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Does personally targeted advertising even add that much value over contextual advertising? I occasionally click on AdWords ads, or look up a company I see on a

Does personally targeted advertising even add that much value over contextual advertising? I occasionally click on AdWords ads, or look up a company I see on an ad in the subway station, or follow up on Internet ads that I know are contextually targeted. But I generally have no idea how AdSense ads came to me. Amusingly, since I started making an effort to improve my Spanish last year, my partner's started getting a lot of ads in a language she doesn't speak inserted into her English-language podcast episodes.

sethammons 3y ago
20 years ago, marketing classes taught you that you don't get to know all your ad impressions that will expose you to your potential customer. However, they did studies and people needed to see a logo some six times before it stood out. When online marketing blew up, marketers were lured in by the belief that they were getting all those previously untrackable impressions. They still aren't, but there is a big segment they can now track. At that point, I feel it became an optimization problem where they cant escape the local optimum. They can't even imagine not having the not-entirely-valid data. FWIW, I feel that non targeted ads make so much more sense. If I'm reading a tech blog, I actually may want ads from a tech service. I don't need my wife's browsing habits to show me dresses.
- skydhash 3y ago
  The whole blu-ray.com website is pretty much ads. But I don't mind and I often visit the site to see what movies has been released and read the review to see if it's worth watching (production wise). Goodreads also is ads, because the description is written to appeal to you. I don't want to see blu-ray ads when I'm shopping for clothes, and I don't want to see books ads when I'm buying electronic gears (unless the book is about the gears). So yeah, ads can be targeted. It's just that companies now feel entitled to your attention 24/7 that the whole adtech spac is what it is now.
RandallBrown 3y ago
My instagram and Facebook ads are almost entirely outdoor gear, golf equipment, and things for new parents. Considering I spend most weekends hiking/backpacking, I golf somewhat regularly with my friends, and I'm expecting a baby in a few months, it's pretty accurate. I have bought several things from these ads in the past and will probably continue to do so.
iamacyborg 3y ago
> Does personally targeted advertising even add that much value over contextual advertising? In theory it makes it cheaper for the advertiser as they can target individuals on cheaper sites. In practice what it’s done is absolutely decimate quality publishers and lead everyone into clickbait.

sethammons 3y ago

20 years ago, marketing classes taught you that you don't get to know all your ad impressions that will expose you to your potential customer. However, they did studies and people needed to see a logo some six times before it stood out. When online marketing blew up, marketers were lured in by the belief that they were getting all those previously untrackable impressions. They still aren't, but there is a big segment they can now track. At that point, I feel it became an optimization problem where they cant escape the local optimum. They can't even imagine not having the not-entirely-valid data. FWIW, I feel that non targeted ads make so much more sense. If I'm reading a tech blog, I actually may want ads from a tech service. I don't need my wife's browsing habits to show me dresses.

skydhash 3y ago
The whole blu-ray.com website is pretty much ads. But I don't mind and I often visit the site to see what movies has been released and read the review to see if it's worth watching (production wise). Goodreads also is ads, because the description is written to appeal to you. I don't want to see blu-ray ads when I'm shopping for clothes, and I don't want to see books ads when I'm buying electronic gears (unless the book is about the gears). So yeah, ads can be targeted. It's just that companies now feel entitled to your attention 24/7 that the whole adtech spac is what it is now.

RandallBrown 3y ago

My instagram and Facebook ads are almost entirely outdoor gear, golf equipment, and things for new parents. Considering I spend most weekends hiking/backpacking, I golf somewhat regularly with my friends, and I'm expecting a baby in a few months, it's pretty accurate. I have bought several things from these ads in the past and will probably continue to do so.

iamacyborg 3y ago

> Does personally targeted advertising even add that much value over contextual advertising? In theory it makes it cheaper for the advertiser as they can target individuals on cheaper sites. In practice what it’s done is absolutely decimate quality publishers and lead everyone into clickbait.