Week 13 Part A: Online Advertising - Analysis of the Marketplace

When scrolling on any type of social media, I usually will see an ad every couple of posts. Normally, I would scroll past them, but rarely does one catch my eye. A lot of ads are hard to trust because it could be a scam or the product isn't really what they say it is. I had a friend once, who fell for an ad that was the whole set of the series, "Friends". She bought the product and never received it. After being tricked once, she is probably less likely to buy something off of an ad again. However, when a company uses an influencer to promote a product, it feels more personal and believable.  I would like to think that an influencer would only promote real products and something they really believe in to help their followers. Usually a demonstration of the product or someone talking about why I need the product usually will influence me into looking at the product. Helping visualize the ad will usually also talk me into buying something. An annoying ad would be one that looks fake or one that advertises a product that I know isn't what they say it is. I can tell how real it is by clicking on the actual link and depending on where that takes me, it can be a little more telling. 

Traditional advertising might look like an ad in the newspaper or a magazine. I think this kind of older ad may not be as impactful or seen as something posted on social media. I think a company will target an ad to their market, If the product is directed towards the older generation, it may be seen more on the newspaper or the radio. However, if the product may be directed towards middle aged women, they may want to spend their money on putting ads on Facebook. I think each can be effective, but depends on the market for the product.