Re: [projectvrm] Google's attempt to make a safer ad medium

['Don Marti' < >]

We know that trustworthy ad-funded organizations
have been able to exist, because magazines funded by
advertising have been among the most reputable and
influential media organizations in the USA.

What could paper and ink do in the 1940s-1980s that
the web can't do today?

  Eric Griffith, PC Magazine:

  No one in the world really loves the advertising
  model. It's frustrating at best, infuriating
  at worst.  Web pages with auto-loading video
  ads, multiple ads for the same company, giant
  above-the-fold commercials pushing the content you
  want down—they're all detestable. But no one has
  come up with anything better yet. It's certainly
  not the subscription model that everyone hates and
  finds a workaround for. In fact, it's possible that
  Content Blocking Safari Extensions could even hurt
  that, as it can selectively block cookies that are
  used by many publications to track usage.

  
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C2817%2C2485827%2C00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000585

But of course people have come up with something
better.  They just did it before the web, and the web
made some mistakes in design that, for a long time,
make it hard to implement quality advertising on the
web.

Now we're fixing those mistakes.  Next steps
now are (1) learn how advertising is supposed
to work and why it's broken on the web --
http://zgp.org/targeted-advertising-considered-harmful/

(2) Help fix it
http://blog.aloodo.org/misc/site-request/

begin Alan Mitchell quotation of Fri, Jun 12, 2015 at 07:35:27AM +0000:
> 
> Hi Frank,
> 
> I agree with almost everything you say except for two points. First, a lot
> of advertising does not attempt to 'maximise'. It simply does a job, such
> as make you aware of a product, offer or brand.
> 
> Second, in economics, 'maximisation' is a flawed and meaningless term a)
> because it often does not have a way of measuring what is being maximised
> and/or b) because the timescale for maximisation is, by definition,
> unknown.
> 
> If I run a 100 yard race I know what I need to do do maximise my speed.
> If I run a mile, I also know what I need to do to maximise my speed, but
> these are two different numbers.
> Ditto with a marathon, and five marathons.
> 
> If I try to run five marathons at a 100 yard pace I die.
> 
> But businesses/brands don't know a specific end date. The artificial end
> dates of quarterly/annual reporting simply make the likelihood of trying
> to achieve a 100 yard pace over 5 marathons more likely.
> 
> The point I'm making is that sensible for-profit organisations don't take
> profit maximisation too seriously. They take things like sustainability,
> resilience and continuous improvement very seriously. And organisations
> that do this are capable of building trust with customers.
> 
> All they have to do is accept that neo-liberal economics is a form of
> fundamentalist religion.
> 
> A
> 
> 
> Alan Mitchell, Strategy Director
> Ctrl-Shift Ltd
> West Wing, Somerset House
> Strand
> London
> WC2R1LA
> 
> Mobile: +44(0)7711 899784
> Office: +44 (0)207 759 1056
> www.ctrl-shift.co.uk
> Skype: alansmitchell
> Twitter: 321CtrlShift
> 
> 
> For up to the minute market insight register for our weekly Market Watch
> <https://www.ctrl-shift.co.uk/join>. It's free :)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 11/06/2015 16:22, "Frank Ramirez" 
> <
 >
>  wrote:
> 
> >Longtime lurker here - and consumer advocate by nature. The way I see it
> >is there is a fundamental problem for virtually all for -profit
> >organizations is that their mandate is to maximize their participation in
> >the value exchange with the end customer. This creates a chasm of trust
> >that cannot be fully bridged as each party to any transaction is
> >motivated to maximize their consumption of value in any exchange.
> >
> >With the advertising business model the mandate is to maximize their take
> >of the  economic value of their end users consumer power ( as embodied in
> >every consumer's data and attention). These ad funded vendors business
> >model is inherently nontransparent and they use their proprietary
> >knowledge of the value of information to their advantage in the barter
