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My favorite is getting ads for the thing you already bought from the place you got it where you are very unlikely to need again anytime soon. Most recently for

My favorite is getting ads for the thing you already bought from the place you got it where you are very unlikely to need again anytime soon. Most recently for me, it was a plumbing part. Now I have targeted ads everywhere for these parts. Sorry org, I finished my project and I won't be doing something similar, hopefully, ever again.

ceejayoz 8y ago
I can't really blame Google/Facebook for this - they don't necessarily know if you completed the purchase. It's genuinely bizarre when Amazon does it. They know I just bought a $500 vacuum... surely they've got the machine learning chops to teach their algorithm that means I shouldn't ever see a vacuum as a sponsored product for a couple years?
- telot1 8y ago
  The thought I've heard floated before is that you might not be happy with your new vacuum you just bought. Some percentage of people that buy anything will not be pleased with the result and that new ad in their face might be enough to push them over the edge to return it and buy what is advertised. Amazon just wants to ensure you buy the replacement from them.
  - netsharc 8y ago
    Well, amazingly, Amazon also has data if the buyer is a crazy returner...
- mszkoda 8y ago
  I've been getting the same exact thing from Amazon for a month now... I already bought a Miele from you Amazon, you should know I don't need another.
  - CamelCaseName 8y ago
    I think I can do even better, Amazon served me ads for a product that I sell on Amazon. In fact, they were advertising my exact offer, to me! Like come on, I just sent you a bunch of these!
- throwawaylalala 8y ago
  Sometimes its a third party seller running the ad; Amazon is making money.
sudosushi 8y ago
That's actually a grey/black hat way of boosting your ad sales numbers, even if you didn't click. You buy x at y store, y store has an ad buy with ShadyAdCo. If you see product x in an ad within z time afterwards, it counts as an influence towards your purchase. ShadyAdCo just made money, and y store can give record numbers. EDIT: typo
- moufestaphio 8y ago
  Huh, I never thought of that. Only works if you're using basic/bad metrics. I believe google's stuff is a little more advanced than that and you can see your click-through all the way to buying rate etc.
  - bluGill 8y ago
    That only works if you actually click and buy. If you see an ad for a part you need, then go to hardware store and buy it they have no way of knowing that you saw the ad, much less how much influence the ad had. It also fails to account for awareness being a major reason to buy ads. Ford want to advertise to everybody (probably including Amish) because most people will eventually buy a car, and it is important that you think Ford then. Even if you bought a car yesterday it is important to them that you not forget that you can buy a Ford - they know you won't buy for a few years, but they still want you to think of them.
    - wesd 8y ago
      Google has been trying to tie store purchase to ad impression [1]: "This location tracking ability has allowed Google to send reports to retailers telling them, for example, whether people who saw an ad for a lawn mower later visited or passed by a Home Depot. The location-tracking program has grown since it was first launched with only a handful of retailers. Home Depot, Express, Nissan, and Sephora have participated." [1]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/23/google-now-knows-when-you-are-at-a-cash-register-and-how-much-you-are-spending/?utm_term=.1ef5f15f3a49 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/23...
- 8y ago
794CD01 8y ago
Ads don't solely exist to convince you to buy a product. Some ads are designed to make you feel good about the purchase you already made. or to teach people who will never buy a product to respect people who do.
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  Why would Amazon showing me a dozen other vacuums make me feel good about my purchase? How would a post-purchase ad teach me not to make that purchase I already made?
  - lbotos 8y ago
    You are thinking narrowly. Lets say your profile is "environmentally conscious family man". If you just bought a Tesla, and for 3 weeks after all you saw were ads around the internet reinforcing that "teslas are good for the environment", "teslas are great for budding families". Those ads are designed to generate brand loyalty. In a completely different context, ads can be used to reenforce status. That was a separate distinct point gp was making. If you want to buy luxury goods, but can't afford them, a well placed gucci ad can act as a brand anchor & keep you yearning. Your point stands, that the "mega retarget post amazon ads" are a flaw in the system, but as the system gets more data, they will be tweaked to be more effective.
    - ceejayoz 8y ago
      Amazon has plenty of data already to fix this - they undoubtedly could determine "purchasers of X don't buy another one for Y months on average afterwards" - and I remain baffled that they haven't. This specific case - "here are some other vacuums you didn't buy" - is one that seems more likely to hurt my brand loyalty and post-purchase feelings than anything else.
      - ethbro 8y ago
        So, in the other-branded vacuum case, I can see a reason: buyer's regret. Chances being that anything that irks you about your new vacuum are going to be most accutely felt in the initial period. So reminding you heavily that there are other, greener-grass vacuums out there seems productive in inceptioning "I'll never buy X brand again!" resentment.
hknd 8y ago
This is because ads are never targeted to you directly, but to buckets (audience segments). If you buy something, you might land in one of those buckets. Advertiser can buy impressions to those buckets. The buckets are not refreshed on a daily basis (depending on the audience provider), and therefor can contain stale data.
- bruceboughton 8y ago
  I believe the GP is talking about the trend of adverts for the exact product you just viewed/bought on the exact store following you around the Internet for a few days. e.g. you bought a blue striped t-shirt from H&M and it is continually advertised to you by H&M for a few days.
txsh 8y ago
A large part of advertising is making you feel good about something you already purchased rather than convincing you to buy a new product. Someone who doesn’t know about algorithms will see that ad and conclude they bought the right plumbing supplies, better stay with that brand the next time I need some, tell my friends what I bought when they ask about it. Maybe plumbing supplies isn’t the best example.

