Makes perfect sense from a over-logical, geeky point of view. (Disclaimer: I am a geek.) What I've learned over my years is that our view of the world isn't ne

Makes perfect sense from a over-logical, geeky point of view. (Disclaimer: I am a geek.) What I've learned over my years is that our view of the world isn't necessarily most people's -- if it was, then this guy would be totally right. But he's not. Online advertising isn't optimal, but given the number of "normal" people who make Google tons of advertising cash every quarter, this "mind pollution" argument doesn't stand up. usually only a tiny proportion click on (or notice) an advert That's right. A tiny proportion -- generally something like 1-5%. As a geek you'd think: highly inefficient; find another means. But marketing people think differently. They think, for instance, that if you're cold-calling 100 people and make just one sale then you're doing well. 1 out of 100. So that's why online ads work -- you go in expecting a 1% click-through rate, and if you do better, cool.