[zw123456]

OK, but query me this batman. Lately, I have been inundated by ads for anything to do with Kayaks. I do not own a Kayak. I do not want to own a Kayak and have never even spoken the word as far as I can remember. But for some reason, I am seeing ads for a Kayak carrier, a Kayak launcher, roof rack, you name it. It is so weird. I cannot figure out why suddenly these idiots think I am remotely interested in Kayaking. Kayaking, it is just so random. But way back in the 2000s, a friend of mine worked for a web site dev company. Her job was to visit with clients and take pictures of whatever they were hawking, write some copy and the dudes back in her office would turn it into a web page. She would occasionally ask me to come along and stare at whatever crap they were selling and act like I cared about it while she snapped some photos. I joked that meant technically I was a model. But then one time she was doing a web page for a marketing company that did focus groups. That was back before we had smart phones tracking your every move. I posed in a fake focus group with some other people and after that, the dude that ran the place asked me if I wanted to be in real focus group and I agreed. They seemed to think there were certain connections that made no sense. For example, they were sure that they could market adult diapers to nerds that play video games who were to absorbed in their game to get off their ass to take a simple dump. Apparently that is actually a thing? Then I went to this one focus group where they were asking if you own a dog and buy a lot of peanut butter. Read between the lines. So gross. So, I am guessing, some marketing weirdo thinks there is some weird connection between something else in my life an Kayaks. It would be interesting to know what that is. But, I think, a lot of times, they might be right about those weird connections that make you feel like they are reading your mind. Just in this case, whatever it is, maybe that I watch a lot of documentaries and that means I like Kayaking? I guess they only have to be right some percentage of the time. Just not in this case.

[Suppafly]

Depending on your age and if you have any vaguely outdoorsy interests, you probably are due for a kayak interest. A bunch of guys I know in the late 30s early 40s are into kayaks right now. Kayaks and smoking meat.

[solarkraft]

> So, I am guessing, some marketing weirdo thinks there is some weird connection between something else in my life an Kayaks.

That would explain the intensity, but I’d still be surprised to see any patterns not found by ML/statistics.

It seems to me that somebody in your life has gotten into Kayaks. Take it as a challenge to find out who it is.

[cschep]

someone probably googled “kayak” from your wifi?

[zw123456]

Hmmm, I live alone and in a pretty remote area (on an island). I keep my wifi pretty secure, so, that seems pretty unlikely. But who knows, anything is possible I suppose. Maybe because I live on an island.

[Suppafly]

>Hmmm, I live alone and in a pretty remote area (on an island).

A kayak seems like a practical purchase if you live on an island.

[a0123]

You live on an island, see ads for kayaks and the first thing you went with was: "somebody is listening to all my conversations even though my phone battery wouldn't be able to handle a slightly long phone call"?

That's what people mean when they say there is a lot of data points that can explain things very easily without having to resort to a convoluted explanation.

[simonw]

Yeah, if ad targeting networks know you live on an island (easily done, location data is the most common type they get their hands on) it's pretty sensible for them to try and sell you a kayak.

[whamlastxmas]

Or they googled fitness or outdoors and live near water

Edit: yep

[zw123456]

Weird it just popped up. Probably they cranked up a new algo that said, if they live near water, hit 'em with kayak ads. Why not paddle boards or boats too? Whatever.

[whamlastxmas]

What has the highest margin and therefore the most ad spend? Probably fancy folding kayaks. Kayaks are also popular with fishing in a way paddle boards aren’t. And either that person or his neighbors or friends are into fishing and Google knows this