Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the seventh day of the month is "Contact."
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| This is just the last photo I took on my walk with Hannah yesterday. I live in such a beautiful place. |
We've talked before that I'm a hard person for advertisers to reach. There are options, of course: I pass by billboards when I'm driving, I occasionally listen to terrestrial radio in our older car because it doesn't have any connectors for cell phones, I do listen to ads on Spotify because I don't have a paid subscription, and there are ads galore on my Duolingo app. I also do check in on Facebook once daily (to send a message to my accountability buddy) and use Instagram fairly regularly.
But I don't listen to ads on podcasts and I don't watch television or much YouTube, so it's tough out there. I'm also sort of a tightwad who basically only spends money on food and SmartWool clothing.
So if advertisers really want to reach out to me, why do I get things like this:
Do I seem like the person who is interested in "ufology?" That I would spend money on books on the topic? I mean, if this were an ad for public libraries, maybe I would be interested!
Your turn. What do you get advertisements for that don't suit your lifestyle or interests?
I had to google Ufology. Makes sense. Who knew.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any regular "TV", so I feel like I see/hear very few advertisements now?! Ditto for my kids.
The only TV I watch is hockey games, so I only see (and am totally sick of) those that advertise on hockey games, most of which don't appeal to me anyway. Sooooo much sports betting! And alcohol! And cars! Sometimes, rarely, I see an ad on Facebook or Instagram that does appeal to me, but mostly my eyes pass right over them.
ReplyDeleteHA! Ufology! I didn't even know that was a thing?!?! I have been getting a lot of emails advertising oil changes, which I am wholly uninterested in. Even when I need an oil change, I am uninterested in the entire subject.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm still exposed to a decent number of ads. Let's see... my car is old too, so I usually just flip the regular radio on and get some commercials there, though I guess sometimes I change the station. I watch quite a lot of local TV. I like to have the TV on the kitchen when I cook or am puttering in the evening, usually always on NBC and I catch the local evening news, and some combination of Wheel of Fortune/ Jeopardy. Later at night while I get ready for bed I'll often put the local news on then, too, which I can kind of hear from the bathroom while I wash my face, etc. I see LOTS of ads on Facebook. I'm on Facebook too much- lots of little check ins here and there. And I swear, I bet I get one ad for every actual post. I don't even know that I "see" all of them, but I definitely get a lot of clothing ads. I do click on some, which I'm sure perpetuates the ads further. That being said, they have suggested some things that I've bought, and liked, so, maybe they know me decently well. hahah. I skip podcast ads if possible. I use free Pandora version on my phone if I listen to music because I don't have any music streaming services- so I'm forced to listen to ads at the gym (if I'm not listening to a podcast). I still get some ad type stuff in the snail mail. I'll occasionally glance but most of it I just toss. My husband and I also watched the show Younger (like, 6 seasons I think!) on the free Hulu version recently, and it forced us to watch ads rather often (multiple ad breaks per episode). At first it made me IRATE- like, what IS HAPPENING. But after a season or so of groaning every time they came on, I guess I got used to it, because they completely stopped bothering me. I would use that ~1-2 minutes to run to the bathroom, check my phone, or chat with my husband. I guess how it used to be back in the day, when we ALL watched commercials, all the time during shows....
ReplyDeleteAnd I just realized I didn't answer your question at all.... you were not asking where we get ads, you asked what ads we get for that are not relevant. Oops, sorry!! I actually can't think of any specific things that I've gotten ads for though that are totally random, like Ufology. Now that I said though, I will get an ad for something like.... I don't know, mayonnaise, or another equally disgusting food that I don't eat. ;)
DeleteHa at mayonnaise as disgusting!
DeleteI get a lot of ads targeted at my age and geographic location that absolutely don't suit (lots of Tide ads with Aaron Rodgers, which is not great on a lot of levels, including that Rodgers is a terrible human being and I'm virulently anti-WI sports teams since I'm a native Michigander; ads for Catholic education, even though I have neither an affiliation with the church nor children; and lots of ads for beer, even though I don't drink. Most of these are ads I notice on Spotify, but I really think the idea that advertisers have all of us figured out is definitely not the case!
I think it's interesting that you've clicked on ads and bought things! I did that once with a little tool to help my husband see inside his pretty much permanently clogged ears, but it was such a scam when we got the device in the mail and I stopped even looking at online ads at that point.
Perhaps they figure you have zero social media footprint so you *must* be into conspiracy theories?
