The internet advertising model

[*SD*]

I don't get it. Do you? Am I missing something? I'm starting to think I must be, otherwise this is a flawed model.

I visit a website, just about any website and I'm bombarded with shit adverts, for shit products I have no interest in, or I'm already aware exist. I've been using an ad blocker for years now, and if ever I use a machine that doesn't have it installed, browsing the web is fucking intolerable. I'm no expert on any of this, but my understanding is that the advertiser pays the host (or content creator in the case of video streaming sites like YouTube) some money to show the people who visit that site (or watch that video) their advert. A small amount of money, but a fee nonetheless.

From what I've been reading, it seems the advertiser isn't overly concerned whether you click their annoying ad or not. They just want you to see it. And they are paying money to ensure you see it. So unless I'm missing something crucial, it seems that the advertiser would actually be out of pocket by forcing me (the fact I use an adblocker notwithstanding) to view their ad, for their product I neither care about nor want.

In cases where someone has invented some revolutionary new product, the existence of which people are unaware, then I understand why they would want to do this. But for shit like tea bags, toasters, beds, curtains, and a bazillion other examples - I don't get it.

I know why site owners and content creators want the ads, because they get paid to host them, but how does this model make sense from the perspective of the advertiser? If there was no chance you'd buy my product, I wouldn't want to pay some site you visit any money to show it to you.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[WarK]

It obviously works. Google's and Facebook's fortunes come from advertising.

I too use an ad-blocker. But there are many people who don't and who do click on the ads.

Take a look at Youtube. The algorithms recommend you vids you're likely to watch only to keep you watching longer and more (including ads).

Nowadays it's not only plain old ads, it's product placement and sponsored content. At least some of the channels pick sponsors (or the other way around, actually) who's products might interest channel's viewers. For example Audible sponsors some vids on various science/education channels on YT. Usually the book offered is related to the vid.

And companies put a lot of ads/sponsored content out there. A few months ago (a year?) you couldn't watch YT without bumping into those gene sequencing ads vids. Every other channel's presenter was doing the gene sequencing and "discovering" their ancestry.

Amongst channels I watch on YT is Snowboard Pro Camp. They make vids about, yes you've guessed it, snowboarding. Tips for beginners and advanced riders alike. They also make a lot of gear reviews. This is an example of a product placement that could actually work on me. It actually did because I did buy a snowboard by one of the brands featured on the channel. Basically they are given gear to do a review of (and I'm sure it works for other channels in similar way).

What Snowboard Pro Camp chaps do seems benign. Snowboards in general are great as long as you get one that's right for your skill level and style of riding. And they do inform you about pros and cons and what a given snowboard is good for. This seems like an example of two passionate people finding a way to monetize their passion and help the viewer make a decision about the gear they want to buy.

Another area where I see it more prominent is "car channels". Car companies will pay for a youtuber to fly to, say Spain or Italy, pay for the hotel and give them a brand new car to drive in provided that they'll make a YT vid out of it. Of course, the youtuber won't say anything bad about the car because they know that if they do they won't get an invitation for the next car launch. This I find very disingenuous. Such reviews are extremely biased and not all people watching them realise how this works.

What I think I'm trying to say is that ads are bad and mostly annoying for the viewer but product placement and/or sponsored content is far worse because sometimes you don't even know you're watching an ad, essentially.

At least it isn't as bad as in one of Black Mirror episodes where people were forced to watch ads.

 

[Gnug215]

Ah yes, the good old days. I fondly remember my days on YouTube, rummaging around the "atheist community there", and constantly getting ads for Christian and Muslim dating sites.

I have adblocker now, but not on my phone. On my phone I seem to be getting a lot of ads for a specific company. They seem to be selling very cheap printer ink and toner, and.... oh wait, yeah. That's the company where I work.