As I was browsing through my late-lunch reading today at Slate, I came across a very spurious set of ads linked to the article - Bolton Slips By.

The ads come from politically motivated parties seeking support for their position on the issue as well as news sources, hoping to provide definitive coverage of the subject.

What's fascinating here is how the motivations of advertisers has changed from the direct model of buying and selling into one of long-term goals (like attracting greater readership at NYTimes.com) or altering the outcome of a political event during a time of relative political stability. These culturally fascinating issues make it more critical than ever to think about how to reach your target audience when serving content-based ads.