[nihonde]

The fact that, even after applying all this technology and know-how, the ROI on ad spend is a black box with no meaningful metrics, and the spending vectors are based on sentiment tells me that advertising is not a safe long term foundation for revenue. At some point, someone is going to have to prove that the money is well spent.

[icebraining]

"I think if we could manage to analyze that expenditure of money we would find that a vast percentage of it, probably one-half, is entirely wasted." - Robert Ogden, 1898.

Yet it's still going, more than a century later.

[nihonde]

I don't disagree with your comment, but wouldn't you agree that the last thirty years have introduced an unprecedented technology environment for tracking ROI on advertising? It seems clear that a lack of incentives, not abilities, is what keeps this racket afloat. For that reason, I'm not so certain that it will be allowed to continue forever. Once advertisers get a taste of real ROI metrics, they'll drop the hand-waving platforms overnight. Biggest market opportunity of our age?

[petra]

As someone from outside the ad industry, what are you referring to ? Just tv brand advertising ,or something else ?

[ethbro]

Or in other words, "Nobody was ever fired for suggesting they buy from IBM."

In the absence of alternatives, marketing money goes to advertising.