ReplyDeleteI feel like I cross paths with so many forms of advertising everyday that I'm pretty sure it's not relevant to the things that I want to spend my money on. I used to feel embarrassed that the kids loved watching commercials so much - they like the jingles, they like the cute Geico gecko, they like watching cars zip around onscreen - but I've lately taken to yelling, "They want your money!" at the tv whenever a commercial comes on. I guess that's my way of teaching them to be discriminating.
Jingles are great. I wrote an entire post a couple of months ago about how much the recent Burger King ads worked for me. I was singing it all day! I'm not immune to ads, to be sure, I'm just not easily reachable and I feel like if an advertiser does get my attention, they should DO BETTER at targeting me!
DeleteI am an advertiser's dream. I click on MOST of the ads that show up in my feed, and I buy tons. I'm the worst.
ReplyDeleteReally? Is the quality good? I'm astounded by this because it literally never occurs to me that the things being advertised are quality items!
DeleteIt's usually super targeted-- so something I have hovered over at Anthro that went on sale or an adorable kiddie boutique or Hanna Andersson Minnie Mouse stuff. I get very few random products. One time I tried on a dress at Madewell and didn't buy it and later that night, my IG was full of THAT VERY DRESS which was suuuuuuuuuuper creepy.
DeleteNow that I typed that all out, I bet these are like adaptive learning algorithms and now that I have started buying the crap the algorithm sends me, it learns to send me even better stuff.
DeleteMaybe the algorithms are just really confused by me because I never click or hover on anything. I also NEVER watch video on IG or FB, so I can see them not being able to really gain traction on what I might be interested in.
DeleteI get so much advertising on FB and IG! Sometimes it is totally up my alley, because I have already purchased the items in question. Then sometimes it's an iteration on those items, like makeup, for example. I get lots of "reels" about hairstyling and honestly, am here for it. One thing I kept getting at the beginning of the pandemic was "dressy sweatpants" and advertisers, you are barking up the wrong tree on that one. But for the most part I get advertised things that really make sense as I've already purchased! I did buy a hair product after hearing it advertised on a podcast though, and I have to say, this hair product IS really something. Like, it's what it's advertised to be!
ReplyDeleteWell, I will never hear about this hair product because I'm obsessive about fast forwarding through ads on podcasts. It one reason why I don't listen to podcasts through Spotify because Spotify won't let me fast forward! I do get a fair number of ads on FB and IG, but I am not consciously paying attention to those at all. They probably do seep in subconsciously, but I don't think they'll work in parting me from my few precious dollars. Ha!
DeleteI didn't know "Ufology" was a word! Go figure. Yes, I would say they're a little off-target if you're getting that ad.
ReplyDeleteSo do you just fast forward past ads in podcasts? Why do I listen to them? I'm usually pretty oblivious to ads, and I don't do instagram of facebook. The ads on spotify are annoying though, I'll admit.
I really struggle with sensory issues, particularly sound issues and the SOUND of ads on podcasts is always so different from the episode itself that I have to FF because otherwise I will lose my mind and rip out my headphones. If the actual sound quality was the same, I probably wouldn't be so adamant about skipping podcast ads. The ads on Spotify kill me because they are SO LOUD.
DeleteLike you, I'm almost unreachable. And even when they try to reach me, I don't notice. People would mention falling for IG ads and buying random things and I would think - there are ads on IG? I really did not see them/notice them when I was still on IG. Now I'm off IG and FB, I skip through ads on podcasts, we mute the tv during tv ads, etc. The only tv we generally watch is Wheel of Fortune since it's the one show that Will has the attention span for/interest in but I don't pay attention to any of those ads since we mute the tv.
ReplyDeleteThat is an incredibly targeted ad! Dang! I have never been on the receiving end of something like that - or if I was, I did not notice it!!!
I think it's great that you don't really notice ads. It's probably best for your budget, to be honest!
DeleteWe moved here in ‘05 and would get weekly flyers for many years. One day they stopped coming, so they were put in boxes (like the old newspaper boxes) near the community mailboxes. Nobody much bothers to pick them up, though.
ReplyDeleteWe do get weekly flyers in our mailbox and they go right into the recycling bin before I even look at them! I just can't be bothered. Ha!
DeleteOn IG I inexplicably get ads for engagement rings. I don't know why. I'm fascinated by it, but not enough to figure out the why of it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I bet there's no way for you to be able to figure out why. It's just some weird thing you read/clicked on years ago. Ha! Interesting, though. I'd like ads about fancy jewelry I'll never buy. At least it would be pretty.
DeleteTargeted ads are so ODD sometimes. I get ads for coffee replacement (do I look like I want to give up coffee?) and wrinkle patches (ok, I guess, I'd try those out at some point) LOL
ReplyDelete