> >exchange for their services. This is a convenient model for the vendor as
> >the end consumer is pre- conditioned due to historical precedent to
> >freely  give up their consumer power and the consumer has no means/tools
> >by which to gain insight into the value they exchange or the relative
> >value of the services they consume. As a result consumer consumption
> >decisions are based on fuzzy qualitative "brand" attributes and not
> >quantitative "money exchanged" metrics. This results in tremendous
> >inefficiency and favors the party in the transaction with the most
> >insights into true quantitative value - i.e. the vendor.
> >
> >However, this ad-funded model is in fact non-sustainable in the long term
> >due to several factors:
> >1. The rapid advancement of technology and the new business models they
> >empower
> >2. Open and transparent communications made possible by the Internet
> >3. The efficacy/ efficiency mandate of open competitive capital markets
> >
> >Despite the long-term unsustainability there continues to be a lot of
> >gamesmanship in this market as vendors with a vested interest attempt to
> >preserve the status quo and perpetuate the obfuscation surrounding the
> >value exchange. Vendors continue to play a disingenuous packaging,
> >pricing and positioning games with the end customer. However, the
> >internet is a beautiful thing. Open communications exposes marketing
> >schemes and the truth can be  propagated to the masses.  Unfortunately,
> >this is a complex subject that is confusing to most people that are
> >bombarded with information. This results in tremendous confusion. Also,
> >major media channels have skin in the advertising game as well and need
> >to remake themselves to compete in a new world of global competition
> >where the consumer is more fully informed. As a result the efficiency of
> >the market is compromised by vested interests, and business opportunists
> >with a tech or information advantage wanting to exploit unknowing
> >consumers. 
> >
> >I take comfort in the 3 forces above, and the fact that no company or
> >country can hold back the will of the people and the tide of change.
> >
> >
> >Frank Ramirez 
> >www.linkedin.com/in/frankjramirez
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Don Marti 
> >[mailto:
 ]
> >Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 10:24 PM
> >To: Guy Higgins
> >Cc: Katherine Warman Kern; Project VRM
> >Subject: Re: [projectvrm] Google's attempt to make a safer ad medium
> >
> >Conventional wisdom on the "Google has no choice but to be creepy"
> >problem:
> >
> >  
> >https://aralbalkan.com/notes/apple-vs-google-on-privacy-a-tale-of-absolute
> >-competitive-advantage/
> >
> >It's not as bad as all that, though.
> >
> >Google has not just personal info to work with, but also...
> >
> > * published content
> >
> > * user intent "in the moment" -- the text being
> >   searched for or an individual voice command
> >
> > * data gathered from sources other than users or the
> >   web (weather, traffic, financial markets...)
> >
> >Google could compete on privacy -- relying on competitive advantage in
> >natural language processing, gathering public data, and computer science.
> >
> >A post-creepy Google wouldn't be a dead Google, but a relatively stronger
> >Google (as companies that do depend more on PII end up suffering more)
> >
> >
> >begin Guy Higgins quotation of Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 10:04:38AM -0600:
> >> 
> >> Google is helping you protect yourself from ³bad² people, but
> >> obviously not from the ³good² guys ‹ aka Google.
> >> 
> >> Guy
> >> 
> >> From:  Katherine Warman Kern 
> >> <
 >
> >> Date:  Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 5:28
> >> To:  Project VRM 
> >> <
 >
> >> Subject:  [projectvrm] Google's attempt to make a safer ad medium
> >> 
> >> What the?
> >> 
> >> Begin forwarded message:
> >> 
> >> > From: comradity 
> >> > <
 >
> >> > Date: June 10, 2015 at 6:49:08 AM EDT
> >> > To: Project VRM 
> >> > <
 >
> >> > Subject: Fwd: Your account settings in one place at My Account
> >> > 
> >> > What the?
> >> > 
> >> > Katherine Warman Kern
> >> > 
> >> > Begin forwarded message:
> >> > 
> >> >> From: Google 
> >> >> <
 >
> >> >> Date: June 10, 2015 at 3:59:19 AM EDT
> >> >> To: 
> >> >> 
 
