I dislike ads in general. Specially Youtube ads. They are hysterical and for some god knows reason advertisers think its a good idea to repeat ad nauseum the same ad multiple times even on the same video. I end up hating the brand more than having some interest in the product.
(Paid) reviews on the other hand like unboxing, configuring and testing a product that I'm interested in are totally another thing. This applies to furnitures, house appliances, computers and so on. A good example is that I did not knew how much I wanted to build a fully silent computer before watching so many build videos of a certain fanless case that looks like a metal cube.
That's surprising to me. I hate ads. If I see one poping I usually blacklist the product. When I want to buy something I do technical comparison and try to find genuine reviews.
I dislike nearly all ads and want the ability to block any ads I dislike.
But the fundamental question is: without advertising, how do you learn about products you might want to buy? Ad-funded search is not a good answer, and in the limit, proprietary search result ordering would be just another type of advertising.
Word of mouth is slow and unreliable, especially if you are looking for unusual things or if your preferences are often unusual compared with the people you ask for reviews.
The only thing I dislike more than ads is social media, so that's not an option.
When I personally bear a higher cost conducting a product search to fit my needs than the costs of viewing ads, then ads are better and they do add value.
This is not a heroic defense of the abject shit ads that litter the internet, the rampant malware or tracking, the creepy attempts at unnecessarily specific personalization, or content creators selling out.
But it's also not reasonable to say the Platonic idea of an ad is intrinsically unethical or intrinsically cost-ineffective.
I don't mind the ads, they are clearly labeled "sponsored".
What I hate is all the fake reviews influencing my choice. You buy something highly reviewed then receive some giftcard/offer or something in the packaging saying to leave a review and get something in return.
Now I have to "reddit productX" and read there before making a choice.
I see ads when I watch Youtube on my TV, and basically not otherwise. I have never seen one and thought Oh yeah I want/need that, more often it's laughably off base. They could've trivially targeted to the video, but instead decided I might have some niche health concern which is demographically impossible.
Typically the content I'm trying to watch (even if unsponsored) is a far superior advert. I didn't know I wanted a powered/active cooler box (and definitely don't need one) until I saw an AvE video of one last night. Now I'd quite like Makita's, and in fact now I come to think of it I did even share the link with someone who is in the market for one. But the malgorithms did their best to make me learn about and want to buy shitty VPNs and maltesers instead. If I'm watching tool/DIY videos give me the tool ads? I might actually be interested? I might warm to the brand, associating it with my favourite channels?
Not that I want to be manipulated like that, it just seems bafflingly poorly targeted whenever I do see them that it's irritating and I'm glad I block them everywhere else.
I agree with OP and disagree with you. People are different. I hate ads and I rarely buy products via ads. More often I use friend recommendation or product reviews/comparisons. I don't want to see ads when I am not planning to buy something.
i'm not sure i've ever seen an ad that i considered helpful, useful, or was grateful to see
i get the dream and i buy things all the time but for me ads don't make that buying experience easier because i dont trust any of the content in them so it doesn't save me any time on researching what i want to buy. i'd rather have irrelevant ads because maybe they are easier to ignore and they won't serve as a constant reminder of how much data companies have on me. seeing an ad for something i recently searched on a different company's site generally makes me unhappy.
One one hand, I hate the consumer oriented society that wastes resources on a ton of useless products; I despise the scummy advertisers who manipulate people into pursuing the wrong goals. On the other, I like having stuff and will happily buy things to put inside my home and on my person. I am totally dependent on the consumer ecosystem and I enjoy creature comforts.
That said, when I truly need something I will make a targeted search for it. It's really rare to see ads that actually interest me. So I am generally extremely hostile to the ad business. I hate everything about them, because they symbolize the uncomfortable truths and compromises our society rests upon. They are everywhere and mostly do nothing but sap your mental energy.
I don't want ads shoved in my face at all. The only time I'm receptive to advertising is when I'm actually searching for a product (on google search, amazon, newegg, shopbot etc) and then only if the ad is a product I want at the lowest price.
Problem with ads is that we don't want to buy from them, we want to search and evaluate products instead. I never buy anything online unless I test both the seller and the product for bad reviews. Ads are just too risky to buy from. I need to trust before I buy, and it's silly to keep watching ads when I know I am not going to buy anything from them.
There are all kind of ads I would be interested in: good clothing, good tools, good software, good food. Or for things that are useful but you never would have thought to use them. I can do without the gazillion different brands selling the same foam mattress and ads for products that I just bought.
I'm not against the idea of ads, at their best they actually serve as a form of product discovery for viewers. What I am against is deceptive and low quality clickbait.
For me it is the advertising I hate. I really don't want/need adverts in my life. If I want to find about new products or see reviews, I can search them out or read about them in publications I like or ask my friends.
So how come this doesn't work for me? I am not influenced by advertising in the least. I find it all equally annoying.
I'm not being pretentious, but when I look at the stuff I buy (and I'm as materialistic as the next person, slightly obsessed with 'design', and attached to a brand like Apple), none of it I've seen in ads.
Advertising uniformly has the effect of pissing me off and can even turn me off brands. And I'm not a unique snowflake, my wife is exactly the same.
I honestly cannot fathom why any intelligent human being would be influenced by something as unsubtle and obvious as advertising.
I completely agree. I cannot stand some random YouTube ad that YouTube itself plays before videos because it's not relevant and I do not trust the people that are marketing it.
When I see someone I trust on YouTube recommend a product in a pre-roll ad or the like, then I don't really skip it and I do really keep those companies in mind in case I ever am looking for a product that they might offer.
Why would you think someone who actively pays to not be served ads would be a good fit to be advertised to?
Eg. My personal experience with buying products (food, software, SaaS, etc) based on ads conditioned me to actively distrust products that are heavily advertised compared to stuff that's just mentioned in reddit threads or used by friends. Would I be a good fit for ads?
I'm nowhere near your enjoyment but I don't mind most ads on the web. I don't even notice them. And tracking me actually makes the experience even plesurable. I just search for some hobby electronics gadget and suddenly my internet is filled with beautiful photos of circuit boards and microchips, sensors and actuators.
If I'm in the market for a product, if a company makes a decent product chances are I'll find out about it by reading reviews, etc. I don't need ads for that.
Ads exist to make me spend money that I wouldn't otherwise spend.
(Paid) reviews on the other hand like unboxing, configuring and testing a product that I'm interested in are totally another thing. This applies to furnitures, house appliances, computers and so on. A good example is that I did not knew how much I wanted to build a fully silent computer before watching so many build videos of a certain fanless case that looks like a metal cube.
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