The Impact of Targeted Advertising on Consumer Behavior and Decision Making

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of targeted advertising on websites, particularly how advertisements are tailored based on user search keywords. Participants share their experiences with specific ads they encountered while browsing, often with a humorous or critical tone.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes encountering ads related to Mars while searching for information on the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, highlighting the specificity of targeted ads.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that the ads are simply ahead of their time.
  • Some participants express amusement at the absurdity of certain ads, such as those for bull balls trailer hitch ornaments, and share their experiences with these ads.
  • There are mentions of the effectiveness of keyword-based advertising, with one participant noting that a relative made money using Google AdWords.
  • Concerns are raised about the relevance and appropriateness of certain ads, with one participant sharing an experience of spyware that generated pop-up ads based on browsing history.
  • Participants reflect on the nature of ads that appear during discussions on unrelated topics, questioning the randomness or relevance of the ads displayed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a sense of humor about the targeted ads, but there is no consensus on the effectiveness or appropriateness of these advertisements. Some find them amusing, while others express concern about their relevance and the implications of targeted advertising.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific ads and personal experiences without resolving the broader implications of targeted advertising or its impact on consumer behavior.

Astronuc
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You know those smart ads on some websites, where you search on a key word, go to the page, and the advertisements are somehow related to the keyword.

I was searching for some articles on the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft which is flying by Mars to get a gravity assist on its way to Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko.

I went to an article on CNN, and I found the following ads on the sidebar of the page:

mars lodging
Know before you go. Read reviews from real travelers.

Homes In Mars
Find Homes In Mars on Trulia. Browse property listings, photos, and interactive...

residence champs de mars
Find deals, read reviews from real people. Get the truth. Then go.

Mars Motel Six

:rolleyes:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
they're just ahead of their time =P
 
I don't see the problem. If you're going to fly to Mars, unless you know someone, you'll need a hotel...

This one looks pretty good: http://www.hotelmars.net/home.htm

If you're on a budget, you can try this one: http://www.nextag.com/SUPER-8-MOTEL-MARS-62190814/prices-html?nxtg=64820a24051e-166AB1B9B353D3AB

And after your conference, the night life is pretty good: http://www.marsbarsf.com/

By the way, ever been to California...? http://www.google.com/maps?q=California,+PA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title
...Lebanon...? http://www.google.com/maps?q=Lebanon,+PA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title
Yeah, we got it all in PA.

Oh...and "adds"?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Astronuc said:
You know those smart ads on some websites, where you search on a key word, go to the page, and the advertisements are somehow related to the keyword.

I was searching for some articles on the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft which is flying by Mars to get a gravity assist on its way to Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko.

I went to an article on CNN, and I found the following ads on the sidebar of the page:

mars lodging
Know before you go. Read reviews from real travelers.

Homes In Mars
Find Homes In Mars on Trulia. Browse property listings, photos, and interactive...

residence champs de mars
Find deals, read reviews from real people. Get the truth. Then go.

Mars Motel Six

:rolleyes:

Google has tons of those key word ads. Whatever object you search for you can end up with a sidebar full of sellers. I have a nephew who made a lot of money during his college years using google ad words. I think he was selling cover letters.

They charge the advertiser everytime someone clicks on the sidebar ad. Now all kinds of web sites are using them.

A company called Bizrate has a side bar ad for just about every object imaginable. Shopping Yahoo does the same thing.

I just googled 'horses" Yahoo Shopping has them.:smile:

Horses
100,000 Stores. Deals. Reviews.
Horses & More!
shopping.yahoo.com
 
My favorite was that somehow I got an ad come up for bull balls trailer hitch ornaments (which I recently read some lawmaker with too much time on his hands is trying to outlaw). I actually had to click on that one...it was too tempting to ignore. I had issues with their placement...they didn't seem hung quite right. :biggrin:
 
I wonder what the ads were when we discussed electro-ejaculators for rhinos.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
I wonder what the ads were when we discussed electro-ejaculators for rhinos.

That's the downside to not seeing the ads. Sometimes they're pretty amusing. Maybe I should sign out and see what shows up now. :biggrin:

Edit: Aww, shucks, nothing fun.
 
Moonbear said:
My favorite was that somehow I got an ad come up for bull balls trailer hitch ornaments (which I recently read some lawmaker with too much time on his hands is trying to outlaw). I actually had to click on that one...it was too tempting to ignore. I had issues with their placement...they didn't seem hung quite right. :biggrin:

Bold and italics in Moonbear's quote mine.

Is that what those are. There's a truck that parks behind a building across the back alley from my place, and I saw those things hanging from his trailer hitch with some asinine wording over top of it (them?). I thought the truck owner in question had them custom-made as I haven't seen anyone else with sufficient weirdness genes to sport them on the back of their trucks. But, there they are in all of their mass-produced glory.

A little research has led me to their official names of either Truck Nuts or Bumper Nuts.

http://www.bumpernuts.com/best%20balls.htm"

Sorry if I wandered too far off topic.

Good heavens. I wonder what sort of ads this post will generate. (Edited to add: nope, the ads here remain pretty faithful to the words "homework" and "physics".)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My computer was recently infected with "Seekmo", a spyware program reminiscent of Gator (Weatherbug scandal). It opens the pop ups in a separate window, the content of which is based on your current surfing.

So I went to google to find out which areas of my registry were effected by this thing, and imediately two windows popped up: One for a professional registry cleaner, and one for Anti-SpyWare programs!
 
  • #10
Astronuc said:
You know those smart ads on some websites, where you search on a key word, go to the page, and the advertisements are somehow related to the keyword.

I was searching for some articles on the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft which is flying by Mars to get a gravity assist on its way to Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko.

I went to an article on CNN, and I found the following ads on the sidebar of the page:

mars lodging
Know before you go. Read reviews from real travelers.

Homes In Mars
Find Homes In Mars on Trulia. Browse property listings, photos, and interactive...

residence champs de mars
Find deals, read reviews from real people. Get the truth. Then go.

Mars Motel Six

:rolleyes:

No ads for Rekall, Inc? :biggrin:
 

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