[chaz]

> It's also easy to say that "No one clicks on ads" or "I never click on ads."

I would add that the majority of ads in the world are brand advertising -- driving awareness and consideration and not targeting a direct response. If you're planning to watch the Super Bowl today, the Olympics later today, or just about any pro/college sport, it's been largely paid for by ads. Not to mention just about any TV show, news program, newspaper, or magazine. No one immediately runs out to Target when they see a detergent ad, but next time they're in Target or shopping at Amazon (and after receiving many more impressions), the familiarity grants it extra consideration.

Most people are familiar with keyword ads, but not as much with brand ads. There's no need to click -- advertisers pay for impressions, and sites get paid for impressions. A little less than half of Internet ads is from brand/display advertising -- about $22bn in the US alone. But globally there are hundreds of billions more from TV, radio, print, and outdoor that could potentially shift online.

http://www.itamarnovick.com/why-facebook-would-be-worth-200b...