>

Apparently it's worth it to reach outside their preferred demographic.
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The 99% that's skipped is baked into the cost of the 1% that buy. >

Surely there aren't 1% buying? I mean, I must see a few hundred "targeted" ads daily yet have never made a single purchase that's been positively affected by them. On the other hand, I've avoided many travel agents, mobile games, insurance companies and online retailers because their advertising seemed a bit desperate so I didn't trust them.
I'd be shocked to learn anyone I know has ever bought something based on an online ad, but expect most have avoided using a given company because the ads put them off. >

Great. No, it's not actually 1% obviously. Using an example. 
Advertising does work, which is why it is a big business, and you're just the cost of doing business. If you never buy a product that you've ever seen ad for, I'd be somewhat surprised. Lot if it is simply subconscious, building brand awareness. >

Don't get me wrong, I've seen ads for products I'm already familiar with through having bought them before. I suspect the majority alive today tried Coca Cola before ever being old enough to understand an ad for it.
However, I genuinely seem to get the same dozen or so ads on an endless loop (excluding the mobile games advertised which I'm sure we can agree are essentially scams). I remember Coke's Christmas ads from childhood, but haven't seen one in years. Meanwhile, I can tell you I will never organise a holiday through Expedia, insurance through Direct Line nor download any dating app no matter how heavily they advertise to me. >

I would wager a guess that those scam mobile game ads have some of the best click through rates. I hate them too.
I work in the industry (I know, booo, hiss). I work at a large publisher and we have high advertising standards, so there aren’t ads for fake mobile games and or pop ups and intrusive shit etc. There is a ton, ton, ton of money in it and 1.5% is generally considered a pretty healthy click through rate. We’re not even talking about conversions (buying) I’m just talking clicks.
Some advertisers don’t even care about conversions, or even clicks for that matter. Jeep knows you aren’t buying your next wrangler online, they just want you to see their ad and remember that Jeeps exist so you go check one out. They might have interactions in their ad to try to coax you into getting more info without leaving the new article you’re reading, but the reality is, you’re going to a dealership, not their website, to purchase. Most people ignore ads, but you see more than you think you do. >

Well done for avoiding advertising the games, wish there was a way for me to avoid them at my end.
Surely it would be better for Jeep if they advertised what's meant to be so good about a Jeep though? Is it good milage? High torque for towing? Spacious?
I suspect advertisers are so afraid of being called out for false advertising that they just avoid saying anything about the product at all. This leaves the ad feeling desperate, like a kid who couldn't think of anything to write on their homework so they drew a dinosaur and a castle instead. >

Oh sure, Jeep ads have all those things, we see ads that you click into every aspect of the car and learn about the seats, steering wheel, climate control, mileage, etc. It’s just an understanding that the significant minority of people are going to do that, so you’re really just trying to get people into dealerships with brand recognition.
Like Coke again for another example. No one expects you to buy coke online, they just want to remind you that you forgot to put coke on your shopping list. The ads still have a video with a polar bear and stuff, but even the most clickiest of ad clickers have very little reason to click a Coke ad.
No one really gets called out for false advertising, as we see with those frustrating mobile game ads. Different publishers have different standards, but some are more automated than others. Many just pull ad supply from google, yahoo, or the trade desk and don’t control their own ads. It’s an interesting world, I’ve been in it for a long time and I’m also surprised by how much money is in it. Especially around Black Friday and the Super Bowl. >

Effective marketing can still affect people subconsciously even if they aren’t fully paying attention. >

Yep, and it will marinate over time. Even if they aren’t looking to make a particular purchase, if they know someone who is, they recommend a product to someone based on some ad they barely recall! 
The research behind all of this stuff is 🤯 >