> >> >> Subject: Your account settings in one place at My Account
> >> >> Reply-To: Google 
> >> >> <
 >
> >> >> 
> >> >>      Your account settings in one place at My Account
> >> >>              
> >> >>            
> >> >>     
> >> >>  
> >> >>   
> >> >>    
> >> >> Controls to protect and secure your Google Account
> >> >>   
> >> >> Hello,
> >> >> 
> >> >>  
> >> >> We want you to know that you can manage your privacy and security
> >> >> settings in one place, My Account
> >> >> <https://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/p/MRezSucYysbghu4jUBx_x2GsyELa
> >> >> Iebu0wuG3L 
> >> >> -VvHiK2g-yunlknkHwlmmw4AMrh1eB2cHriCXRMMyt97OudawRibefUNEAZA==> .
> >> >>  
> >> >>  
> >> >>     
> >> >>     VISIT MY ACCOUNT
> >> >> <https://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/p/Y98TNL5dtrvFPxFXseejbY73joUg
> >> >> LX5nCyng4O 
> >> >> fvvZCnqUPU2NYPKV0kT79LOGXxrXNbiBzgKra07_9SU6rJ2RJbrljieg==>
> >> >>   
> >> >>    
> >> >> My Account helps you manage your Google Account settings. For
> >> >> example, you can use Account History to manage or edit your
> >> >> activity on Google, such as your search queries and the places you
> >> >> have been. With Ads Settings, you can tell Google what kinds of ads
> >> >> you would like to see and not see ‹ and you can control ads based on
> >>your interests.
> >> >> 
> >> >>  
> >> >> Additional tools and features let you:
> >> >>   
> >> >>  
> >> >>    Check your key privacy settings by taking the   Privacy Checkup
> >> >> <https://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/p/z6j8VJqLULtM63ag5eKASNP0GVxi
> >> >> PW24PsCRgz 
> >> >> _VZQBgHuOz2--m51uohLu0XBwUQ84YMWmBfehrnZqbhZ8GokW_-8Y9URyBDL1BnLrwn
> >> >> 9IytjMmz9I
> >> >> 6cSGaooM=>
> >> >>    
> >> >>    Secure your account with a recovery phone number
> >> >>     
> >> >>    Control other account preferences, such as language and
> >> >> accessibility options
> >> >>  
> >> >> You can adjust these settings and more whenever you want at My
> >> >> Account
> >> >> <https://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/p/WycD7RaKEpNWH-81aXbdrTMAJ5XN
> >> >> 09LKyrQqH2 
> >> >> tE3fIPw_JHDeNpAcHVQxqvwx-emkvCz2t7u2WLw5Wf6DU1sbthp0mKR1jAnnk=> .
> >> >>  
> >> >>  
> >> >>  
> >> >> Sincerely,
> >> >> The Google Accounts team
> >> >>    
> >> >>    
> >> >>  This email can't receive replies. For more information, visit the
> >> >> Google Accounts Help Center
> >> >> <https://www.google.com/appserve/mkt/p/VZZGUtxfFf0o80CthmxiidWPTY5Q
> >> >> kI1bqXYGxy 
> >> >> S-3wUowqFEhHF3kFWlXiUiXLJ7ysIQHqWHT9NMhM19Vl6y8JWIGDvSc3yI2UtKt8xs0
> >> >> tMBUMRUqo_
> >> >> VJaDy7D3ZyA==> .
> >> >>  
> >> >>  Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043
> >> >>  
> >> >>  You received this mandatory email service announcement to update
> >> >> you about important changes to Google services or your Google
> >>Account.
> >> >>       
> >> >>              
> >> >>     
> >> >> 
> >> 
> >
> >-- 
> >Don Marti         
> >http://zgp.org/~dmarti/
> >
 
> >
> 

-- 
Don Marti                    
http://zgp.org/~dmarti/