

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

Most things that are shared on here are paid for by advertisements.  But do you think that these adverts actually deliver a return?<p>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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

