Online ads, have you ever clicked on them?

August 28, 2019, 08:21 PM

I’m guilty of going down countless rabbit holes on the interwebs and the YouTube, online ads are always prevalent. I cringe at the ads and always click “skip” as soon as I can. While the ads are tailored to what I watch, I’ve never once clicked on one or thought, “I need that”. Surely I can’t be the only one, has anyone else saw an ad online only to run off and buy what’s being sold? It baffles me the amount of money that companies potentially spend on these ads, are there that many suckers out there?

August 28, 2019, 08:48 PM

zipriderson

Never. They are 100% a nuisance and something to be avoided. I click skip ad as soon as possible.

August 28, 2019, 08:49 PM

mikeyspizza

I purposely don't click on the ads nor the first few Google search results (which are also ads), to deny Google or whomever the revenue.

If whatever is in the ad is interesting, I'll find another way to get to it without clicking on the ad.

The exception is if the ad is from a company I don't like, I might click on it just so they have to pay Google.

August 28, 2019, 08:50 PM

RAMIUS

If I’m watching a YouTube video channel consistently, like Demolition Ranch for instance, I’ll watch the whole ad. (I’d imagine they track that and pay accordingly? Or the advertiser can see how many are skipping vs watching?) Anyway, I show my support that way.

Otherwise, I’ve not once clicked on an ad that popped up on a web page, however, I’ve clicked on ads on Facebook that interest me (usually gun stuff).

August 28, 2019, 09:03 PM

sigmonkey

Nope.

August 28, 2019, 10:21 PM

Rey HRH

Sometimes.

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

August 28, 2019, 10:22 PM

parabellum

Only by accident and I hate it when that happens. Ain't no way to un-click it.

August 28, 2019, 10:33 PM

smschulz

Why not if the subject interests you?
So sometimes it the answer.

August 28, 2019, 10:37 PM

parabellum

If something in an ad interests me, I will perform a search on key words in or related to the ad and view the information without clicking the ad.

August 29, 2019, 06:04 AM

mark123

I play a couple of word games every morning. I watch the ads and have clicked on a few. If you don't watch or click on ads the free stuff goes away.

I no longer get ads on YouTube as I subscribe to YouTube Premium.

August 29, 2019, 06:32 AM

MattW

For example, a new truck ad. I find it hard to believe an ad on YouTube has prompted some to run down to the local dealership and sign papers. Or is it more about brand awareness in the long run?

August 29, 2019, 07:33 AM

ggile

quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
If something in an ad interests me, I will perform a search on key words in or related to the ad and view the information without clicking the ad.

This^^^

_____________________________

"The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin

August 29, 2019, 07:59 AM

VictimNoMore

quote:
Originally posted by MattW:
For example, a new truck ad. I find it hard to believe an ad on YouTube has prompted some to run down to the local dealership and sign papers. Or is it more about brand awareness in the long run?

Yes, it's usually about brand awareness in general. However...based on the targeting criteria of the advertiser, car dealers can use them to re-target you (potential buyer, based on geo location history, behaviors, searches, etc.) when the price drops or a special incentive is available.

So, someone might be pushed over the cliff (so to speak) in terms of making the buying decision in that scenario.

I design targeted digital ads on a freelance basis for car dealerships, banks, hospitals, restaurants, etc.

August 29, 2019, 08:00 AM

Eponym

No. Hello, no, sir!

I actively try to avoid all advertising by using ad blockers, a VPN, the mute button, multiple email spam filters, caller ID and spam blocker on my phone, toss junk snail mail without opening, ...

And the ads just keep on coming.
"Nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and advertising. -Ben Franklin

August 29, 2019, 08:09 AM

I hate ads. I am what the ad industry would call an ad-resistant MFer. I don’t understand the business model of pissing off a potential customer.

Ever try listening to albums on YouTube? Ads in between songs so every 3-4 minutes I supposed to listen to an ad. Didn’t use to be like that. Great music listening experience

August 29, 2019, 08:24 AM

Pipe Smoker

quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
Only by accident and I hate it when that happens. Ain't no way to un-click it.

Ditto.

August 29, 2019, 08:47 AM

LBAR15

Adblocker FTW!

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Life Member NRA

“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve." - Lao Tzu

August 29, 2019, 08:59 AM

NavyGuy

The only ones I click on are Amazon ads. Because I do a fair amount of shopping on Amazon, the ads I'm presented with are always things I'm interested and there's no hard sell. Just products to look through.

The ones I absolutely despise are those that get your interest but then won't tell you what they are really about unless you invest 5 minutes, and those that say "turn on your speakers" and a guy is drawing cartoons as he talks. I've pretty much identified these and rarely click.

Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.

-D.H. Lawrence

August 29, 2019, 08:59 AM

Rick Lee

If you click on a GoogleAds ad, the advertiser gets charged. Skipping them doesn't really deny Google any revenue, since their algorithms optimize the ad and keywords the advertiser has bought to ensure the advertiser's daily budget amount is met. If an advertiser chooses a daily budget of $100, Google will somehow make sure their ad gets enough clicks to charge them that much.