Targeted advertising fail
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I just saw an ad, in a place where I commonly see targeted ads, for breast pumps.
Yes, I'm newly married. Yes, we want kids.
No, I'm reasonably confident that there isn't a little one on the way quite yet. No, even if my wife was pregnant, I am not the one that they should be advertising breast pumps to!
(Share your horrible ad targeting stories here...)
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@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
(Share your horrible ad targeting stories here...)
I once saw an ad for a set of screwdrivers and I didn't need any.
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This was a LinkedIn ad on my Facebook. It had my LinkedIn profile pic, so it knew who I was. In spite of having a rather mundane career in software engineering with not as much as secret clearance on my resume, it thought I'd do well with this job.
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
In spite of having a rather mundane career in software engineering with not as much as secret clearance on my resume, it thought I'd do well with this job.
Most cops are giant retards when it comes to anything computer related so you'd have a very sought after skillset there.
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@the_quiet_one The FBI's vaunted Repeatedly JPEG Compressing Images division!
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@blakeyrat said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one The FBI's vaunted Repeatedly JPEG Compressing Images division!
Don't forget about the Zoom-Enhance Images division!
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@dcon said in Targeted advertising fail:
@blakeyrat said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one The FBI's vaunted Repeatedly JPEG Compressing Images division!
Don't forget about the Zoom-Enhance Images division!
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@xaade Defense: See, he's not running. He's scratching his ass!
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@dcon said in Targeted advertising fail:
@xaade Defense: See, he's not running. He's scratching his ass!
Actually, the stick figure is incomplete. It's actually looking to the right, hand on race. The legs are not pictured.
Unsee it now!
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The exact moment I opened this thread, I got a phone call. It was in Chinese. I don't speak that. I say it counts!
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@magus said in Targeted advertising fail:
The exact moment I opened this thread, I got a phone call. It was in Chinese. I don't speak that. I say it counts!
I've been getting at least one of those every day. Evidently those spammers are targeting all the phones in an areacode+prefix with large oriental populations. Yea Bay Area. sigh.
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When I'm watching YouTube videos, I mostly get BuildMaster ads.
When I'm watching Comedy Central videos, I mostly get 5-commercial ad breaks where every single commercial is the same video.
When I'm watching Twitch, it has a bad habit of playing two ads simultaneously and having the second ad ignore volume controls completely.
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I got one at my work email the other day. I thought at first that it was (more or less) legitimate internal mail, because it's the first time I've seen any spam at this account, and it has a footer with our company name, logo, headquarters address, and what appears to be a click-tracked link to our privacy policy.
It's for training for one of our own products. Except for the product name, our company name, and our headquarters address, it's entirely in Chinese. Even the privacy link.
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I watched JonTron's video on Flex Tape. I started getting ads for Flex Seal Valentine's Day Sale.
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@ben_lubar Twitch is buggier than a termite mound.
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@pie_flavor said in Targeted advertising fail:
I watched JonTron's video on Flex Tape. I started getting ads for Flex Seal Valentine's Day Sale.
The bucket he "repaired" to be able to hold about a teaspoon of water was the best part of that video.
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@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
I just saw an ad, in a place where I commonly see targeted ads, for breast pumps.
Yes, I'm newly married. Yes, we want kids.
No, I'm reasonably confident that there isn't a little one on the way quite yet.
Maybe you need a screwdriver
You wouldn't be the first one to hear of a pregnancy from advertising though
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I googled extensively about some of the fuckups in JIRA and for months I used to get only Atlassian ads to try to get me to use one of their products. Same for fucking Salesforce. Never used any of them for more than ten mins.
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@stillwater said in Targeted advertising fail:
fucking Salesforce
I had no idea the R in CRM was that kind of relationship.
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@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
No, I'm reasonably confident that there isn't a little one on the way quite yet. No, even if my wife was pregnant, I am not the one that they should be advertising breast pumps to!
Are you sure?
How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did
Target has perfected the technique of analyzing consumers' shopping habits to figure out who's pregnant. How can they send customers congratulatory coupons without freaking them out?
