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Off topic but I find it wild that SF has API ads on bus shelters. Is that unusual/right in a dev hotspot, or have I been well underestimating just how intrinsic

Off topic but I find it wild that SF has API ads on bus shelters. Is that unusual/right in a dev hotspot, or have I been well underestimating just how intrinsic the tech culture is there? (I’m an Australian, so I guess my question applies to the US as much as SF)

jraph 2y ago
The same thing stroke me, I assumed it is specific to an area where there are many software engineers. I think people mostly don't know about Curl and PUT requests, it probably would be a huge waste of money to advertize like this in the wild. Not that I don't think ads are a huge waste in general.
- mbcrosier 2y ago
  hi, Stytch team member here who worked on the PUT request ad from Daniel's post -- feel free to AMA TL;DR on 'why pay to put a curl request on an ad' is what you all have already said -- (1) unique concentration of tech in SF; and (2) to specifically engage software engineers. More on each... (1) We wouldn't have run this ad in Sydney, or New York, or LA. SF definitely has an uniquely tech-oriented culture, and in particular has lots of startups in our ideal customer persona (ICP) at Stytch - in this case, engineers building B2B SaaS apps. But in addition to the people who live in SF, even more software engineers visit the city for conferences, or events, or to fundraise. For example, while our ads are up over the next month, SF will host Stripe Sessions and POSTCon (two entire conferences focused around APIs), plus RSA (security focused). (2) And although even with that, only a small segment of the pop will understand the ads, those people might be intrigued enough to actually look at them - and our ultimate goal is to get more engineers to look at our code & our docs. Another perk is that engineers can't use ad blockers if the ad is on a bus shelter :) So that was a bit of the thinking for us - on why SF & why a PUT request on a billboard. We're also making the physical ads into an anchor for a 'marketing moment' for Stytch -- so pair offline ads with digital marketing, as well. So if we're successful, maybe you'll see more on that, soon.
thecosmicfrog 2y ago
When in an Uber from the airport in San Francisco, I remember seeing a giant billboard for Twilio. I had a similar reaction.
__jonas 2y ago
https://nitter.poast.org/JosephPolitano/status/1683476652276236295 https://nitter.poast.org/JosephPolitano/status/1683476652276... I guess it just makes sense sometimes to do weird targeted public ads in specific areas?
KptMarchewa 2y ago
I've travelled to SF (from Poland) and this has struck me too, together with lawyer ads.
- antsar 2y ago
  > lawyer ads I take it you haven't had the pleasure of driving thru Philadelphia. Some say you can even see skyscrapers behind the sea of lawyer ads.
  - KptMarchewa 2y ago
    Nope, just NYC and California. This one got stuck in my mind: https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/anh-phoong-iconic-billboards-la-expansion-18480147.php https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/anh-phoong-iconic-billb...
  - nojvek 2y ago
    And Florida. Most popular billboard ad is a lawyer ad. I’m glad WA banned them.
entropyie 2y ago
I remember seeing billboards for XML+EJB in Seattle in 2002... Found that unusual at the time, as a visitor to the USA.
fragmede 2y ago
It's very much a SF = tech thing.
zmodem 2y ago
I think it's a Bay Area thing. Google's {First 10-digit Prime in Consecutive Digits of e}.com ad is a classic in this genre (https://www.hanshq.net/eprime.html https://www.hanshq.net/eprime.html)
curt15 2y ago
NYC has Mullvad VPN ads in the subway.
- skulk 2y ago
  Same in LA! I saw an entire train plastered with a mullvad ad on the outside. The ad didn't even say "Mullvad", it just had the logo and some "free the Internet" slogans. Truly bizarre.
madeofpalk 2y ago
Sydney Airport will frequently have some hyper-specific ads around it. This happens pretty much everywhere. I occasionally see tech/API ads on the London Underground. You often see ads for all sorts of niches that would probably be smaller than developer and developer-adjacent people.
- dibujaron 2y ago
  I've heard that, sometimes, buying ads in a prominent public place like this can be the best way to influence one or two crucial executives that you're trying to target. It can be worth the cost just for the one or two impressions.
dools 2y ago
Twilio famously had billboards that just said “ask your developer” in SF
gryn 2y ago
I saw ads recruiting devs for a bank or something on the metro here in paris. It was a weird thing that caught me off guard but they kinda make sense since a lot of working people use public transport here. Maybe it's the same reasoning here?
throw-the-towel 2y ago
There's a mall in Santiago de Chile that has ads for Copilot.
nojvek 2y ago
Depends by state. Florida has lawyer ads. “Have you argued with a woman” ads.

