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    618 points elorant | 14 comments | | HN request time: 0.472s | source | bottom
    1. Razengan ◴[] No.26194434[source]
    To me the whole advertising racket has always seemed like a case of an emperor with no clothes. Has anyone here ever made a purchase that was influenced solely by an ad, or known any common folk who did?
    replies(9): >>26194506 #>>26194515 #>>26194524 #>>26194526 #>>26194602 #>>26194750 #>>26196913 #>>26197042 #>>26203027 #
    2. bluefirebrand ◴[] No.26194506[source]
    I've worked places where marketing seems like just a big shell game.

    Paying other companies for advertising on their platforms meanwhile they are paying someone else, and that third party is paying us.

    All three marketing departments probably get a net 0 value from it, all three marketing departments get to report their budget spends and not get defunded, meanwhile producing nothing concrete of value.

    3. ttt0 ◴[] No.26194515[source]
    I hate ads so much, that the only influence they have on me is that I will be less likely to make a purchase.
    replies(1): >>26195149 #
    4. davidivadavid ◴[] No.26194524[source]
    If by "solely by an ad" you mean the kind of scenario where you once saw a single display ad on the side of a website, picked up your phone and your credit card and ordered something — that's not how advertising works.

    But if you've heard of something like QVC, or have an approximate idea of the revenue generated by the advertising industry and the humility to think all of their customers can't be wrong, you should be able to dispose of the notion that you're pushing here.

    Yeah, some people waste money on advertising. For some others, it's a money printing machine. Shrug

    5. Kamshak ◴[] No.26194526[source]
    I've done a few impulse purchases from FB / Instagram ads (a razor, two ebooks, signed up to a subscription service). I'm very happy with these purchases.

    Are you saying advertising on FB/IG doesn't work in general?

    6. phrogdriver ◴[] No.26194602[source]
    Marketing spend, especially online, is one of the most studied inputs to business strategy. Long term lift studies of both brand and direct response advertising show that it absolutely drives consumer behavior. Whether or not that's good for consumers might be debatable. I'm happy to buy unbranded consumer packaged goods if I can ensure quality but there's a reason Procter and Gamble can make >50% gross margins.
    7. LargeWu ◴[] No.26194750[source]
    I've done this occasionally. But really, how advertising works is it builds up demand by repeated exposure. The rule of thumb is that it takes somewhere around 7 interactions, on average, before somebody makes a decision to purchase.

    You want proof that advertising works? Facebook's revenues last year were $85 Billion, mostly from advertising. And it's growing every year. Merchants wouldn't be spending that kind of money over a sustained period if they were seeing negative ROI on their ad spend.

    8. lovecg ◴[] No.26195149[source]
    May I ask what brand of toothpaste do you happen to use?
    replies(3): >>26196625 #>>26196922 #>>26198446 #
    9. bordercases ◴[] No.26196625{3}[source]
    For me - one based on its expected functional properties over brand recognition.

    Not all advertising is educational.

    10. bkirkby ◴[] No.26196913[source]
    i recall one time in my teens watching saturday morning cartoons and seeing an ad for golden grahams. i said to myself "i'd like some golden grahams right now," so i hopped in my car, drove to the grocery, and bought some golden grahams.

    that's the only time i was consciously effected by advertisement, but i also suspect the mind bending happens so much on a sub-conscious level.

    11. bkirkby ◴[] No.26196922{3}[source]
    i usually go with the cheapest.
    12. chillacy ◴[] No.26197042[source]
    I have but I don’t click through the ad anymore. I just search on Amazon for the thing and buy it, since it’s usually cheaper.
    13. Razengan ◴[] No.26198446{3}[source]
    The cheapest/nearest. In most categories sometimes I can't even recall the name of what I last bought.
    14. tonyedgecombe ◴[] No.26203027[source]
    When Google Adwords started I found it useful both as an advertiser and buyer. At some point it became too intrusive as a buyer and ineffective as an advertiser.