It's a very funny book. He's an old-style TV/print ad guy who has been ranting about the stupidity of the online ad market for decades.
He makes the point that the reason trad-ad gets so much money, is because everyone knows that ads are annoying.
They're annoying on TV, they're annoying on radio and streaming services, they're annoying in cinemas, they're often annoying in print, and they're especially annoying online.
In fact they're more annoying online than anywhere else, and less effective at selling stuff than ads in other media - because online ads are poorly targeted, poorly designed, poorly distributed, lacking in context, and generally nearly useless.
All of which could have been changed - and it may or may not be too late now.
I think it's worth reading the blog:
http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/
(And no - I don't get affiliate income from that link.)
So, for example, when I dead reviews about a product, the reviewer could use an affiliate link. Because at that time I'll probably buy it anyway.
Today's ads just hurt everyone.
A much better model that I would agree with, would be a well-annotated "Promotional Post" with an ending that says "Here is what we thought about it: <Link to Review>."
𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆
There are trackers on every site, dozens of them. And they are all totally useless for advertising. If I watch a let's play on some game, ads for the game or similar games will half of the time lead to me buying it. Current tracking ads will show me an ad for something I bought a week ago next to the video, and one week later, after I have the game, I'll see ads for the game everywhere.
𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘀
If I load a website, I don't want to get a metaphorical – or for some people, quite realistic – epileptic shock. I want to be able to enjoy the content. The ads should be visible (not just plain text), but they should not be annoying or misleading. Don't put 20 ads looking like download buttons on a download page, or I'll stop recommending your page – or, worse, recommend people to install an AdBlock extension.
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁
Obviously, this all only helps for affiliate-type ads, not for Brand Awareness. But for those, there is a far better solution, that is far more successful: Viral Marketing. Often, Brand Awareness works best through marketing that is fun to watch, fun to interact with. In that case, a minigame as ad in your Facebook stream, or a fun video on YouTube can be far more effective.
Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion.