CLEAVAGE DOESN’T PAY DIVIDENDS FOR CNBC

Recently, visitors to CNBC.com might have seen Web ads showing women unbuttoning their tops and giving come-hither looks.

Although beautiful women may be more exciting than bond rates, CNBC apologized to viewers for the spots.

“These ads aren’t exactly porn, but they cross the business journalism decorum code, I believe,” Allen Wastler, CNBC.com’s managing editor, posted on the site.

CNBC didn’t sell or approve of the ads. In December, CNBC.com signed a deal with Microsoft to place banners and other display ads on its site. Microsoft’s sales force handles premium space on the site, but it also sells some CNBC.com inventory through a network of sites that it represents.

So-called ad networks have proliferated as publishers look for a quick and efficient way to unload inventory that might otherwise go unsold. Advertisers also benefit by being able to buy ads on a variety of sites across the Web.

The results aren’t always pretty, however. A common complaint is low-rent ads and even lower rates that can reflect poorly on sites and their brands. Some publishers, such as ESPN.com, have gone so far as to sever their relationships with ad networks.

Advertisers have also been burned when their spots pop up on a site that is out of sync with their message. Yesterday, ads for Barack Obama appeared on sites for several Clear Channel stations next to links for Red Light Girls, Chicks on Toilets and Thong of the Day.

Microsoft said the ad fell into a “gray area” in terms of meeting its guidelines and policies and stressed that it was just one of millions it served to CNBC and its ad network.

“As soon as our team was notified, we removed it from our entire network,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. [email protected]