microthoughts

My favorite ads are the ones for a product you already bought, because you had been searching the web for it.

Why settle for one dishwasher when you can have two for twice the price?

I think they add a subliminal sense of legitimacy to brands. You might not even remember the ad or ads that ends up influencing the choice you make. That's why I block every one of them that I can. We should also not ignore the influence of

1. People who like ads (they exist)
2. Big stupid idiots (see #1)

Back in the days of over-the-air television I'm sure plenty of toys and foods were sold by ads. As a kid you saw other kids playing with GI Joe toys and think "I want that!" Same sort of thing probably happens in game ads now. Even as an adult I consciously resist ads but I'm sure I have become aware of a few products/services via ads and later purchased them.

For a business ads can be one of the best ways to make potential customers aware of what your business offers. But like anything else, ads can be too little or too much, in terms of both content and cost. And it's easy to get over-saturated with ads. Like YouTube when they want you to watch several ads for a 3 minute video. Sometimes the ads are longer than the video.

Ads definitely do work, otherwise companies wouldn't pay millions for them. Sometimes it's less about influencing you to immediately make a purchase, and more about subconscious brand awareness.

Me falling for an ad was what got me off Facebook. I have a leather jacket now.

I'm ashamed to admit that seeing a lot of peloton ads in Hulu probably influenced me subconsciously, and I ended up buying an elliptical machine (not peloton) off Amazon. It's collecting dust now.

I have a mental list of places i refuse to visit or purchase from because of advertisements. Doesn't work for everything, but a radio ad for a a new shiny thing i don't want.. yeah, no thanks onto my list.

I'll fully admit to being susceptible. I bought something the other month from an Instagram ad that was definitely very targeted at whatever data of mine they were selling 🥴

That particular thing actually was an amazing purchase and functioned exactly as it appeared in the ad, which was shocking. I've definitely made plenty of impulse purchases from ads where that was not the case.

I'm the same way. I have an essentially inverse relationship with ads - the more ads I see for something, the more convinced I become that it's not something I might want. After all, my reasoning goes, if it was actually a product worth having, they wouldn't be trying so hard to convince people to buy it.

Yeah I was thinking that the other day - when was the last time I bought something (goods or services) as a direct result of an ad? Genuinely can't remember.

Ads are nonconsensual noise. I will always research my available choices. No ad is going to sway me. If anything, I'll make a point not to buy a product if it was advertised at me. I don't understand how the entire advertisement industry isn't simply a waste of money for companies. Are people grabbing random products off the shelf based on vague memories of a jingle? Who is giving advertisers a return on the investment? I simply can't wrap my head around it.

The most advertised products are the least differentiated. Conversely, the least advertised often have such utility they don't need it.