I cannot recall an instance of ever discovering something I wanted, through any advertising, except in these exceptions:
- Game recommendations on Steam and other platforms.
- Highlighted apps on the App Store.
- Before the internet, games and apps in magazines.
Everything else that I have ever spent money on, I have discovered through word of mouth (including places like Reddit or HN), searched for it myself, seen it incidentally in the wild (e.g. hearing a song outside or seeing someone using something) or when browsing shops and stores in person.
How often do other people here remember buying something they saw in an ad (that they didn't already know of)?
If you include Amazon book recommendations, I have to confess I have found those to be eerily accurate. Now I buy almost all my books through work, so I don't actually purchase from amazon much, but I still get useful recommendations by adding titles to my shopping cart that I end up buying through another vendor.
Regarding ads on the internet, I really see very few anymore. The ad-blocking and privacy options for browsers seem to be exceedingly good at their job, and I automatically switch to reader view for any page that enables it. These days I am surprised to see an ad online.
Comments
I cannot recall an instance of ever discovering something I wanted, through any advertising, except in these exceptions:
- Game recommendations on Steam and other platforms.
- Highlighted apps on the App Store.
- Before the internet, games and apps in magazines.
Everything else that I have ever spent money on, I have discovered through word of mouth (including places like Reddit or HN), searched for it myself, seen it incidentally in the wild (e.g. hearing a song outside or seeing someone using something) or when browsing shops and stores in person.
How often do other people here remember buying something they saw in an ad (that they didn't already know of)?
If you include Amazon book recommendations, I have to confess I have found those to be eerily accurate. Now I buy almost all my books through work, so I don't actually purchase from amazon much, but I still get useful recommendations by adding titles to my shopping cart that I end up buying through another vendor.
Regarding ads on the internet, I really see very few anymore. The ad-blocking and privacy options for browsers seem to be exceedingly good at their job, and I automatically switch to reader view for any page that enables it. These days I am surprised to see an ad online.