
Ad Industry Will Soon Unveil a Do Not Track Browser Solution - Libertatea
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ad-industry-will-soon-unveil-do-not-track-browser-solution-157356
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dredmorbius
I'll see that when I believe it.

Counterproposal: there are two primary modes of advertising.

1\. Brand awareness and signalling. The key element here is ubiquity, that is,
the _extravagence_ of your ad spend _is_ the message, and the waste is _the
key part_. The message transmitted is "this is a solid, reputable, and highly
profitable brand".

Or in the words of Davis, et al: “It is not so much the claims made by
advertisers that are helpful, but the fact that they are willing to spend
extravagant amounts of money on a product that is informative.”

Not my idea, it's from Don Marti's "Targeted Advertising Considered Harmful":
[http://zgp.org/targeted-advertising-considered-
harmful/](http://zgp.org/targeted-advertising-considered-harmful/)

2\. Detecting intentionality and delivering optimality.

There are relatively few times when I'm actually _receptive_ to online
advertising. And at those times, I run into the obverse problem: the _content_
presented is copious but the _information_ presented is sparse. Most
critically, I've yet to encounter an online shopping or search interface which
can perform the primary function of a semi-competent sales clerk: to register
what I _don 't_ wan't and am _not_ interested in, and provide me with a
"dismiss with extreme prejudice" option.

Stop showing me chargers when I'm looking for a cheap laptop. Stop showing me
deck chairs when I'm searching for a _desk_ chair. Stop showing me low chairs
when I'm looking for a drafting chair. Stop showing me backless stools when I
want one with a back on it. Etc.

Or: _Why don 't search engines simply ask for the appropriateness of a given
result and modify the result set accordingly?_

Addressed in greater length here:
[http://redd.it/24107v](http://redd.it/24107v)

