"Why are there always these
stupid ads on every website?"
"Because
if not, the internet would only exist for crappy blogs and amateur porn."
These
wise words from a computer science teacher at my high school have always rang
true in discussing the business model that is the Internet. One of the biggest
misconceptions that is espoused by both computer newbies and extreme
programmers is that the Internet is truly free, in the sense of both
non-payment and freedom of information. However, like the concept of "free
lunch", nothing is truly free, and everything has its cost on the
Internet. Unless hosting your own site or playing around in the dark recesses
of the World Wide Web, every website you visit has an agenda. The internet
rests in a very weird place of being both a great business prospect and not a
business at all, and in order to make any real money from a non-paid service,
advertising is the only way. Because there will always be a cheaper alternative
on the internet, accurate and precise advertising can make or break an online
company.
The
ability to pattern match searches, posts, interests, and other things in order
to create viable ad campaigns is one of both great convenience and intrusion. I
have been able to see both the upsides and downsides of this method of
advertising in my life. For instance, Pandora Internet Radio has been on both
sides of this equation. Using all of my searches and insertions for variety in
their songs, they have been able to craft me radio stations that perfectly suit
my musical tastes, which keeps me coming back to the product consistently, with
such classy tunes as the Star Wars Cantina theme.
However,
because age was a factor in the way advertisements appeared on their website,
they interpreted “18 year old male” as an opportunity to advertise nothing but
Taco Bell, without knowing I would rather eat a deep fried shoe than even
consider Taco Bell (the shoe probably has more real ingredients.
Furthermore,
most ads now try way too hard to acquire attention in ways that are intrusive,
mostly interrupting what you are currently doing. The ability to close those
windows easily was a lot like this:
But,
alas, new ads are harder to turn off and more intrusive, as if a giant car on
your screen was the reason I didn’t want a Fiat 500. I didn’t want a Fiat 500
because it has enough space to hold a drink and some lose change. Anything else
is a stretch.
Overall,
the internet’s methods of advertising can improve our quality of life, but not
if I get to see giant tacos flying all over my screen.
The more intrusive the ad the less likely I am to purchase the product. I recently was shopping for fountains (not a common product to shop for) and have been inundated with fountains, waterfalls, birdbaths, bird feeders, pottery, - you get the idea. The ads link back to one store in San Francisco which is too bad because they do have the best selection but I'm so irritated that I would rather buy elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure marketing departments get these complaints all the time. I think it is good business not to be too good at the business of sales.
Matthew, you are quite clever and a very talented blogger! Your video link had me laughing out loud because it was so accurate! I don't tend to mind ads so much when they stay on the side and don't have noise. I actually sometimes like them when they have special offers or discounts attached that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. But unfortunately, many times the ads are just way off and annoying.
ReplyDeleteAnd a Fiat is better than a SmartCar!