The Myth of Internet Advertising

[Robert Maxwell]

I hate context sensitive search. I want all results, unfiltered. I want to make my own decisions, thank you.

That's a nice example of self-deception.

If you really want to "make your own decisions," you won't use search engines at all, because they all use algorithms that bias some results over others. Google's methods aren't public knowledge. How do you know the non-ad result that appears closest to the top got there "legitimately"? How do you know that, instead of advertising, they simply Google-bombed their way to the top? Yes, Google tries to thwart this, but it doesn't always work. Or do you really trudge through dozens of pages of search results, considering each one on its own merits no matter how far down the list it is? If so, you have a lot more dedication than me (or most people, I'd gather.)

I'd rather click on an ad that says they are selling what I want, as long as the price is right. Obviously, I do compare prices. That matters more to me than whether or not I got there through an ad.

 

[JarodRussell]

I hate context sensitive search. I want all results, unfiltered. I want to make my own decisions, thank you.

That's a nice example of self-deception.

If you really want to "make your own decisions," you won't use search engines at all, because they all use algorithms that bias some results over others. Google's methods aren't public knowledge. How do you know the non-ad result that appears closest to the top got there "legitimately"? How do you know that, instead of advertising, they simply Google-bombed their way to the top? Yes, Google tries to thwart this, but it doesn't always work. Or do you really trudge through dozens of pages of search results, considering each one on its own merits no matter how far down the list it is? If so, you have a lot more dedication than me (or most people, I'd gather.)

I'd rather click on an ad that says they are selling what I want, as long as the price is right. Obviously, I do compare prices. That matters more to me than whether or not I got there through an ad.

It's not only about buying stuff. Every Google search is location sensitive already, which is pretty bad. When I use Google, I'm using proxies already to get different search results because the "context sensitive" search results are crappy at best.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I hate context sensitive search. I want all results, unfiltered. I want to make my own decisions, thank you.

That's a nice example of self-deception.

If you really want to "make your own decisions," you won't use search engines at all, because they all use algorithms that bias some results over others. Google's methods aren't public knowledge. How do you know the non-ad result that appears closest to the top got there "legitimately"? How do you know that, instead of advertising, they simply Google-bombed their way to the top? Yes, Google tries to thwart this, but it doesn't always work. Or do you really trudge through dozens of pages of search results, considering each one on its own merits no matter how far down the list it is? If so, you have a lot more dedication than me (or most people, I'd gather.)

I'd rather click on an ad that says they are selling what I want, as long as the price is right. Obviously, I do compare prices. That matters more to me than whether or not I got there through an ad.

It's not only about buying stuff. Every Google search is location sensitive already, which is pretty bad. I'm using proxies already to get different search results because the "context sensitive" search results are crappy at best.

You could always use DuckDuckGo instead.

 

[Gary7]

Trustworthy sites tend not to feature ads from "shady" companies. But whatever the case, the real future value of marketing and advertising will be customer initiated. You need an item, make it known, and then are presented the commercial options in addition to objective search results for you to help make your decision. Blanket advertising in hopes of just gathering up random positive impressions is wasteful. Although, there is also this drive for brand recognition, even if someone is not in the market for an item at the moment. It's a seeding of positioning for future purchases. But what works best for this is word of mouth, which is what Facebook is trying to bank on. That if someone likes an item, they'll praise it in front of their Facebook connections, which is a form of free advertising. Only, Facebook is trying to force that into something bigger, which I feel will backfire on them.

 

[Holdfast]

^ the other thing FB is really keen to push to advertisers is their detailed demographic breakdown (geodemographic segmentation, essentially). They claim to make it possible/cost-effective to target consumers in a detailed/specific way that was previously reserved to very large organisations with vast quantities of data on their customers (think, big supermarkets, banks, etc).

Theoretically, this should make advertising more cost-effective, but it relies on good quality data and good quality profiles. I'm far from convinced FB really has access to either. IOW, they may be able to target your ads to what they believe is the demographic you're chasing, but whether it does in reality narrow down to that extent is more questionable. Time will tell, now that FB is publically listed and is having to be more open about the quality of their data. Advertisers will find it easier to compare ROI with FB ads vs other media.

 

[Kestra]

I've never actually clicked on an ad and bought something right then and there that I can remember. But I'm sure ads have influenced me in some way, and probably many of you as well. Maybe it's repetition ... seeing the same thing in many places before I look into it or end up buying it. Maybe it's a reminder of something I had been wanting, or maybe it prompts me to buy a similar product. Advertising often doesn't have immediate effects, but that much exposure is going to do something sooner or later.