Web Ads
Posted Mon, 11/25/13
Web ads are lost on me. I manage to ignore them 99.9% of the time, and I'm proud to say I've never purchased anything via clicking on a web ad. I hate them with a passion, almost as much as I dislike advertisements on television. Since I can't mute or change channels on the web, I've learned to shut out the desperately flashing marketing ploys for the most part.
Imagine my surprise when I noticed the irritating flash of an Amazon ad on an unrelated web site the other day only to see my own book in the spotlight. I don't pay for advertising, preferring to rely on the free tools associated with Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest and Twitter.
The book in question was The Twain Shall Meet. I never authorized nor paid for advertising for the novel, so I'm not sure how it came into being. Perhaps Amazon creates advertising rotations based on what people are searching for.
The worst web ads are those which pop-up after researching a specific topic. For instance, I recently did extensive research about Italian food mainly for correct spelling of Italian words. Before long, I was inundated by ads pushing Italian cookbooks. I never had any intention of buying a book, so the web ads generated by "cookies" were a complete waste on me.
Like most people, I'm turned off by ad repetition. The more I see of an ad - via TV or web - or false political mantra, the likelier I'll avoid the product or service altogether.
The ads must be working for some people to a certain extent, though, as they continue unabated.
*POSTSCRIPT 12/10/13: Barnes & Noble is also part of the ad game. I was reading Politico this morning, where the right-panel ad space began flashing four of my books (writing as Deidre Dalton):
(Above): Thumbnail of Politico page with the Barnes & Noble ad displaying four of my books writing as Deidre Dalton. Click on image to view larger size.
It's news to me, but I won't complain if the ad results in literal sales.