jraph 2y ago

The same thing stroke me, I assumed it is specific to an area where there are many software engineers. I think people mostly don't know about Curl and PUT requests, it probably would be a huge waste of money to advertize like this in the wild. Not that I don't think ads are a huge waste in general.

mbcrosier 2y ago
hi, Stytch team member here who worked on the PUT request ad from Daniel's post -- feel free to AMA TL;DR on 'why pay to put a curl request on an ad' is what you all have already said -- (1) unique concentration of tech in SF; and (2) to specifically engage software engineers. More on each... (1) We wouldn't have run this ad in Sydney, or New York, or LA. SF definitely has an uniquely tech-oriented culture, and in particular has lots of startups in our ideal customer persona (ICP) at Stytch - in this case, engineers building B2B SaaS apps. But in addition to the people who live in SF, even more software engineers visit the city for conferences, or events, or to fundraise. For example, while our ads are up over the next month, SF will host Stripe Sessions and POSTCon (two entire conferences focused around APIs), plus RSA (security focused). (2) And although even with that, only a small segment of the pop will understand the ads, those people might be intrigued enough to actually look at them - and our ultimate goal is to get more engineers to look at our code & our docs. Another perk is that engineers can't use ad blockers if the ad is on a bus shelter :) So that was a bit of the thinking for us - on why SF & why a PUT request on a billboard. We're also making the physical ads into an anchor for a 'marketing moment' for Stytch -- so pair offline ads with digital marketing, as well. So if we're successful, maybe you'll see more on that, soon.

thecosmicfrog 2y ago

When in an Uber from the airport in San Francisco, I remember seeing a giant billboard for Twilio. I had a similar reaction.

__jonas 2y ago

https://nitter.poast.org/JosephPolitano/status/1683476652276236295 https://nitter.poast.org/JosephPolitano/status/1683476652276... I guess it just makes sense sometimes to do weird targeted public ads in specific areas?

KptMarchewa 2y ago

I've travelled to SF (from Poland) and this has struck me too, together with lawyer ads.

antsar 2y ago
> lawyer ads I take it you haven't had the pleasure of driving thru Philadelphia. Some say you can even see skyscrapers behind the sea of lawyer ads.
- KptMarchewa 2y ago
  Nope, just NYC and California. This one got stuck in my mind: https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/anh-phoong-iconic-billboards-la-expansion-18480147.php https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/anh-phoong-iconic-billb...
- nojvek 2y ago
  And Florida. Most popular billboard ad is a lawyer ad. I’m glad WA banned them.

entropyie 2y ago

I remember seeing billboards for XML+EJB in Seattle in 2002... Found that unusual at the time, as a visitor to the USA.

fragmede 2y ago

It's very much a SF = tech thing.

zmodem 2y ago

I think it's a Bay Area thing. Google's {First 10-digit Prime in Consecutive Digits of e}.com ad is a classic in this genre (https://www.hanshq.net/eprime.html https://www.hanshq.net/eprime.html)

curt15 2y ago

NYC has Mullvad VPN ads in the subway.

skulk 2y ago
Same in LA! I saw an entire train plastered with a mullvad ad on the outside. The ad didn't even say "Mullvad", it just had the logo and some "free the Internet" slogans. Truly bizarre.

madeofpalk 2y ago

Sydney Airport will frequently have some hyper-specific ads around it. This happens pretty much everywhere. I occasionally see tech/API ads on the London Underground. You often see ads for all sorts of niches that would probably be smaller than developer and developer-adjacent people.

dibujaron 2y ago
I've heard that, sometimes, buying ads in a prominent public place like this can be the best way to influence one or two crucial executives that you're trying to target. It can be worth the cost just for the one or two impressions.

dools 2y ago

Twilio famously had billboards that just said “ask your developer” in SF

gryn 2y ago

I saw ads recruiting devs for a bank or something on the metro here in paris. It was a weird thing that caught me off guard but they kinda make sense since a lot of working people use public transport here. Maybe it's the same reasoning here?

throw-the-towel 2y ago

There's a mall in Santiago de Chile that has ads for Copilot.

nojvek 2y ago

Depends by state. Florida has lawyer ads. “Have you argued with a woman” ads.