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Can we get this banned in more countries? Is there any real evidence that personalized advertising is more effective than context based? I know from first han

Can we get this banned in more countries? Is there any real evidence that personalized advertising is more effective than context based? I know from first hand experience how it can be a nuisance. I use Brave as my primary browser for it's ad blocking and anti-tracking features. I use default Firefox for the limited cases where ads might be desirable or necessary. 6 months ago, I used Firefox to research autos before finally making a purchase. To this day, I still receive auto related ads whenever I use Firefox. Lots of businesses are wasting money to push these ads toward me now based on nothing more than my personal history.

Cthulhu_ 3y ago
> Is there any real evidence that personalized advertising is more effective than context based? I know from first hand experience how it can be a nuisance. I'd love for someone who works in the advertising industry to reply to this, but speaking as a layperson: if it didn't work, they wouldn't use it. Basic rule of capitalism and min / maxing. The difference has got to be statistically significant, else it wouldn't be a multi-billion industry. Mind you, it may also have been really good marketing.
- jqpabc123 3y ago
  if it didn't work, they wouldn't use it. I'm sure it does work but the question is --- does it work *better* than simple, cheaper, more logic driven, context based advertising? I know for a fact that it doesn't work in a lot of cases. Right now, businesses out there are paying to show me auto-related ads based solely on my personal history --- and it doesn't work because I bought a car 6 months ago. "Context based" means displaying ads when I actively express an interest in a product --- like when I use a search engine to find info for a particular model or visit a web site dedicated to a particular brand. Paying for ads based on nothing but personal history is really kinda dumb --- because history can be a poor indicator of current or future interest.
  - soared 3y ago
    That does not mean for a fact that it doesn’t work. You’re in an audience group with millions of other people - the advertiser doesn’t care if x% of users already bought a car. They only care if targeting that audience is more efficient at driving purchases than other tactics (like context targeting).
    - jqpabc123 3y ago
      They only care if targeting that audience is more efficient at driving purchases than other tactics (like context targeting). So they don't care if they drive people like me to block personalized ads? Ok, fair enough, I will carry on --- until personalized ads are banned outright or at least legally restricted based on stated personal preference (aka Do Not Track).
- soared 3y ago
  This has been answered time and time again, but from my experience hn doesn’t ask this question sincerely - it’s usually just bait to argue with someone. Here is a thread where the question was addressed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36500138#36501923 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36500138#36501923 But your guess is accurate, relevant section: > These campaigns have strictly enforced goals of return on ad spend (or sometimes net profit return on ad spend). When a new client starts running big budgets they run incremental alit y tests with their internal data science team, a neutral third party vendor (paid regardless of the outcome), and with the platform their spending money on. Each team shares their analysis but brands usually just ignore the platforms numbers. The advertiser can determine in their own, with legit statistical analysis, whether purchases would’ve occurred even if they hadn’t seen an ad.

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

> Is there any real evidence that personalized advertising is more effective than context based? I know from first hand experience how it can be a nuisance. I'd love for someone who works in the advertising industry to reply to this, but speaking as a layperson: if it didn't work, they wouldn't use it. Basic rule of capitalism and min / maxing. The difference has got to be statistically significant, else it wouldn't be a multi-billion industry. Mind you, it may also have been really good marketing.

jqpabc123 3y ago
if it didn't work, they wouldn't use it. I'm sure it does work but the question is --- does it work *better* than simple, cheaper, more logic driven, context based advertising? I know for a fact that it doesn't work in a lot of cases. Right now, businesses out there are paying to show me auto-related ads based solely on my personal history --- and it doesn't work because I bought a car 6 months ago. "Context based" means displaying ads when I actively express an interest in a product --- like when I use a search engine to find info for a particular model or visit a web site dedicated to a particular brand. Paying for ads based on nothing but personal history is really kinda dumb --- because history can be a poor indicator of current or future interest.
- soared 3y ago
  That does not mean for a fact that it doesn’t work. You’re in an audience group with millions of other people - the advertiser doesn’t care if x% of users already bought a car. They only care if targeting that audience is more efficient at driving purchases than other tactics (like context targeting).
  - jqpabc123 3y ago
    They only care if targeting that audience is more efficient at driving purchases than other tactics (like context targeting). So they don't care if they drive people like me to block personalized ads? Ok, fair enough, I will carry on --- until personalized ads are banned outright or at least legally restricted based on stated personal preference (aka Do Not Track).
soared 3y ago
This has been answered time and time again, but from my experience hn doesn’t ask this question sincerely - it’s usually just bait to argue with someone. Here is a thread where the question was addressed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36500138#36501923 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36500138#36501923 But your guess is accurate, relevant section: > These campaigns have strictly enforced goals of return on ad spend (or sometimes net profit return on ad spend). When a new client starts running big budgets they run incremental alit y tests with their internal data science team, a neutral third party vendor (paid regardless of the outcome), and with the platform their spending money on. Each team shares their analysis but brands usually just ignore the platforms numbers. The advertiser can determine in their own, with legit statistical analysis, whether purchases would’ve occurred even if they hadn’t seen an ad.