Ads in the escapist - irrelevant?

[adamthecg]

I like that there are ads on the escapist - Of course I will sit though ads that I know are helping to create content that I like, however the ads I'm seeing are not really relevant to me, and I think I'm a pretty accurate representation of the average escapist viewer (ie male 19 year old).

Now I only see the Australian ads including:

1. Clearasil - two girls talking about the lastest fashion tips for summer and a purifying facial cleanser

2. Westfield - A branch of shopping complexes promoted by fashion icon Gok Wan.

3. Hyundi i40 - basically a family car way out of my price range or style.

4. Domain - a real estate website, urging me to put my non-existant house up for sale on their site



I'm interested to know whether other countries have different/more relevant ads or they suffer the same problem.

Perhaps I have misjudged the escapist community and you are mostly late 20s early 30s female fashionistas who have just started a family.

 

[Sassafrass]

The Escapist doesn't actually have any control on what ads are put up, they just sell the space and the advertisers put up what they fancy.

I think that's how it works anyway. And they aren't irrelevant as they get money for each ad that loads on your page, therefore stopping the Pub Club becoming mandatory.

Whoops, misread the OP there. My bad. XD

 

[Jack and Calumon]

The Escapist does not pick and choose adverts. The adverts are given to them and they are told to show them. No ifs, whys or buts. They may not be relevant, but the Escapist has no choice. If it wants it's money, and I assume it does, it needs to show whatever ad it is given.

Calumon: But... what if someone here needs to sell their house to buy a car and go to a big shop to wash their face?

 

[tomtom94]

An advertisement, irrelevant? Surely this is a revelation!

In all seriousness, they aren't the Escapist's adverts.

 

[Rednog]

I don't mind ads that are irrelevant. I do, however, mind the giant banner that takes up the bottom fourth of my screen and pops up on every page. I'm sorry but no, that nonsense has to stop, yea advertising is fine when it is non intrusive, but when I manually have to close it in order to do something that crosses the line for me.

 

[Bobic]

It does seem a bit daft. There was an ad for Bravissimo, a bra company in the UK. Girls are rather uncommon here, and that's not just an idiotic generalisation. I've seen a couple of people make 'what gender are you' polls, and the results were like 80% guys, so surely you could find something more specific to the audience. Though a lot of ads here are for games, which couldn't be more apt, so it's not all daft.

 

[Tharwen]

If they're using Google's ad scheme they can block certain companies from displaying ads, but from their perspective there's not really much point in blocking those ads you mentioned as far as I can see. They're not exactly damaging to the site.

 

[Phlakes]

So the escapist has no control over who puts ads on their site? I guess i find that hard to believe I mean its their own site. Even if it is true, its still strange that these companies choose to advertise here rather than say... a gaming company.

I guess with Facebook specifically targeting my interests all the time, I have gotten used to the fact that every ad I see interests me in some way (inb4 ad block - I use it)

They don't get any other ads. They put up the ones that are offered because it's all they get offered. This site isn't prime real estate.

 

[XDravond]

Well as long as I don't have to put up with another Venus lady shave vid I'm fine...
But yes some of the ads are, well Escapist is probably not the best space for some products

But I think it starts to get somewhat to long lately it's been 30s for 5min show feels a bit to long... but I guess it's better than none... If they for some reason up it to 45s-1min then well that IS to long...

PS at this moment I can see a ad for "adoptuskids..." and "vindictus".... and I have a hard time to see me adopting a kid ;-P the game though is the exact right spot...

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

Either way, they have to pay the bills somehow...

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I'm in the UK, and I only get an ad on the top banner of the webpages, so the two blue side panels are completely blank, apart from the occasional full page videogame ads that appear occasionally (like skyrim) I've always thought that was a bit of a missed opportunity, as having those spaces filled with ads wouldn't bother me.

 

[evilneko]

So the escapist has no control over who puts ads on their site? I guess i find that hard to believe I mean its their own site. Even if it is true, its still strange that these companies choose to advertise here rather than say... a gaming company.

I guess with Facebook specifically targeting my interests all the time, I have gotten used to the fact that every ad I see interests me in some way

OT: A moderator could've justed ninja-edited out the stupid inb4 meme if they wanted...

That's kinda what happens when you have a third-party ad network displaying ads on your site. You don't control what ads appear. Sure, you can set your preferences beforehand, but that doesn't mean that's all you'll get. And yes--ads on the Escapist are served by a third-party network. Very few websites serve up ads locally. Site owners can (and do) get ads pulled from rotation on their sites, but invariably that only happens after the fact. Targeting-wise though, they just take what they can get, especially here. I recall it being said they have enough trouble selling their adspace as it is, without worrying about who the ads are targeted at.

Incidentally, this is why blocking ads is considered an important part of layered PC security. On many ad networks, it's trivially easy to inject a malvertisement into rotation and infect people who visit supposedly-safe sites. Therein lies the dilemma for security-conscious users: their only options to support sites they use are to donate or to lower their shields and expose themselves to risk. And if the site doesn't take donations, well...

 

[Wintermoot]

I used to get adds for stuff that isn't even sold in my country!
they localized it but still lots of stuff I don,t want nor need.