[michaelt]

  Each article on a newspaper
  already provides the context.
  What is the true purpose of this?

I'm no ad lover, but I can't imagine stories like "Care worker found guilty of murdering 13-year-old girl" and "Foreign oil tanker seized in Gulf, state TV reports" really lend themselves to contextual ads?

[laughinghan]

Dead-tree newspapers and TV networks, and the companies who bought ads in them, made plenty of money without any invasive ad-targeting. Just like many companies today make plenty of money without child labor and sweatshops. Everyone uses them when they're allowed at all because of the race to the bottom, but that doesn't mean no one can function without them.

[owenversteeg]

For the first, security cameras, background check services, etc.

For the second, political ads on all sides, as well as ads targeted to the reader. (Perhaps a book about geopolitics? A fancy globe/map?)

I shared your initial reaction, but after thinking about it a bit more deeply I feel like it could actually work.

[lenzm]

People reading an article about a tragedy are no more likely to be interested in background check services than the population as whole. That's useless targeting, it's not even targeting.

How many fancy globes and maps do you think are sold? Enough to fund all of the geopolitical news being reported?

[dhimes]

People reading an article about a tragedy are no more likely to be interested in background check services than the population as whole.

Are you sure about that? New mother, wondering where she is going to find a babysitter, wouldn't feel an increased pressure to think about security cameras and background checks after seeing something like that? I can't speak for all of them, of course, but of the few I've known such things become topics of neighborhood conversation. Perhaps you have better data.

[TeMPOraL]

I suspect parents are a particularly juicy target. Being a fresh parent myself, I've already noticed I have much different emotional reactions to news reports and even movie scenes involving safety of children.

I totally buy that in the above murder example, an ad for security cameras would be very effective.

[owenversteeg]

I agree with dhimes that targeting people reading about a tragedy would actually work quite well. Certain people read about those kinds of things, and those people are definitely more susceptible to buying certain products. If you're worried about something happening to your child, a security camera advertised within the context of such an article would be great targeting. Remember, even the best ad targeting right now only gives a certain edge over showing random ads. It's not like you need 100% of people that read the article to purchase the product.

And there are plenty of geopolitics books sold, and usually at a high price point, too. Someone commented elsewhere in the thread that $1/person/day is total online ad spend in America, so the bar isn't too high.

Furthermore, I'm responding to someone who was thinking of the _worst possible headlines_ for selling related ads. There are plenty that lend themselves better to ads: "new national park in [place near you]" could have ads for tons of very high value products... I just checked RV rentals, and even a fairly small and old RV went for $300+/night near a national park. Tack on some fees and a family could easily spend $2500, of which a large amount is profit (I imagine) with a small/old RV like that. Perhaps it has another ad too, to catch those interested in ultralight backpacking, people in that community can spend $500+ on one single piece of gear easy. And a third ad, to catch everyone else not interested by the above - an ad for a general camping/wilderness/hunting goods store.

The more I think about it, the more I'm sold that it's actually a great idea.

[cwkoss]

I'm not sure what ad network they use, but the ads on https://www.zerohedge.com/ seem to be a good example of a "financial apocalyptic paranoia" targeting.

[yumraj]

Exactly, fear is a good motivator. In our community mailing list every time there is an earthquake somewhere in CA, emails start flying about earthquake insurance.

In the above case, a crime is a good motivator for people to start looking into protection and crime prevention options.

So, yes, I think there is some real value in exploring context as the Ad driver.

[stubish]

You don't sell the subject matter. You sell the emotions it expects to generate in the reader. You put the ads designed to be attractive to the person feeling anxious or outraged or amused next to the article that is expected to engender anxiety, outrage or laughs. Fear and anxiety are great ways to shift crappy products. Pepper spray, tasers, alarm systems, funeral planning services would all benefit from your murder story obviously. Financial products for your oil tanker less obviously (specter of war creates worry about finance and movement of capital to 'safe' investments like gold)