[nervechannel]

"It is fundamentally different from the ad platform that is Google. People go to Google to find something they need, possibly ready to buy, which a good percentage of the time can in fact be solved by someone's ad. Facebook ads, on the other hand, annoy users. They yield no real value, and thus no profits. "

Err -- television ads also just serve to get in the way and annoy users, when they want to sit and relax and do something completely different from hunting-for-stuff-to-buy.

But last time I checked, most TV channels are still running ads, 50+ years on.

[philwelch]

TV doesn't run ads to the extreme right margin of whatever else on screen you happen to be watching. If it did, TV advertising wouldn't be worth any money, either.

[powrtoch]

Sounds pretty similar to the network "Up next" ads that run along the bottom everytime a show cuts back from commercial or is about to end.

The difference would be that you are "already watching TV", in the same sense that Google had you "already searching for something", but this same logic applies so long as the ad being placed is for something on Facebook, which many of them are.

[judofyr]

Facebook doesn't pause what you're doing right now to show you five minutes of ads. If it did, Facebook advertising wouldn't be worth any money, either.

[corin_]

a.) Not really relevant, the point is that TV shows that adverts can work even if they're not being shown somewhere where viewers are actively looking for something that might be advertised.

b.) There are plenty of websites out there which are profitable through advertising without the logic of "viewers came to the site to look for something". Maybe that's a better example. Again, you could argue that facebook adverts aren't identical to those found on most sites, but that doesn't change the fact that website advertising can (and often does) work.

[philwelch]

Advertisements work when they get people's attention. Google advertisements get people's attention because they're relevant to what the user is looking for, TV advertisements get people's attention because they take up the whole screen and are often funny or dramatic in themselves, Groupon emails get people's attention because they're actionable coupons that users really want to get, and "GOLDENPALACE.COM" painted on the back of a streaker at a professional sporting event gets people's attention because, hey, a streaker! Facebook ads are virtually hidden in a margin on the edge of the screen where users are more or less trained to ignore things.

[corin_]

I completely agree that Facebooks adverts are very badly implemented.

However, that doesn't take away from the fact that it is factually wrong to say that adverts don't work on websites where the users aren't already looking for what the adverts are promoting.

[minimax]

They run them on the bottom margin during soccer games. Not that anyone is making money from soccer broadcasting in the USA.

[philwelch]

Yes, and also on billboards circling the pitch, and on the players' shirts, and in the name of the stadium.

[ry0ohki]

TV ads, if nothing else, enforce branding in people's minds. Like a funny Miller Lite commercial isn't trying to get an immediate purchase of Miller Lite, but just get the brand to stick in someone's mind the next time they are thinking of buying something. Facebook ads don't offer that same brand awareness (or at least it seems to take a lot more money to achieve the same awareness)

[Splines]

Probably because they're off to the right, easily ignored. If I had ads in my news feed I wouldn't exactly appreciate it, but it'd probably be more effective.

[philwelch]

On Facebook, go "like" a company or a TV show or something. Now you have ads in your news feed.

[yeahsure]

TV channels also rely on subscribers, I believe.

Having said that - I still think Facebook ads might work in the long run. While they are annoying, they are also highly targeted and will only get more targeted in the future.

[baha_man]

"TV channels also rely on subscribers, I believe."

Not necessarily - in the UK, ITV is free-to-air and entirely funded by advertising and sponsorship.

[ErrantX]

And, also, by selling content to others.

Even the BBC (tax payer funded) has a (separate) commercial arm to make and sell programming.

[rythie]

Actually I don't think TV ads, in the U.K. at least, are annoying.

TV adverts are often entertaining, point me to products I didn't know about and they give you chance to go to the toilet or get a drink.

Also, very often they are relevant e.g. in Motor racing or shows about Houses.

I've yet to see and advert on Facebook that's useful or even just entertaining.

[Kilimanjaro]

If you watch discovery kids, you'll see ads about diapers, toys, etc. Watch comedy central? erection pills, ggw, etc

Targeted ads work, just like google. But facebook is like a 24/7 annoying infomercial channel.