Tom Cruise adverts appear on gay blog
File this one under oops… maybe. After years of telling the world he’s not gay, an ad for Tom Cruise’s official website is going after the gay community for business.
A banner advertisement touting Tom’s official website and celebrating his 25 years in film popped up on gay political blog Queerty.com, likely an advertisement placed through an ad network, such as Google.
Ad networks like Google typically scan participating websites for keywords and place ads accordingly.
Though it’s doubtful anyone on Tom’s advertising team lists gay as a keyword, a recent Queerty article on Scientology could be to blame.
Earlier this year, ads for then Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney appeared on Gay.com, ironic considering his campaign’s strong stand against same-sex rights.
Barack Obama’s campaign faced similar embarrassment when an ad popped up on Amazon.com next to the book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, a book many Jewish groups have complained is anti-Semitic.
An article titled “When Contextual Advertising Goes Horribly Wrong” illustrates the shortcomings of contextual advertising, citing a CNN.com story on a severed foot found floating off the coast of Canada running next to an ad for PutYourFeetUp.com, a moving company.
The ad illustrates four bare feet resting on a table.
Of course, it’s also theoretically possible a staff member for the A-lister purposely targeted the gay websites, thinking the gay community’s long-time fascination with Cruise’s sexuality would result in ample click through.
Though Cruise himself has never come out as homophobic, Scientology has been repeatedly ridiculed for its homophobic leanings.
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