ceejayoz 8y ago

I can't really blame Google/Facebook for this - they don't necessarily know if you completed the purchase. It's genuinely bizarre when Amazon does it. They know I just bought a $500 vacuum... surely they've got the machine learning chops to teach their algorithm that means I shouldn't ever see a vacuum as a sponsored product for a couple years?

telot1 8y ago
The thought I've heard floated before is that you might not be happy with your new vacuum you just bought. Some percentage of people that buy anything will not be pleased with the result and that new ad in their face might be enough to push them over the edge to return it and buy what is advertised. Amazon just wants to ensure you buy the replacement from them.
- netsharc 8y ago
  Well, amazingly, Amazon also has data if the buyer is a crazy returner...
mszkoda 8y ago
I've been getting the same exact thing from Amazon for a month now... I already bought a Miele from you Amazon, you should know I don't need another.
- CamelCaseName 8y ago
  I think I can do even better, Amazon served me ads for a product that I sell on Amazon. In fact, they were advertising my exact offer, to me! Like come on, I just sent you a bunch of these!
throwawaylalala 8y ago
Sometimes its a third party seller running the ad; Amazon is making money.

sudosushi 8y ago

That's actually a grey/black hat way of boosting your ad sales numbers, even if you didn't click. You buy x at y store, y store has an ad buy with ShadyAdCo. If you see product x in an ad within z time afterwards, it counts as an influence towards your purchase. ShadyAdCo just made money, and y store can give record numbers. EDIT: typo

moufestaphio 8y ago
Huh, I never thought of that. Only works if you're using basic/bad metrics. I believe google's stuff is a little more advanced than that and you can see your click-through all the way to buying rate etc.
- bluGill 8y ago
  That only works if you actually click and buy. If you see an ad for a part you need, then go to hardware store and buy it they have no way of knowing that you saw the ad, much less how much influence the ad had. It also fails to account for awareness being a major reason to buy ads. Ford want to advertise to everybody (probably including Amish) because most people will eventually buy a car, and it is important that you think Ford then. Even if you bought a car yesterday it is important to them that you not forget that you can buy a Ford - they know you won't buy for a few years, but they still want you to think of them.
  - wesd 8y ago
    Google has been trying to tie store purchase to ad impression [1]: "This location tracking ability has allowed Google to send reports to retailers telling them, for example, whether people who saw an ad for a lawn mower later visited or passed by a Home Depot. The location-tracking program has grown since it was first launched with only a handful of retailers. Home Depot, Express, Nissan, and Sephora have participated." [1]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/23/google-now-knows-when-you-are-at-a-cash-register-and-how-much-you-are-spending/?utm_term=.1ef5f15f3a49 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/23...
8y ago

794CD01 8y ago

Ads don't solely exist to convince you to buy a product. Some ads are designed to make you feel good about the purchase you already made. or to teach people who will never buy a product to respect people who do.

ceejayoz 8y ago
Why would Amazon showing me a dozen other vacuums make me feel good about my purchase? How would a post-purchase ad teach me not to make that purchase I already made?
- lbotos 8y ago
  You are thinking narrowly. Lets say your profile is "environmentally conscious family man". If you just bought a Tesla, and for 3 weeks after all you saw were ads around the internet reinforcing that "teslas are good for the environment", "teslas are great for budding families". Those ads are designed to generate brand loyalty. In a completely different context, ads can be used to reenforce status. That was a separate distinct point gp was making. If you want to buy luxury goods, but can't afford them, a well placed gucci ad can act as a brand anchor & keep you yearning. Your point stands, that the "mega retarget post amazon ads" are a flaw in the system, but as the system gets more data, they will be tweaked to be more effective.
  - ceejayoz 8y ago
    Amazon has plenty of data already to fix this - they undoubtedly could determine "purchasers of X don't buy another one for Y months on average afterwards" - and I remain baffled that they haven't. This specific case - "here are some other vacuums you didn't buy" - is one that seems more likely to hurt my brand loyalty and post-purchase feelings than anything else.
    - ethbro 8y ago
      So, in the other-branded vacuum case, I can see a reason: buyer's regret. Chances being that anything that irks you about your new vacuum are going to be most accutely felt in the initial period. So reminding you heavily that there are other, greener-grass vacuums out there seems productive in inceptioning "I'll never buy X brand again!" resentment.

hknd 8y ago

This is because ads are never targeted to you directly, but to buckets (audience segments). If you buy something, you might land in one of those buckets. Advertiser can buy impressions to those buckets. The buckets are not refreshed on a daily basis (depending on the audience provider), and therefor can contain stale data.

bruceboughton 8y ago
I believe the GP is talking about the trend of adverts for the exact product you just viewed/bought on the exact store following you around the Internet for a few days. e.g. you bought a blue striped t-shirt from H&M and it is continually advertised to you by H&M for a few days.

txsh 8y ago

A large part of advertising is making you feel good about something you already purchased rather than convincing you to buy a new product. Someone who doesn’t know about algorithms will see that ad and conclude they bought the right plumbing supplies, better stay with that brand the next time I need some, tell my friends what I bought when they ask about it. Maybe plumbing supplies isn’t the best example.