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@dangeruss Yeah, that girl was far enough along for her behavior to have changed, even if her dad didn't know about it yet. Not applicable here.
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@stillwater said in Targeted advertising fail:
I googled extensively about some of the fuckups in JIRA and for months I used to get only Atlassian ads to try to get me to use one of their products. Same for fucking Salesforce. Never used any of them for more than ten mins.
I've once googled for printer cartridges and PCI network cards. After that, all my ads looked like this:
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After I bought a TV on Amazon, Amazon kept showing me TVs. The one big ticket item they knew for sure I had bought recently
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@gąska I did a search for the Captain America action figure that looks like Jay Bauman and Amazon started sending me emails featuring action figures.
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@jaloopa Yes, I've seen the same thing after buying, IIRC, tires and a washing machine. Um, I don't think I'm going to need to buy tires again for a couple of years, and probably a decade before I'll need another washer.
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@hardwaregeek said in Targeted advertising fail:
@jaloopa Yes, I've seen the same thing after buying, IIRC, tires and a washing machine. Um, I don't think I'm going to need to buy tires again for a couple of years, and probably a decade before I'll need another washer.
Also seen this with engagement rings. The ultimate "never going to need another one" purchase.
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"Hey, you bought a vacuum, so clearly you need six other models of vacuum. Vacuum bags that we also sell for your particular model? Never heard of em!"
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@hungrier I bought a high-quality Godzilla action figure from Japan and for weeks my ads were awesome kaiju action figures.
I wonder if there are people out there who make purchases on purpose just to see the ads for related stuff.
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@blakeyrat said in Targeted advertising fail:
I wonder if there are people out there who make purchases on purpose just to see the ads for related stuff.
They're fools if they do. All I have to do to see related ads for the next week and a half is add them to my shopping cart, or possibly just enter keywords into the search bar.
I've gotten into the habit of just making purchases in incognito mode. It isn't perfect, because I still have to sign into Amazon to actually make the purchase, and that can tie into whatever tracking session I have elsewhere, but at least I don't have to be inundated with table saw ads just because I was mildly interested in how much they cost so I can plan for the future.
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@gąska said in Targeted advertising fail:
@hungrier said in Targeted advertising fail:
Hey, you bought a vacuum
That's one stupid customer.
A real sucker
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
but at least I don't have to be inundated with table saw ads just because I was mildly interested in how much they cost so I can plan for the future.
Meh. You're going to get ads one way or the other. As long as they aren't about something inappropriate that's going to get you into trouble, I don't really care too much what they are.
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@boomzilla I know. For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating. It's kind of like when you're in a conversation with someone and the subject naturally shifts, but your friend just keeps returning to the previous subject over and over again.
It's an irrational irritation, I know, but I can't be bothered to change.
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
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@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
Why would being inundated with table saw ads after I had purchased one be any less irritating than if I hadn't?
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
Why would being inundated with table saw ads after I had purchased one be any less irritating than if I hadn't?
Because you would have just bought the first one you saw so you'd probably still be interested in them because you didn't spend a week researching the alternatives!
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@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
Why would being inundated with table saw ads after I had purchased one be any less irritating than if I hadn't?
Because you would have just bought the first one you saw so you'd probably still be interested in them because you didn't spend a week researching the alternatives!
Au contraire. If I were more impulsive, and bought the first one I saw, I'd be irritated at myself for seeing all of the amazingly better offers in the ensuing ads!
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
Why would being inundated with table saw ads after I had purchased one be any less irritating than if I hadn't?
Because you would have just bought the first one you saw so you'd probably still be interested in them because you didn't spend a week researching the alternatives!
Au contraire. If I were more impulsive, and bought the first one I saw, I'd be irritated at myself for seeing all of the amazingly better offers in the ensuing ads!
So return the one you bought and be satisfied in the knowledge that you made Google or whoever do your research work for you.
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@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Obviously you just need to be more impulsive with your buying decisions.
Why would being inundated with table saw ads after I had purchased one be any less irritating than if I hadn't?
