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It surprises me that ad companies build their businesses around audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service. I'm not suggested that people in poor

by freyr 8y ago

It surprises me that ad companies build their businesses around audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service. I'm not suggested that people in poorer economies should be deprived of targeted advertising. It's just surprising they wield such influence. I guess they make it up in volume.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service Not being able to afford and not being willing to pay are separate.
- freyr 8y ago
  Not really, if the amount of disposable income is the deciding factor.
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    > if the amount of disposable income is the deciding factor That's a big if, though. I wouldn't pay $1/year for WhatsApp messaging as a consumer. But I have a lot of disposable income. When you have a free substitute, these signals get mixed up.
    - richardw 8y ago
      There are massive variations in what people get from it and what they'll pay. I live in South Africa and I'd pay $50 a year. Throw in a few paid-only features and I'd be quite happy. All my friends use it. We use it at work for many teams. Video call with family in Australia. Audio with friends in Toronto or Chicago via Bluetooth while driving. That feels like magic. Better quality audio then the cellphone network and just works. I have Skype, messenger, telegram, had Viber, tried WeChat. Barely use any. WhatsApp is like SMS, focused on my phone contacts, but has groups, audio, video, photos. That's all I want. Here's an article discussing a local cell data bundle. It's still $1-3 per month. Poor people are willing to pay that because of the better value compared to SMS and voice call costs. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/mtn-hikes-up-whatsapp-bundle-but-not-for-vulnerable-customers-16053188 https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/mtn-hikes-u...
Moru 8y ago
A lot of advertising is aimed at low income, low educated people because some products you still have to buy even if you are poor.
Barrin92 8y ago
>It surprises me that ad companies build their businesses around audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service. They're planning for the future. Those people will be the major consumers of the world. The companies that can gain market share in emerging economies now will reap the rewards. https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/sites/know4pol/files/oecd_the_emerging_middle_class_in_developing_countries.png https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/sites/know4pol/files/o...

by freyr 8y ago

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

> audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service Not being able to afford and not being willing to pay are separate.

freyr 8y ago
Not really, if the amount of disposable income is the deciding factor.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > if the amount of disposable income is the deciding factor That's a big if, though. I wouldn't pay $1/year for WhatsApp messaging as a consumer. But I have a lot of disposable income. When you have a free substitute, these signals get mixed up.
  - richardw 8y ago
    There are massive variations in what people get from it and what they'll pay. I live in South Africa and I'd pay $50 a year. Throw in a few paid-only features and I'd be quite happy. All my friends use it. We use it at work for many teams. Video call with family in Australia. Audio with friends in Toronto or Chicago via Bluetooth while driving. That feels like magic. Better quality audio then the cellphone network and just works. I have Skype, messenger, telegram, had Viber, tried WeChat. Barely use any. WhatsApp is like SMS, focused on my phone contacts, but has groups, audio, video, photos. That's all I want. Here's an article discussing a local cell data bundle. It's still $1-3 per month. Poor people are willing to pay that because of the better value compared to SMS and voice call costs. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/mtn-hikes-up-whatsapp-bundle-but-not-for-vulnerable-customers-16053188 https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/mtn-hikes-u...

Moru 8y ago

A lot of advertising is aimed at low income, low educated people because some products you still have to buy even if you are poor.

Barrin92 8y ago

>It surprises me that ad companies build their businesses around audiences who cannot afford $1/year for a useful service. They're planning for the future. Those people will be the major consumers of the world. The companies that can gain market share in emerging economies now will reap the rewards. https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/sites/know4pol/files/oecd_the_emerging_middle_class_in_developing_countries.png https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/sites/know4pol/files/o...