You say this, but I can confidently say that none of what's been advertised to me in the past week has any chance of being a future purchase, or even considered as an option.
No, I don't want to download your freemium game of the week.
No, I'm not interested in taking out life insurance.
No, I don't need to set up a dating profile.
No, I don't need a new piano. Believe it or not the one I bought last year (the only reason you're advertising this to me) hasn't crumbled to dust yet.
No, I won't be booking a trip anywhere any time soon. And if I do, I'll hunt out the cheapest flights and accommodation as always.
No, I won't be ordering a Domino's. For that price, I actually could feed a family of four rather than accepting that a meal sold with two cans of coke is priced to feed four people.
And finally, I won't be downloading RAID, Shadow Legends. Any game advertised that heavily yet with no word of mouth beyond mocking the level of advertising must be truly awful.
Why are ads never for the stuff I might actually buy? Targeted advertising seems to be worse than random. The only one I ever get that's vaguely relevant is the occasional trailer for WWE's next big show, which any intelligent algorithm should realise I'm already a fan of and therefore well aware it's happening. >


Why are ads never for the stuff I might actually buy? 

Statistically speaking, the ad makes it more likely that IF a product is something you may buy in the future their product is more likely to be the one that comes to mind.  You even prove it works in your post.
You remembered the ads for the various products, and even though you don't mention most of their names we're pretty sure you know it.

No, I won't be ordering a Domino's

No, but you'll advertise their brand name for free just because you saw their ad.  Also, the brand recognition might make someone else serving it to you (say, at a party) more acceptable which indirectly supports their business.

No, I don't need a new piano. Believe it or not the one I bought last year (the only reason you're advertising this to me) hasn't crumbled to dust yet.

It's scary to me they know you are a potential Piano customer, and will for all time.  Maybe not now, but if your Piano does crumble to dust you'll remember their ads and possibly think 'their brand didn't crumble, maybe I give them a try'.  Either way, we can all be certain there will be a Piano ad in your future closer to when that happens.

No, I don't need to set up a dating profile.

Are you sure you don't? 😘   Ad profiling has gotten scary good.  Father received ads for diapers and when looking into it discovered the company knew his teenage daughter was pregnant before he did based on her search queries and purchase of a test.
Point is, ads aren't there just to get you to buy their product on an individual level (although they will as you know advertise directly to you if they can).  They are also for brand awareness, cultural influencing (think equating beer with sexy even though it makes you a sloppy tubbo), etc...  It sucks I agree, but like Terminators, they won't stop until you are dead. >

Statistically speaking, it might work across a large population. However, I guarantee it has the opposite effect on me.
I'd actually try to discourage friends from choosing Domino's if we were ordering food, because their brand has negative connotations through their advertising. I didn't advertise their brand, no matter who tries to claim otherwise bad publicity is not good for any business.
I won't be buying a new piano. It simply won't ever happen, for personal reasons I wouldn't expect an advertiser to know. That's why I tried to toggle the preference to "off". Even still, you'd think they'd have the wit not to advertise it for a few years at least.
And I don't need a dating profile. I just don't have any use for one. I'm sure they're great for people who use them, but they're targeting me presumably based on having indicated on some sign-up forms that I'm in my 30s and single. That wasn't a cry for help, and frankly their attempts to market to me are condescending enough that it would put me off even if I was otherwise interested.
Frankly, they've advertised the same products to me for years and I've never shown the remotest bit of interest in any of them. At this point, I'd just appreciate a bit of variety. Considering most of my online activity relates to nerd culture (mtg, wrestling, warhammer, marvel, mathematics, science, riddles) you'd think I'd get the occasional ad related to some of that?
I'm bemused that you equate beer with sexy. That must be a cultural or regional thing, because it's not a connection I would ever draw. >

This is exactly how I feel.
Someone asks me about raid shadow legends? 
"The ad campaign alone is enough to convince me this is a cash grab, I don't recommend"
Pizza? What's the last ad I saw? Time to order from somewhere else... >

I agree with the Raid ad campaign, but not the pizza point.
The ad doesn't affect my decision in that way either. It isn't that I avoid the brand because they were the most recent ad I saw - I couldn't tell you if I've seen a pizza ad in the last month. Rather, I'll go with the pizza that I've ordered before and enjoyed. The Domino's ad serves merely to reinforce my memory that they are overpriced and under cheesed.
On a related note, I firmly believe that adverts of products should have to be accurate representations of that product, particularly in the world of food. Force the pictures of a Big Mac to be of a randomly selected burger actually purchased in the store. Make the pizza being shared in the ad be one actually made and delivered, with comparable toppings etc. If the company isn't happy to film their actual product, let them improve the product until it's something they're willing to be associated with. >