Because you would have just bought the first one you saw so you'd probably still be interested in them because you didn't spend a week researching the alternatives!
Au contraire. If I were more impulsive, and bought the first one I saw, I'd be irritated at myself for seeing all of the amazingly better offers in the ensuing ads!
So return the one you bought and be satisfied in the knowledge that you made Google or whoever do your research work for you.
That sounds like a lot of work. Especially if my bulky item had already shipped. I'd rather just deal with the temporary irritation of seeing stupid overly relevant ads all over my browser.
I also hate hate hate shopping.
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@hardwaregeek That stuff cracks me up. Rented a tux for prom, and I get nothing but ads for the establishment I got the tux from for weeks. Like, yes, I understand that they sell low priced suits. Wanna know how I know? I literally just fucking got one!
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@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla I know. For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating. It's kind of like when you're in a conversation with someone and the subject naturally shifts, but your friend just keeps returning to the previous subject over and over again.
It's an irrational irritation, I know, but I can't be bothered to change.
This might explain a bit about the psychology of why you feel that way and why it's not so irrational.
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@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla I know. For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating. It's kind of like when you're in a conversation with someone and the subject naturally shifts, but your friend just keeps returning to the previous subject over and over again.
It's an irrational irritation, I know, but I can't be bothered to change.
This might explain a bit about the psychology of why you feel that way and why it's not so irrational.
The state of California finds targeted advertising to cause cancer.
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@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla I know. For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating. It's kind of like when you're in a conversation with someone and the subject naturally shifts, but your friend just keeps returning to the previous subject over and over again.
It's an irrational irritation, I know, but I can't be bothered to change.
This might explain a bit about the psychology of why you feel that way and why it's not so irrational.
Ok, I did read most of that article. And yes, I do agree with limiting content width for a more pleasurable reading experience on wider screens, but there is a thing as taking it too far and getting the opposite effect.
This is on a normal 1080p screen!
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@hardwaregeek said in Targeted advertising fail:
I got one at my work email the other day. I thought at first that it was (more or less) legitimate internal mail, because it's the first time I've seen any spam at this account, and it has a footer with our company name, logo, headquarters address, and what appears to be a click-tracked link to our privacy policy.
It's for training for one of our own products. Except for the product name, our company name, and our headquarters address, it's entirely in Chinese. Even the privacy link.
Spear phishing?
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@atazhaia said in Targeted advertising fail:
@masonwheeler said in Targeted advertising fail:
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
@boomzilla I know. For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating. It's kind of like when you're in a conversation with someone and the subject naturally shifts, but your friend just keeps returning to the previous subject over and over again.
It's an irrational irritation, I know, but I can't be bothered to change.
This might explain a bit about the psychology of why you feel that way and why it's not so irrational.
Ok, I did read most of that article. And yes, I do agree with limiting content width for a more pleasurable reading experience on wider screens, but there is a thing as taking it too far and getting the opposite effect.
This is on a normal 1080p screen!
This is a perfect text widh for me. They could've made it more visually appealing by putting something on sides, but that doesn't bother me too much.
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Every single time I purchase gear for motorcycling online, be it leathers, boots, gloves or helmet, I get ads for the exact thing I bougt,at the place I bought it from Google.
Not particularly helpful really. and I've considered letting the companies know that they are paying for what is mostly a big fucking scam with a generous sprinkling of technobabble and marketingese.
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@carnage But a large percentage of people who saw those ads bought the product!
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@stillwater said in Targeted advertising fail:
Never used any of them *[JIRA/Salesforce] for more than ten mins.
Seems like it takes that long for some pages on the former to render for me at work...
@hungrier said in Targeted advertising fail:
Vacuum bags that we also sell for your particular model
Well if you will buy a Dyson... Or did you mean these?
@the_quiet_one said in Targeted advertising fail:
For some reason, I just get more annoyed when the ads are so specific to something I had recently been interested in. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time looking at the products in my search that after I'm finished, having to see them again is just irritating.
Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.
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