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Ask HN: Do online adverts have any effect on you?
Most things that are shared on here are paid for by advertisements. But do you think that these adverts actually deliver a return?
I've got a theory that heavy internet users are ad-blind. My mum can't tell the difference between content, menus and Adsense units. Hence she clicks on them all the time.
- frossie 16y agoI am totally ad blind. I don't see them, or if I see them I don't parse them, or if I parse them I don't remember them 3 seconds later. Of course that does not mean that ads don't deliver a return.
- arn 16y agoAds work for a variety of reasons and those who claim they don't work on them are probably wrong (imo). Aside from direct action (click and buy my product) there's also a branding goal. Assuming you don't block ads, you do see these ads all the time. There's a certain familiarity with products or brand names that you will develop and that will likely influence you later, if you are ever in the market for that product.
- togasystems 16y agoI find I do not look twice at ads on most web pages. However, I have found that I do click on Facebook ads a lot more. Personalization is key.
- kertap 16y agoIt depends on the site. I click on the penny-arcade ads all the time. I'll click on google ads sometimes when I'm looking to buy something but that doesn't usually result in a sale.
- Breakfast 16y agoAd blind. Totally. I'm almost always on a page for a reason and just want to get what I came for and then be gone; either back or digging for more substance. I suppose my mind is registering something of them but I don't seem to be conscious of this.
- schn 16y agoI use Adblock, so the only time I think about ads are when a website's layout is wonky and I realise that's where the ad should be.