Just as the title says: Have you ever clicked on an ad, knowing it was an ad, on purpose? What ad was it? Why did you click it?

Curious because I realized I have not once in my life clicked on an ad shown online on purpose. Accidentally, and being tricked into clicking the wrong thing sure; never with intent though.

  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    Once.

    It was in gmail (I think gmail used to have text ads?), for a local job, in my field, right when I was about to quit.

    I got the job.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Does it count if it was for a shitty company and I just wanted to drive up their ad costs? If so, yes. Otherwise, no. lol

    • OsaErisXero@kbin.run
      0·
      6 months ago

      Turns out when the ads are for things I want, at good prices and without all the nag and malware, they’re beneficial for both consumer and advertiser. Advertising used to be a useful tool for both parties.

      But enshitification must continue.

  • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Sure, because it was my friend’s computer and I thought it would be funny if he got more pop-ups for boner pills and also I was 12.

  • atmur@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Nope, I’ll even specifically avoid companies that I see or hear excessive ads for. When I needed to change car insurance a while back and had a list of options going, I immediately removed all the ones I could remember seeing advertising for.

    Two reasons:

    1. I have an unhealthy hatred of advertising.

    2. They’re spending an absurd amount of money on digital spam as opposed to making their product/service better or cheaper. Some percentage of what you pay for in the product is to cover their advertising campaigns, and I prefer that percentage be as small as possible.

  • Glowstick@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    If you’re talking about ads that look like ads, it’s happened maybe twice since the mid 90s. But who knows how many ads disguised as content that any of us has ever clicked on?

  • Maxnmy's@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    I have purposely clicked on ads for some video games. It isn’t worth the click even then since you end up on some marketing railroad that doesn’t lead directly to the steam page.

  • davidgro@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    Yeah, saw a neat looking cat toy in an ad, and bought it.

    It was an ad for a motorized ball about as big as a golf ball, lights up and kinda rolls/jumps around on its own as long as the cats nudge it. Eventually sleeps when they stop playing with it.

    It is exactly as advertised, but the cats are only kinda interested in it. We still recharge it and put it out for them occasionally.

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
      0·
      6 months ago

      the cats are only kinda interested in it

      Have you tried giving them the box it came in?

  • spujb@lemmy.cafeEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    to provide an answer from the advertiser’s perspective, they are very aware that the Click Through Rate (CTR) is incredibly low, as corroborated by the comments, actually measured at about 0.2%.

    because it’s so small and potentially difficult to track, other metrics besides CTR are used alongside by marketers, including total impressions, conversion rates between other channels and, yes, tracing your browsing history by way of cookies and other invasive digital tools.