Know the signs

I recently saw an ad for a sexual performance enhancing drug on a blog promoting "family values." This wouldn't be unusual, since it's hard to have family values without having a family. And it's even harder to have a family without having sex. If one was troubled in this area and needed some help, the ad they saw on this site might have been of interest.

The problem was that the ad was next to a blog post commenting on the value of saving one's self for marriage.

Viagra and virginity are not ideal matches in 99.9 percent of scenarios that run through my slightly twisted mind. They are certainly not matched where ad targeting is concerned. This ad was brought to me by way of an ad network. I don't want to mention names here (rhymes with BubbleNick), but clearly something went wrong with this ad placement. It's not an isolated instance.

Ad networks are a powerful tool in the online advertising arsenal. So powerful, in fact, that you need an expert to help break down the dozens of quality companies playing in the space. Most of them do a fairly good job at providing a balance between reach and relevancy, including BubbleNick. But, like any highly competitive industry, there are good and bad service providers and good and bad results -- regardless of whom you partner with.

So how do you know when your ad network is not working? Here are five simple signs to look for when determining if your ad network is an "ad notwork."

Author notes: Scott Meldrum is president and CEO of HypeCouncil. Read full bio.