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No, even 'good' advertisement is mostly zero-sum game bad for the consumer. However, Overton window has shifted so much that people just accept them (at best as
by don_esteban 2y ago
No, even 'good' advertisement is mostly zero-sum game bad for the consumer. However, Overton window has shifted so much that people just accept them (at best as a free entertainment) without questioning.
Example with airlines: airlines stealing each other's customers just raises the price for the tickets (by the amount paid for advertisement) without net benefit for the consumer.
The only advertisement I can consider a good one is a shop sign on the shop/restaurant and perhaps a sign on a nearby crossing to direct me there.
Logically, a 'really good deal just became available' should be a useful one (information - wise), but that has been gamed to such an extent...
- AnimalMuppet 2y agoHere's an airline advertisement: "We're starting direct service from $YOUR_CITY to Cancun." Here's another airline advertisement: "Look how much fun the people are having flying on our airline." One gives actual information about something that is now available that wasn't before. The other is a zero-sum game with the other airlines.
- DrScientist 2y ago> The only advertisement I can consider a good one is a shop sign on the shop/restaurant and perhaps a sign on a nearby crossing to direct me there. You could argue that the original Google search ads fall into this category ( before they were changed to look more like search results ) - ie they much more likely to be directly relevant, indeed helpful, to the search activity.