Do People Hate Ads?

It's an honest question, do people really hate ads? We have all complained about the few seconds of annoying gibberish we have to sit through before a YouTube video or right at the climax of our favorite show. In fact there is a popular browser extension called AdBlock that apparently has 300 million downloads. And what does this amazing popular extension do? It hides ads across the web. But do we really hate ads?

There is another extension that is also gaining popularity called The Ad Filter that says a lot about our attitude towards advertisements. This browser extension does not block ads, rather it replaces crummy 'used car salesman' like ads with D&AD award winning ads. So now instead of an obnoxious talking head users get to experience the remarkable Volvo Semi ad.

So do we really hate ads, or do we hate bad advertising?

The Power of the Digital Advertising World

Advertising has come a long way in the last 20 years. It used to be that companies would buy ad space religiously in newspapers, magazines, and in one of a few select TV channels. Now newspapers are becoming less and less relevant (when was the last time you picked one up and turned past the front page), corporations are rethinking their magazine print plans, and TV has splintered into thousands of channels that now compete with Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook.

The rise of digital advertising has in some ways leveled the playing field for small businesses, with ad networks like Facebook, Google, and AdMob giving everyone un-gated access to billions of Internet users. One of the biggest innovations of digital advertising is the increased ability to show ads to the right people at the right time. Below are some of digital advertising's most popular targeting tactics that blow old time traditional advertising out of the water. They are written from a Google point of view because, well, I work at Google, but they are universally applicable across the digital world.

Keyword Targeting
Google's tried and true targeting option for ads that appear in Google search results is called keyword targeting. Keyword targeting lets you show ads to people who look up a specific word or phrase on Google. Imagine you sell boat cleaner, and you want to get people to buy bottles of cleaner off your new website. You can target keywords like 'new boat cleaner' or 'the best boat cleaner.' This puts your ads right in front of someone who is actually searching for boat cleaner on Google. If this does not put you in front of enough customers then you can expand your keyword targeting to less direct keywords like 'get a stain off my boat' or 'brand new boat.' Targeting ads with keyword targeting brings the best and most measurable ROI available in advertising.

Demographic Targeting
Ads shown across different websites are not the same for every person. Companies can choose to have their ads seen by different demographics including age, gender, and parental status. Demographic targeting is often overlaid over some other targeting option. For example a drug company may want to show ads on WebMD type sites but only to men over 55.

Keyword Contextual Targeting
When a company wants to show ads to people who are not on Google search it can instead contextually target keywords. Keyword contextual targeting finds sites with certain keywords on the page and places ads on those sites. For example a Celtic bagpipe seller can select keywords like 'Celtic' and 'bagpipes' and put ads on those sites. This saves the bagpipe seller the trouble of coming up with a list of sites that are related to bagpipes.

Placement Targeting
Let's say, however, that the bagpipe seller has a few specific sites it wants to target. Well then the seller can select those specific websites and put ads on them.

Topic Targeting
Similar to Keyword Contextual Targeting, Topic Targeting allows a company to show ads on websites that fall under a specific category of sites. Our beloved bagpipe maker could target sites related to folk music.

Affinity Segments
Rather than thinking about putting ads in the right places, many companies have begun to think more and more about showing ads to the right audience, regardless of where that as appears. Let's say that our bagpipe maker knows that it's audience LOVES folk music. He or she may prefer to show bagpipe ads to folk music lovers across all websites. So what if the ad shows up on a car site, the user may be interested.

Remarketing (Retargeting)
Often a company's most valuable leads are those who have already had sooner interaction with the company. Remarketing is a tool that puts a tracker (cookie) on a user who visits a site. The advertiser can then show ads to this user. This can also be used to upsell or get additional purchases from a past customer. Our bagpipe seller may choose to sell sheet music via remarketing to customers who just bought a new bagpipe.

Google Chromecast

After using the new Google Chromecast for the last week I thought I would share a few thoughts.  The Chromecast is a thumb drive like device that plugs into a TV’s HDMI slot.  Once plugged in you can transmit videos or music from your smartphone, tablet, or PC to your TV.

