Google's foray into the print advertising market has crashed, Business Week claims.

The programme was a first, and cautious, attempt by Google to expand its AdWords programme to print publications.

The test programme pitched pages in publications such as Martha Stewart Living and Road and Track. The first one sells its advertising at a rate of $59,000 for half a page. One advertiser paid a mere $4,000 through Google.

Google's advertisements are successful because of their pay-per-click model. Because the end user consciously clicks on the ad, the technology is effectively a lead generation tool.

Few people will use AdSense to run an image campaign. That’s where print, radio and television excel and to a certain extent banner ads.

Image campaigns rely on repetition (frequent exposure to a brand name) and association (if a hot girl is drinking Pepsi on TV, all Pepsi drinkers must be hot and cool). AdSense offers the consumer to solve his problem that very moment.

They serve a different goal, and also attract a different type of advertiser. Coca cola won't start buying advertising around keywords like "cool" and "sexy" on Google, just like a Philadelphia real estate agent won't run commercial on CNN.

Tags: google, adsense, adwords