Ad blocking as an ethical problem?

Quote: Nareed

Ok. Are you more likely to buy a certain brand because a team you like has it plastered on their uniforms?

Sometimes it works like this I think.

I go to the store looking for something. If one name has been advertised a lot, I probably notice it even if I hadn't paid much attention to it.

Maybe that makes 1 extra sale out of 10. Don't really know the stats though.

I will still read product information and look at price.

On the other hand, I've been influenced also by generic store products especially food, where I really don't like the non-name brand -- for whatever reason, not quite as tasty sometimes.

I'm sure election signs probably work that way too. When you don't know anyone running for dog catcher, the familiar name might attract your vote a little more often.

Quote: rxwine

On the other hand, I've been influenced also by generic store products

This reminds me a lot of Walgreens. They carry a great many generic products which look identical to the brand name ones, and even have similar names sometimes.

The only generic food products I buy are those that are rather standard, like sugar, salt, butter, flour, etc.

Quote: rxwine

Sometimes it works like this I think...

I can dig that. I know if I ever get sent to the store for tampons, I'll be buying Kotex, for no other reason than that's the one whose ad made it into my head.

It also works for awareness. I know junkyards, but I've never heard of U Pull It. Pay $5 to get in, bring your own tools, and anything you find and pull yourself is guaranteed less than $100. The cars get brought in, customers strip them, and the husks are scrapped. This means parts are cheap, and several new cars get brought in every day in a non-stop cycle. It was a large billboard at my local track, as well as sponsorship of a class, that put U Pull It in my head. And I did visit it as a result.

Quote: Nareed

I suppose some people would buy all sorts of things because someone they like uses it. But I don't want to believe that.

They sure do. I always thought it was weird, too.

It's especially big in high school. I can sort of understand that, as your social status is an absolute priority in public school and kids are merciless. But when I see adults doing it, I just don't get it. When a guy smokes, is 150lbs overweight, yet shows up to the once-a-year football game in the same cleats as Fred Jackson wears, with a Nike/Bills sweatband ($40 for elastic and cotton that he wears on his arm. Wha??), and a $100 licensed jersey, all I can think is "wtf". Why would you spend $400 on gear for a fat-man-glory-days once a year football game? I got a $40 sweatpant / sweatshirt combo I got at Walmart and cleats my mom bought me in 1997. And you can't catch me, you can't tackle me if you catch me, and I picked you off four times. What's the point?

Quote: Face

I can dig that. I know if I ever get sent to the store for tampons, I'll be buying Kotex, for no other reason than that's the one whose ad made it into my head.

If you don't ask your girlfriend what brand she wants, you'll deserve all you get.

Quote:

It also works for awareness.

Sure. If you see an add for something that interests you, you're likely to want to get it.

The thing is I've also learned not to believe everything a company says abut its product or service. I mean, from watching ads alone, you'd think car insurance in the US is dirt cheap, easy to obtain, covers ever more stuff, and comes with premium-level service. Is it?

Quote: Nareed

The thing is I've also learned not to believe everything a company says abut its product or service. I mean, from watching ads alone, you'd think car insurance in the US is dirt cheap, easy to obtain, covers ever more stuff, and comes with premium-level service. Is it?

Ha! Yes, great point! This IS another way ads affect me. Ugly Stik, for instance, is about the only rod I've used for fishing since time beyond remembrance. One of their recent ad campaigns was both hilarious, and also suggested that they were invincible. The hilarity brought me closer to them, and their claim was revealed to be true (or at least true enough). I will go to some lengths to make sure I only buy Shakespeare (maker of Ugly Stik).

On the flip side, I'm a MOPAR man. I think Dodge trucks are, by far, the best looking. But the one I got was just a mess. Box started to rot at just 50k. The bushings in the UCA went soon after, making it squeak like a motel bed whose rates are sold by the hour. And the engine literally exploded while coasting at 25mph with just 70k on the odo. When I see or hear "Grab life by the horns" or "Guts. Glory. Ram.", now I can do nothing but laugh sarcastically. Every ad only serves to make me more and more mad, and my mind says nothing but...

Quote: Nareed

Often websites will take inordinately long times to load and/or display.

This is a huge, huge problem. I have heard Flash get the blame for this, but I don't know if that's true.

The only solution I have found is the "reader view" mode in Firefox. But it doesn't always work. (And I generally prefer Chrome to Firefox.)

The web seemed to work better/faster 5 years ago than it does today.

Quote: reno

This is a huge, huge problem. I have heard Flash get the blame for this, but I don't know if that's true.

The only solution I have found is the "reader view" mode in Firefox. But it doesn't always work. (And I generally prefer Chrome to Firefox.)

The web seemed to work better/faster 5 years ago than it does today.

My someone who works for search engines will hear this.

Aside from site description the robot crawler should detect and report average loading time. If I'm searching for something and I see five links about it, I'm definitely not going to the one with the biggest load first.

Quote: reno

This is a huge, huge problem. I have heard Flash get the blame for this, but I don't know if that's true.

In part. Mostly it's the sheer amount of ads and other junk placed into websites today.

Quote:

The web seemed to work better/faster 5 years ago than it does today.

It ran better then.

Another problem, which may be ad-related, is page views. To inflate that number, some publishers break articles into parts or put up slide-shows. Some sites have a button or link marked "read in one page." But that is part of the problem. Besides many place it at the bottom of the page.

Along the same lines, my question is how much brand loyalty do you have? I am generally very frugal and buy a lot of off brand products. Off the top of my head the only brand I specifically buy is JIF peanut butter.