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.

  • Maxnmy's@lemmy.worldEnglish
    45·
    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.

    • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
      10·
      6 months ago

      Same for me, on occasion I’ve discovered decent games by clicking on the ads on mobile. Since I know it’s going to open up the play store, it doesn’t feel as sketchy.

      However, the vast majority of the time I back out after taking a look at the game page.

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
      6·
      6 months ago

      I was thinking “no” but, yeah, Steam Store front page. Almost every time I launch, I take a moment to see what’s good today.

      But apart from that, I can’t think of a time though it’s probably happened once or twice over the years. At best, some brand’s ad looks like a good idea, so I start searching the market,and if I buy, you can be guaranteed it ended up being from a competitor.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
    32·
    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
      181·
      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.

    • TurboWafflz@lemmy.world
      11·
      6 months ago

      Yeah I’m usually way more willing to click ads that are for something on the website I’m already on than for something somewhere else

  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
    262·
    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.

  • atmur@lemmy.worldEnglish
    241·
    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
    21·
    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?

  • Deconceptualist@lemm.eeEnglish
    21·
    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.

  • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
    16·
    6 months ago

    I saw one about lonely moms available in my area and clicked because I’m an orphan.

    I apologize in advance for that joke and I’m about to donate $100 to a local charity that works with orphans. If you laughed, I encourage you to do the same so we can turn my horrid, inexcusable joke into something positive.

  • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    6 months ago

    Yes. When I search for a company name and their website is the first organic result, but they still bid on their own fucking name. I click that shit to cost them money for being stupid. That of course reinforces their marketing manager’s opinion that they’re doing a great job, but whatever. Waste all the money you want, I guess. It’s pretty ridiculous how inefficient big companies can be and still make massive amounts of money.

    • GenosseFlosse@lemmy.nz
      8·
      6 months ago

      They often do that to own more positions on the results page, and you don’t get to see their competition without scrolling or clicking on the next page.

    • rjthyen@lemm.ee
      7·
      6 months ago

      Isn’t it dumb that if I Google “Amazon” the top result is their ad and the next is the same link without the ad? Would make way more sense for the Amazon’s ad to be the top result if I googled “Wal-Mart”

    • brbposting
      7·
      6 months ago

      If they don’t bid for that spot, couldn’t a fraudulent (or at least competing) site take it?

    • neo@lemy.lol
      2·
      6 months ago

      If you become their costumer - joke’s on you, because now you are paying them to pay Google.

  • davidgro@lemmy.world
    13·
    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.

  • skye@lemmy.world
    13·
    6 months ago

    I clicked an ad for roblox in 2012 when i was a child. Probably the only ad i don’t regret clicking on, accidentally or not.

    I think I also might have clicked an ad on kongregate around that same time period.

    Now I use an adblocker, so I can’t really click on ads even if i wanted to

  • slazer2au@lemmy.worldEnglish
    121·
    6 months ago

    Adnausem clicks on all ads because that is how you mess your digital footprint.

  • axzxc1236@lemm.ee
    10·
    6 months ago

    I once saw an advertisement that is negative towards house building company, links to a news article.