[BinaryIdiot]

> I use Google to search for A Certain Thing to buy, I buy it, and BAM - I spend the next month getting ads for the same Certain Thing.

Yeah Google ads are awful now. The best bang for your bank, ads wise? Facebook and Super Bowl commercials.

> Print ads, especially in the glossy predecessors of what Medium would like to be, were often professional, creative, and at least potentially interesting.

When was the last time you purchased a product with print ads? I used to subscribe to a ton of magazines a little over a decade ago but cancelled them all because for every 1-2 articles of content there were 3-4 ads. It got to the point where I could finish a magazine, cover to cover, in minutes because of how many ads were in there.

[bambax]

Amazon ads are no better, and for the exact same reason. I'm old enough to remember when Amazon first appeared, everyone was talking about how they were going to be able to make magic suggestions. Turns out, all the magic is just telling you to buy again what you JUST BOUGHT.

Netflix recommendation engine isn't amazing either -- except that, in the case of Netflix, I often like to watch a show a second time.

[jackgolding]

Lots of people on /r/juststart think Facebook ads are no good. On firms with lots of brand equity I've foudn both FB and Google to be good. Display ads - not so much