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Ask HN: Do online adverts have any effect on you?

4 points by AlexMuir ↗ HN
Most things that are shared on here are paid for by advertisements. But do you think that these adverts actually deliver a return?

I've got a theory that heavy internet users are ad-blind. My mum can't tell the difference between content, menus and Adsense units. Hence she clicks on them all the time.

6 comments

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frossie
I am totally ad blind. I don't see them, or if I see them I don't parse them, or if I parse them I don't remember them 3 seconds later.

Of course that does not mean that ads don't deliver a return.

arn
Ads work for a variety of reasons and those who claim they don't work on them are probably wrong (imo).

Aside from direct action (click and buy my product) there's also a branding goal. Assuming you don't block ads, you do see these ads all the time. There's a certain familiarity with products or brand names that you will develop and that will likely influence you later, if you are ever in the market for that product.

togasystems
I find I do not look twice at ads on most web pages. However, I have found that I do click on Facebook ads a lot more. Personalization is key.
kertap
It depends on the site. I click on the penny-arcade ads all the time.

I'll click on google ads sometimes when I'm looking to buy something but that doesn't usually result in a sale.

Breakfast
Ad blind. Totally. I'm almost always on a page for a reason and just want to get what I came for and then be gone; either back or digging for more substance. I suppose my mind is registering something of them but I don't seem to be conscious of this.
schn
I use Adblock, so the only time I think about ads are when a website's layout is wonky and I realise that's where the ad should be.