Jennifer Laycock, Search Engine Guide Editor gave several tips for search marketers at the SEW Live in Columbus, Ohio.

If Ask.com hasn’t gotten much attention because of their search engine lately, they’re at least raising eyebrows through new (and kind of cerebral) ad campaigns. An algorithm that "constantly finds Jesus" but can’t really find itself is beside the point – it’s all about engaging the public and rousing curiosity, says Ask’s VP of marketing.

There have been billboard sightings in New York, LA, and San Francisco – weird billboards with weird sentences and no explanation.
Sentences like:

I have a sense of humor. But a lot of people don’t, not when it comes to Jesus. With that in mind, I think I’d be hesitant (nay, 10-foot-pole distanced) to launch an ad campaign with a Jesus joke in it. Ask.com, it would seem, is just brave enough to try.

Billboards and posters have begun appearing in major metropolitan areas (like New York and San Francisco – most likely because this is riskier in the red states) with the slogan:

Lately, people seem to be appealing to the social nature of the Internet to affect commercial endeavors. For example, there is a site set up specifically to vote for the worst performer on American Idol. Another group is looking to send a message to the recording industry with online mass marketing tactics.

Appealing to the viral nature of the Internet, the group at Bum Rush The Charts is looking to strike back at those who seemingly have a beef with podcasting or any other mediums that choose to make use of audio material for fair use purposes.

A bill, not written by Congress, requiring that US representatives actually read legislation before voting on it, under penalty of perjury, has been around a couple of years, but hasn’t received much attention. The authors of the bill aim to remedy that through an online viral campaign, leveraging the sudden power of social networking.

In what it calls "an unprecedented cross-divisional marketing initiative," Fox is about to flood every medium at its disposure to promote its new comedy "The Winner" starring Rob Corddry, formerly of "The Daily Show."

Seth MacFarlane and Ricky Blitt, the same guys responsible for "Family Guy," are at the helm of this show too, at they are looking to build up as much buzz as possible.

There is no stronger force in marketing than word of mouth. A salesperson, or evangelist, as they like to be called nowadays, has no leverage or influence greater than the authentic voice of a friend, or the experienced voice of a fellow consumer.

Link bait and viral marketing took the stage once again at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago, presented by veterans of a new frontier. Their presentation reiterated a theme of first creating for the audience, holding on for the ride, and making the most of what comes next.

Creating link bait, or Web content so compelling it spreads faster than a stomach flu on a cruise ship, is a lot like developing a sense of humor – or like figuring out when its okay to use a metaphor and a simile in the same sentence.