The Genius that Is Webvertising.

Don't you just love web advertising?

Like when you go to a page about alligators and there's an ad for dry skin cream?

Or like when you go to a page about hormone replacement therapy, and there's an ad for air conditioners? (Because some search bot has found the words "hot flashes" and decided that's what's needed is more BTU's.)

So this was a lovely one.

Getting ready to see David Lynch's Eraserhead--as a kind of holiday 'treat'--I became curious about star Jack Nance and so was searching around for information on him--maybe pictures of him in other roles.

So I find this page about Eraserhead. Not about Lynch's movie Elephant Man but about Eraserhead.

And there's an ad for something called "Enebrol."

Isn't that a great name? Doesn't it sound like an anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication? You can just imagine that smooth 1960's radio voice.

"Seizures and hallucinations getting you down? Try Enebrol and your cares will all be gone. It's patented, so you know it has to be good."

Well, no. It's for dry skin. Some severe kind of dry skin.

Is there some kind of Elephant Man-David Lynch tie-in here? It would be one thing to assume that people who watch Eraserhead need medication--I'd buy that.

But people plagued with dry scaly skin are drawn to Elephant Man and also browse pages on Eraserhead and--boom!--you've got your demographic.

Genius. Computers are so smart. And the people who program them? Even smarter.

Rock on, dry-skin-cure-selling hucksters!

--E. R. O'Neill