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It isn't just in theory but also in practice do ads connect people with products. Actual transactions are happening from real people clicking ads and companies

It isn't just in theory but also in practice do ads connect people with products. Actual transactions are happening from real people clicking ads and companies are realizing real returns on marketing dollars spent. "Getting rid of most online ads" doesn't remove a business' need to connect with consumers in the most effective, lowest cost way possible. It also doesn't change a news agency's need to get paid for the content it creates. I'm not disputing that digital advertising can get out of hand. Malicious ads are bad. Ads with dark UX patterns are bad. We likely have different definitions of "bad ads". However, if it's the number of ads you're concerned about, you generally have a choice to pay to remove them to continue consuming the content you're interested in or product which you are using. I still don't see how your original comment about criminals defrauding businesses out of their money and inflating the cost/risk of advertising somehow puts everyone in a better place.

kuschku 10y ago
What actual purpose do ads fulfill? Do they help you in making any decision in what to buy? No, they just mislead you, because you don't end up buying the best product, but the one that spent the most marketing dollars, meaning the product where the price is inflated the most (as, ifthey didn't pay for marketing, you could have gotten it cheaper). Instead, you should make your decisions on what to buy based on independent product tests. Such as the tests from Stiftung Warentest — subscribing to their tests is the best decision you could do, as they constantly test all types of products in comparison tests, you get the results in a nice readable matrix per category, and can directly see which is the best product for your use case. (Same with similar tests in other newspapers, comparing a hundred different types of headphones, or child seats for the car, or banana juices, etc). Advertising is harmful because it means the market is not a well-working free market anymore, as the buyers don't buy the best product anynore, but the one with the highest marketing budget.
- jstandard 10y ago
  Here's a quick definition of the actual purpose of advertising: https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/advertising https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/advertising Based on the way you describe business and what you think is objectively the best way to purchase products, my hunch is that you have little experience working in a company or making products you need to sell to others. I mean this in a most genuine way: if you have any aspiration of managing a company or even building your own, it will greatly help you to learn more about why marketing and advertising are important to business. You simply won't succeed without them.

kuschku 10y ago

What actual purpose do ads fulfill? Do they help you in making any decision in what to buy? No, they just mislead you, because you don't end up buying the best product, but the one that spent the most marketing dollars, meaning the product where the price is inflated the most (as, ifthey didn't pay for marketing, you could have gotten it cheaper). Instead, you should make your decisions on what to buy based on independent product tests. Such as the tests from Stiftung Warentest — subscribing to their tests is the best decision you could do, as they constantly test all types of products in comparison tests, you get the results in a nice readable matrix per category, and can directly see which is the best product for your use case. (Same with similar tests in other newspapers, comparing a hundred different types of headphones, or child seats for the car, or banana juices, etc). Advertising is harmful because it means the market is not a well-working free market anymore, as the buyers don't buy the best product anynore, but the one with the highest marketing budget.

jstandard 10y ago
Here's a quick definition of the actual purpose of advertising: https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/advertising https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/advertising Based on the way you describe business and what you think is objectively the best way to purchase products, my hunch is that you have little experience working in a company or making products you need to sell to others. I mean this in a most genuine way: if you have any aspiration of managing a company or even building your own, it will greatly help you to learn more about why marketing and advertising are important to business. You simply won't succeed without them.