Google is currently working with brands that advertise through the company, attempting to display loyalty programs through advertisements.
Google Ads may be a minor annoyance when encountered across Search results, and an irritating nuisance when covering up content on web pages, but dang if they don’t make money for the tech giant. AdSense is an economical juggernaut, and like it or not, it’s indirectly responsible for a lot of the content that we consume; YouTubers and blog writers aren’t exactly earning the big bucks through other means (unless they’re popular enough to either have sponsors or parent companies, which is a completely different can of worms).
At the end of the day, we’re stuck with them and Google’s going to keep milking them. Am I happy constantly writing articles about how a multi-billion corporation is constantly working on its ads, making them more and more prevalent until the consumerist lifestyle that we’ve been sold onto since our very youths strangle up in our sleep? Well, not at all, yet time trudges on and so must I.
At any rate, let’s move on to more light-hearted fare and talk about the new features that Google’s got in store for advertisers. Many brands across the world have some sort of loyalty bonuses that they offer to consumers. There are gift cards, where for every 5 ice creams you buy at a certain shop, the 6th one is free. There are memberships, with their perks and discounts available. There’s also access to certain exclusive items or features that only long-time customers can have. Of course, brand loyalty is a complete lie, and the average consumer should explore options as they see fit.
However, big brands want to convince us that displaying some sort of loyalty to a corporation that makes more money than perhaps the entire world’s working class will ever see is a sign of healthy behavior. It’s why everyone keeps talking about how millennials are killing every other industry out there; it’s because they’re “disloyal” and “lacking in integrity”, as opposed to just having little enough money to splurge on Mcdonald’s. Alright, forgive me for the second tangent of this article, and allow me to soldier on towards the point.
Google’s new advertising sensibilities, which have been tested out by Ulta Beauty (an American beauty stores brand), are going to rely on consumer information to target ads more specifically towards relevant groups, and will now also start featuring loyalty bonuses more heavily in them. Moreover, the tech giant is also looking into methods that will make the transition from ads to online stores more seamless.
Of course, this is all being done for the consumer’s good: take the consumer’s data without telling them; bombard them with advertisements unprompted with no real off button, and essentially rely on online peer pressure to entice younger audiences to fork over the cash. Yes, nothing morally ambiguous about all of this at all. Now, allow me to finish this article, apologize for my final tangent, and take a cold, cold shower.
H/T: MP
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