So what is the big deal?  I already have a ROKU box, Apple TV, or an HDMI cable that connects my computer to my TV.  Why do I care about Chromecast?

The BIG DEAL is this:

Size

I love the Chromecast’s thumb drive shape and size.  You can fit the device in your pocket and take it with you on business trips, vacations, or to show off to your neighbor.  Plus you don’t have a box sitting on, by, or even under your TV Chromecast is no larger than your average thumb-drive.

Compatibility

Chromecast is not limited to working with just one computer or phone.  No, you can share this device across an infinite number of devices.  And that is on both the sharing and the receiving end.  You can take this device to a hotel and plug it into the room’s TV and avoid the onslaught of local TV crap.  You can take Chromecast to your friends place, your girlfriend’s condo, your dad’s retirement home, or your kid’s Sunday School class.  What I am trying to say is that you can take this device anywhere and run it off any smartphone, tablet, or PC.

Price

The price is right for the Chromecast.  The device is less expensive than most HDMI cables, making it a no-brainer for someone simply looking to connect their computer to their TV.  When you then consider the cost of similar Internet TV boxes like Apple TV, you save a lot of money going with Chromecast.

Now not everything has been peaches and cream with Chromecast.  I being the Googley person that I am was hoping to have this device cure cancer and bring my dog back from her backyard grave.  It turns out that Chromecast is not really the cure-all I had hoped.

What I Do Not Like

Wall Plug Dependent

I wish Chromecast ran off a battery.  Why shackle such a powerfully small device with a wall plugin.  The decision seems akin to a creating a cellphone that must be plugged into the wall to turn on.  

Cloud Only

It is time to transfer your movies to the cloud, because Google’s Chromecast will only allow you to play content that is on the online (small movie pun compliments of The Internship).  This means that you will have to find another way to play all of those movies you downloaded off Torrent last year.

Wi-Fi Required

The biggest con of Chromecast is that it requires Wi-Fi to function.  Chromecast creates a secondary Wi-Fi network after tapping into your current Wi-Fi network.  It then receives data through this new network.  This means that you cannot use Chromecast if there is no Wi-Fi network to join.

So what does Chromecast mean for Google?  Is this Google’s initiation into a low-cost cost small electronic device market?  At only $35 Chromecast is perfectly targeted to capture the 18-30 tech savvy demographic that keeps Google in business.   Will we be seeing a Chromecast 2.0 soon?  What does this mean for cable?  Are we one step closer to slaying the major networks and living our lives on Netflix and YouTube?

90 Seconds or Less

You may have seen the grissly footage of the 777 that crash landed in San Francisco over the weekend.  Like me, you may have wondered how anyone could survive the crash, especially when photos of the plane revealed a smoldering mess of sizzling seats inside a blackened shell of metal.  How did so many passengers exit the doomed Asiana plane in time to escape the gas explosion that should have killed all aboard?

90 seconds or less.  Anyone who has ever been in a hurry to get off a plane knows it is going to be a 10 to 15 minute endeavor.  What may come as a surprise is that the Boeing 777 is designed so that all it's passengers can exit the aircraft in under 90-seconds ... and that is assuming half the plane's doors cannot open.  I used to wonder why anyone would need to get off a plane so quickly, but now considering flight 241I understand.

Boeing engineers understand the need for a back up plan, but do I?  What is my 90-second backup plan?  Every one of us will encounter a plane wreck or two as we pursue our life goals and passions.  When that treacherous and unexpected moment comes skidding into our life do we have the courage and preparedness to abandon our lost pursuit in 90-seconds or less?

In January of 2012 I began the application process for Walmart's young graduate leadership program.  This would be a springboard for my career, and I knew this was what I needed to do upon graduation.  Halfway through the application process, however, a blazing smoking plane came crashing at my door.  I failed Walmart's personality test.  At first I couldn't bring myself to believe my dream had gone up in smoke.  I kept fighting this failure.  I called recruiters.  I called the software company that created the personality test.  I could not move on, and my paralysis was going to get me burned.  I had put all of my proverbial eggs into one basket.  I had no back up plan.