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

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.