Chris Coyier

There are two kinds of advertising

1. Contextual
2. Targeted

Not to bury my point: contextual is the normal, good, fair, effective type of advertising. Targeted is the creepy, resource intensive, privacy invading, and, (?!?!?!!) not particularly effective type of advertising.

https://chriscoyier.net/2024/08/14/there-are-two-kinds-of-advertising/

There are two kinds of advertising

Contextual Targeted Not to bury my point: contextual is the normal, good, fair, effective type of advertising. Targeted is the creepy, resource intensive, privacy invading, and, (?!?!?!!) not parti…

Chris Coyier
Aug 14, 2024 at 2:17pmWeb
Show threadSteven GarrityAug 14, 2024

@chriscoyier I instantly believe that targeted ads don't work because (a) it feels right, and (b) I want it to be true.

Is there a credible counter-argument?

Show threadChris CoyierAug 14, 2024
@sgarrity id say most people believe/behave the opposite. Like it MUST be true that targeted ads work.
Show threadMichiAug 14, 2024
@chriscoyier It makes of sense to me that contextual advertising would outperform targeting, since users per definition see ads in the right context. But what's the context of an online newspaper, for example?
If you guess correctly that I'm not interested in buying shoes that's already a win from an advertiser POV. The real question to me isn't "does it work" but "is it too costly/intrusive".
Show threadJ. BlakeAug 14, 2024
@chriscoyier Thanks for putting this into words. I have no way of proving this, but I would venture to guess all the magic algorithms that supposedly deliver these targeted audiences are complete garbage.
Show threadTimo TijhofAug 16, 2024

@chriscoyier

It's hard to tell a lemon farmer not to sell lemons.

Without targeted ads, business can return to selling ads directly, as they should!

Ad networks would have a use for small/medium businesses, but they'd be competing with other ad networks, on quality and efficiency. Today they compete for data, a game Google has won, making competition nigh impossible.

Show threadTimo TijhofAug 16, 2024

@chriscoyier

It doesn't benefit Google to teach this, since they're the benefactor of marketing budgets, placing the problem on "you".

You didn't spend enough.
You didn't select the right audience.
You have the illusion of full control.

Given the choice people tend to choose something they feel they have control over and can understand, over something that works intuitively.

"Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM.", comes to mind, too.

Show threadLauren HerdaAug 23, 2024
@chriscoyier okay so, it's super spooky that the example audience you describe for targeted advertising describes me 😂
Show threadNoam writesAug 27, 2024
@chriscoyier I remain unconvinced that there is a 'good' and 'fair' type of advertising. The entire advertising industry is fundamentally evil, aimed at convincing you to buy things you don't need, ignoring all impacts except making money. It's an industry which encourages overconsumption, and aims to separate your actions from their consequences. Targeted advertising is just the late-stage capitalism logical endpoint.