Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same results

Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by omarforgotpwd on Thursday March 30, 2017 @03:53AM (#13993661)

I agree completely with your assessment. I run a website called HeyAmIFat.com where you can send in a picture of yourself and we'll tell you if you look fat or not in minutes. I often look at the huge companies advertising on my site and think "if they could see where their ads are being placed right now they'd probably realize they're wasting their money"

On the other hand this huge "fraud" is what makes Google free and has thus powered the information revolution that now looks like a pivotal turning point in human history. Hard to be all that mad that Google made all the worlds information freely searchable by ripping off dumb businesses...

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by mrieck on Thursday March 30, 2017 @09:31AM (#13995140)

Give your website more credit.

I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by bigtimeidiot on Thursday March 30, 2017 @12:07PM (#13996586)

>I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need.

It is quite sad that anyone would consider this a business opportunity.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by njharman on Thursday March 30, 2017 @01:21PM (#13997196)

Swaths of consumer products are targeted at people with self esteem issues. Fashion, makeup, fitness performance, jewelry luxury and stats products of allmstripes. It's especially bad for young women who are bombarded with Photoshoped images of "perfection" and reminders that attractiveness = success and that sex sells.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by cpsempek on Thursday March 30, 2017 @01:12PM (#13997137)

At the risk of oversimplifying, making people feel a certain way in order to leverage that emotional state for the benefit of another is at the heart of a lot of marketing and advertising. Maybe it tastes worse when it is as blatant as the case above.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by striking on Thursday March 30, 2017 @09:34AM (#13995166)

I feel like the point is telling them that they don't look fat, because chances are they might not be.

But yeah, that is a smart way to upsell. Even if it's morally questionable.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by adamqureshi on Thursday March 30, 2017 @11:37AM (#13996289)

Saying someone is "fat" is an insult ( I think its considered an insult) you can be overweight without being fat. Fat has more todo with how you feel about your body then being overweight. I think you've found a niche market. ;-)

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by Melk on Thursday March 30, 2017 @06:02AM (#13994103)

I agree with icebraining that it's not necessarily dumb for a business to advertise on less known or even irrelevant websites. It's the same difference between an ad flashing on a video wall on Time Square, or a billboard along a busy highway, or a poster hanging in a mall. Each has a different reach and purpose and with that comes a different price.

Google gives you the choice where you want your ads to be displayed; whether it's within the Google search results, or on websites like yours, or there are programs like Google Doubleclick where you can chose which websites you want to display your ads.

I think most of the criticism here doesn't so much reflect the ignorance of advertisers like the parent comment says, but ignorance of the people commenting how advertising works.

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Re:Chase had ads on 400k sites, then on just 5k, with same r... by icebraining on Thursday March 30, 2017 @04:39AM (#13993812)

I often look at the huge companies advertising on my site and think "if they could see where their ads are being placed right now they'd probably realize they're wasting their money"

But are they? If they're paying per click, completely uninterested visitors won't cost them anything anyway. As dkuebric pointed out, we have no idea if those 395k sites were actually costing them any significant amount of money.

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