Search term shopping just got
a wee bit broader

Generic keywords are becoming more popular with consumer-packaged-goods manufacturers, reports AdAge.

Conventional wisdom in the CPG space holds that people do not search for generic industry terms like "grass stain," looking instead for specific brand names.

A change in thinking, backed by solid success stories, is debunking that logic. Companies are using generic terms to both boost their own products and take some of the fire out of products that their competitors may be launching.

They're also buying seasonally relevant terms - for example, Johnson & Johnson bought terms relating to "prom" and "acne" in advance of the end of the school year.