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When I go to a popular website right now, with ad blocking disabled, I see, above the fold: * One huge video ad for a home decoration magazine (I could not car

When I go to a popular website right now, with ad blocking disabled, I see, above the fold: * One huge video ad for a home decoration magazine (I could not care less) * One animating ad for car loans (no interesting in that) * One animating flash ad for payday loans (actively hate these) * One static banner ad for a gas grill (no interest, just got a new one last summer) These do not seem to be particularly tailored to me, and definitely are not tailored to the content I've chosen to view. They're on the main page of the site. This is why I use ad blockers. Browsing the web without one is agonizing. Also the reason I don't really watch TV anymore, the ads put me off. Maybe I'm in the minority, but it sure seems to me like this minority is growing.

542458 8y ago
Your ad blocker probably blocks the tracking as well, no? So turning it off for one page just shows the default non-tracked ads.
- metafunctor 8y ago
  Fair point, I haven't browsed the web without an ad blocker for years. Hopefully, ad networks don't have much of a profile on me. I'd like to keep it that way. I feel that keeping a permanent profile on my interests without my consent is wrong, and I take measures against anyone easily building such a profile on me. Wouldn't a good compromise be to deliver ads that are relevant to the content I'm viewing, instead of ads tailored to my profile? Search ads, for example, are quite fine in my book, as long as they match my immediate search history instead of a personal profile secretly built over a long time.
  - geocar 8y ago
    > Hopefully, ad networks don't have much of a profile on me. You can find out: http://bluekai.com/registry http://bluekai.com/registry has a tool that shows you what data BlueKai/Oracle have on you (or any of their third-party branded and unbranded data suppliers). > I'd like to keep it that way. I feel that keeping a permanent profile on my interests without my consent is wrong, and I take measures against anyone easily building such a profile on me. That's why we have (and should have) the GDPR. These cookie countermeasures are annoying for application developers... > Wouldn't a good compromise be to deliver ads that are relevant to the content I'm viewing Yes. These are context-sensitive ads and they're by-far the most common.
ballenf 8y ago
Ads that are "irrelevant" are still leaving an impression in people's minds. They will be a subconscious push toward the particular service when time comes for you to need it. Re: payday loans, I'd guess no one who uses those expected to use them until they did. Not that you ever will. But the point is, your reaction doesn't mean their targeting formula is wrong. Much of advertising is about building subtle positive associations in people's minds and/or leaving a seed for them to remember when the time comes. Other advertising is like the dog carrier mentioned above -- a specific product and not a brand. It gets confusing when all advertising is lumped in together in discussions about whether it's "relevant" or not. Finally a lot of advertising is about keeping brand loyalty for current customers -- make them feel good about their choice so they keep making it. I make the assumption that advertisers are both smarter than me and understand the human mind better than me.

542458 8y ago

Your ad blocker probably blocks the tracking as well, no? So turning it off for one page just shows the default non-tracked ads.

metafunctor 8y ago
Fair point, I haven't browsed the web without an ad blocker for years. Hopefully, ad networks don't have much of a profile on me. I'd like to keep it that way. I feel that keeping a permanent profile on my interests without my consent is wrong, and I take measures against anyone easily building such a profile on me. Wouldn't a good compromise be to deliver ads that are relevant to the content I'm viewing, instead of ads tailored to my profile? Search ads, for example, are quite fine in my book, as long as they match my immediate search history instead of a personal profile secretly built over a long time.
- geocar 8y ago
  > Hopefully, ad networks don't have much of a profile on me. You can find out: http://bluekai.com/registry http://bluekai.com/registry has a tool that shows you what data BlueKai/Oracle have on you (or any of their third-party branded and unbranded data suppliers). > I'd like to keep it that way. I feel that keeping a permanent profile on my interests without my consent is wrong, and I take measures against anyone easily building such a profile on me. That's why we have (and should have) the GDPR. These cookie countermeasures are annoying for application developers... > Wouldn't a good compromise be to deliver ads that are relevant to the content I'm viewing Yes. These are context-sensitive ads and they're by-far the most common.

ballenf 8y ago

Ads that are "irrelevant" are still leaving an impression in people's minds. They will be a subconscious push toward the particular service when time comes for you to need it. Re: payday loans, I'd guess no one who uses those expected to use them until they did. Not that you ever will. But the point is, your reaction doesn't mean their targeting formula is wrong. Much of advertising is about building subtle positive associations in people's minds and/or leaving a seed for them to remember when the time comes. Other advertising is like the dog carrier mentioned above -- a specific product and not a brand. It gets confusing when all advertising is lumped in together in discussions about whether it's "relevant" or not. Finally a lot of advertising is about keeping brand loyalty for current customers -- make them feel good about their choice so they keep making it. I make the assumption that advertisers are both smarter than me and understand the human mind better than me.