“Mute This Ad” on the way.
Google is rolling out a new system to allow users to block certain ads from showing up as they surf the web, and it’s a very welcome feature.
Over the past year the number of “remarketing” ads has exploded. These ads are served to you based on web sites you’ve previously visited.
It may seem a bit creepy to some people to see ads for web sites they’ve visited show up on unrelated sites. I personally don’t mind — it’s smart marketing and good for the web site publisher who is giving me content for free.
But, there comes a time when you’ve seen an ad too much and it annoys you. Or you accidentally visited a site that is now remarketing to you, and you want it to stop. Or you already decided to buy (or not to buy) a product.
The new “Mute this Ad” feature let’s you tell Google to stop serving a display ad to you.
This new feature is a win-win for both web users and advertisers. Advertisers pay to show these remarketed ads, and if a web surfer clicks the mute button then the advertisers won’t keep paying to serve an ad to someone who’s not going to buy. Another scenario is when you’ve already bought a product that’s being remarketed to you. Advertisers don’t have a good way of knowing whether or not you’ve made a purchase decision already. This way you can tell them.
And finally, .co can stop following you around the web 🙂
Francois says
A good thing because it’s a true advertising waste when the person has already purchased in the site and Google continues showing ads of the visited site for weeks!
FYI: This is called “behavioral retargeting” and I own the .com for years…
Acro says
You can use AVG and block such behavior-based ad display: http://www.avg.com/us-en/do-not-track
It’s completely transparent.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Acro – I read an article about Microsoft planning to turn on “do not track” by default in its next browser.
As a web publisher I don’t like it.
Andrew Allemann says
to clarify, I don’t like “do not track” being turned on by default.
Acro says
Personally, I don’t like Facebook’s similar integration into web sites such as CNN. Privacy is a big concern in Europe where Microsoft has been penalized repeatedly, so perhaps their default setting reflects that concern.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Acro – but you’d agree that targeting ads to an anonymous user is different from integrating with something personal, like Facebook?
A D Simmons says
All browsers should have an “ADMUTE” button. Then remarketed ads wouldnt appear. The regular paid ads would be the ones that appear. Thus blocking the ads that are based on “tracking” which for the most part people done like.
A D Simmons says
Let me clarify.
All searches (search engines) should have an “ADMUTE” button. That would make people very happy.