Precise Online Ads Promise Less Clutter

from the will-it-really-work? dept

For years, the promise has been that targeted online ads would make it a much more valuable medium than things like TV and magazines. However, that never worked out. Now, though, some are saying that a variety of factors mean that targeted ads are finally taking off - and that should mean less ad clutter for website visitors. The factors that play into why some think targeted ads will now work include better targeting tools, a larger mass of people online, and much more information about what those people are doing online. Of course, this doesn't say anything about metrics. If people are judging ads on click-throughs, they may be fairly disappointed - since many of these sorts of ads may be useful for branding, but may not draw the clicks. As for the targeting algorithms, they do appear to be getting better - but still have issues. For example, in just the few weeks that I've been experimenting with Google ads, I've noticed a few things. First, it takes them a while to properly target the ads associated with each post - and they throw up way too many of the exact same ad when they're not sure. Second, the targeting has no idea about "tone". So I'll write something trashing internet filters, and the ads will be for internet filters. This actually happens on a fairly regular basis - which is why the ads are often more amusing than relevant.

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