Users Know Advertisers Watch Them, and Hate It

Chris Blanc tips an Ars writeup on a survey of consumer attitudes toward targeted advertising. The results of the survey, conducted for TRUSTe, confirm that advertisers are in a tough spot. "[The survey company] randomly selected 1,015 nationally representative adults... Although only 40 percent of the group was familiar with the term 'behavioral targeting,' most users were well aware of the practice. 57 percent reported that they weren't comfortable their activities [were being] tracked for advertising purposes, even if the information couldn't be tied to their names or real-life identities. Simultaneously, 72 percent of those surveyed said that they find online advertising annoying when the ads are not relevant to their needs..."

Comments

Re:Well, block them.

[DrEldarion]

You do realize that blocking the easy-to-block ads will just make them create more annoying ones, right? (see: interstitials)

Anyway, if you don't like ads, don't use ad-supported sites. It's that simple. If you like the site, leave the ads on and support the creator. Don't be childish about it.

Re:Bottom line...Not quite

[plasmacutter]

not true.

I "bought into" a package of a particular flavor of jones soda because it tastes like a drink that's exceedingly expensive to import. (it's sold in the asian district for about 25 cents an OUNCE)

the soda was 40 cents less a can than the pepsi products on the same aisle.

nothing to do with marketing, it's called a competitive product -- something foreign to the US economy for a long time because the vast majority of producers who pull that "capitalism" crap are bought out and shut down by the incumbents.