Online Retailer Scores Via Paid Search for World Cup's Vuvuzelas

A common gripe among U.S. soccer fans is that vuvuzelas, the South African horns heard buzzing throughout the World Cup tournament, are obnoxious noisemakers. But for 365 Inc., the plastic trumpets represent the sweet sound of success. Late last year, the 10-employee online retailer ordered several thousand vuvuzelas on a hunch that they'd become popular among U.S. soccer fans. The Birmingham, Ala., company then promoted the instruments mainly using paid-search advertising on Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. amid minimal competition for relevant search terms such as "soccer horn" and "stadium horn." Since then, the small firm has sold nearly 30,000 vuvuzelas for about $8 each, pulling in roughly $240,000 in revenue.