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Rant: Targeted advertising less than helpful
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OreoCookie
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May 17, 2016, 08:29 AM
 
So you hear all these stories about the effectiveness of targeted advertising and all that. Last weekend, I ordered a bunch of audio equipment for my wife for our anniversary and her birthday. On Amazon. I've received the shipment which they know because they tracked my shipment. And now I'm getting spammed with suggestions of things that I have just bought — from Amazon. Do they think I suddenly need another audio interface and another pair of headphones? Ugh.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
subego
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May 17, 2016, 09:14 AM
 
I still get ads for a mixer I bought a year ago.
     
starman
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May 17, 2016, 10:18 AM
 
It's awful, especially after you buy the damn thing. You see ads for it for days or weeks.

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Doc HM
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May 17, 2016, 05:58 PM
 
but teh internet is smart! How can this be happening?
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
OreoCookie  (op)
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May 17, 2016, 10:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
but teh internet is smart! How can this be happening?
Is Google any better at this? (I've consciously opted out of Google as much as I can, so I don't know what you guys see when Google tries to be smart about showing you ads.) In principle they have less information (Amazon knows what I buy there while Google can't — unless you receive your Amazon receipts on your Gmail account.)
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reader50
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May 17, 2016, 10:50 PM
 
My experience with Amazon is they don't advertise a product you've just bought. Unless I start browsing the product page again, or if I'm not logged in.
     
ajprice
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May 18, 2016, 01:55 AM
 
I get the ads for things similar to what I've bought like OreoCookie, and if I look at something and then leave it, I get an email a while later with 'Items similar to...'

The banners on other websites come up too. A few people in work with kids had close calls when they have done Christmas or birthday shopping and then these banners show up on websites for toys when the kids are online. Eek!

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
OreoCookie  (op)
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May 18, 2016, 03:20 AM
 
Originally Posted by ajprice View Post
I get the ads for things similar to what I've bought like OreoCookie, and if I look at something and then leave it, I get an email a while later with 'Items similar to...'
In view of the suggestions they give, I really wonder how much value Amazon can really extract from our shopping history … and you're right. On the other hand there have indeed been cases where data mining have led to pretty awkward moments (e. g. a teen girl was outed as pregnant because she was sent congratulatory coupons …).
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subego
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May 18, 2016, 11:52 AM
 
I find internal Amazon recommendations to be pretty decent. Maybe one hit in 50.

What's sucking for me is the gmail scrape of my Amazon purchases.
     
andi*pandi
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May 18, 2016, 04:49 PM
 
I turned off adblocker here for a sec... just to see what the ad is. One is for my own company I work for, one is for weight-loss surgery. I don't recall searching for that... but it knows my local hospital.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 18, 2016, 05:18 PM
 
Yeah…I'm getting ads for the music school I work at. Awesome use of advertising dollars.
     
subego
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May 18, 2016, 07:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
I turned off adblocker here for a sec... just to see what the ad is. One is for my own company I work for, one is for weight-loss surgery. I don't recall searching for that... but it knows my local hospital.

Here, I get an ad for Lysol
     
   
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