "system" for making money using Adwords.

The operating principal behind Adwords is solid. Place no cost (unless clicked) ads on a site in the hope that visitors might stick around long enough to explore similar (but not identical) sites. It is akin to opening a specialty store in the mall next to RadioShack. You know visitors are coming in to buy batteries at RadioShack, and with a little luck some of them will be curious enough to stop in your shop.

But have Google Adwords ads become more akin to the wedding apparel store that is the first store you pass as you enter the mall? You know it is there but you stroll right past it because not only do you not need what they have, but their store has blended into the background. If they had a neon sign advertising a wedding lingerie model show, you might at least glance at it as you head for Sears.

Obviously, by writing this article I have not completely given up hope that the process might just work, but the question is worth pondering.

What do you think?