Ya I think my pizza point was a bit of a stretch. But it is roughly how I feel. If presented 3 options. None of which are my usual favorite, I will likely pick the one I've never heard of PURELY because I likely learned about the others through ads. >

I actively do what I can to avoid ads.  I don't watch them and will mute the video and avert my gaze. If I am forced to watch a youtube ad, I will purposely boycott the product to the best of my ability. I use adblockers in my browsers.
I can recite numerous ads from the 1980s and 90s television with ease. >

You can also report it as repetitive to skip even the unskippable ads >

This is the best tip for people using youtube in the app, since I found out you can just do this the moment an ad comes one I just press the !, report them as irrelevant since I never buy anything from ads, and the video continues all within maybe 3 or 4 seconds >

When I’ve tried that they’re like “oh, here, try these two other ones instead.” >

I lead a large organization's (F500) digital marketing for North America, we spend over 100 million per year on ad buying.  Prior to my current role, I led a global analytics / data science function.  Everything we do is scientifically tested and calibrated.  The amount of intelligence that goes into ad placement is quite startling, and believe me, it works.  The key to it working is of course that a single impression is very, very cheap. >

Everyone on Reddit thinks they are immune to ads, and clearly they are as they type on their Samsung phone, with their Nike shoes, and patagonia jacket, while drinking a fresh lemon lime lecroix. >

Yes, clearly the only reason to own a product is that it was advertised. Nothing to do with availability in stores, independent research, product quality, word of mouth etc.
For the record I use a Sony Xperia, because it was the cheapest phone the store had with that met specs I wanted. I wear Primark & Dunnes Stores clothes, other than what's been bought for me as a gift. And I drink Pepsi Max because it's usually on offer and easy to store cans of at my desk.
Purchases are not randomly selected according to some nonsense they put in an ad. I guarantee ads have put me off a product more often than they've encouraged me to buy it. >

Seeing ads increase consumption. If you arent buying X or Y thing specifically, youre still consuming more (“hopefully” its mostly plastic shit you dont need) but regardless since the economy is propped up by over consumption the ads are still working for the system, even if they aren’t working for the specific company >

There are more ads that have persuaded me to NEVER buy the product than ads that have made me conciser buying. By far. >

I am under the belief that if you are forcing an ad on someone in a setting they aren't really prepared for it (mobile game, youtube) you are setting them up to never purchase your product in their life, regardless of its benefits. >

No one spends billions of dollars on nothing.
They spend it because it works.
This is the problem. So many gullible, useless, idiot consumers. It works on them. Same people that see those texts about their "Amazon account" needing payment information or their "FedEx shipment" that needs billing info, and rush to give their info away.
They don't do it if it doesn't work. >

In addition to gullible people who buy a product immediately after seeing an ad, there's a second, most nefarious aspect at play. The idea is to bombard you with a name brand so that a neural pathway is formed and becomes dominant. It then becomes "easy" for your brain to access that memory and makes it "top of mind". So when you go to macdonalds and they ask you what drink you want, it is subconsciously "easier" to choose Coke rather than say, Fanta or Barq's or whatever. >

True, but it's a negative association they form. Ads serve only to put me off ever using a company, because they always come across so disingenuous and desperate that I don't trust the company nor the product.
For comparison, how many times would a wristwatch salesman at the beach have to tell you about his solid gold mechanical Notascamm timepieces, only $30 a piece, before you were aware of the Notascamm brand? Do you think you're more likely to buy it after the first interaction with him, or after the hundredth?
I say "Coke" because I like coke, and because they have limited selection. Same in most stores. People criticise and pretend we use brands like Apple or Android due to advertising, but in reality they're the most readily available options.
Meanwhile with clothing I usually have to go far out of my way to get something I'm willing to wear, because clothing stores have yet to accept that not all bodytypes and personalities want to choose between skinny and super skinny jeans nor between a cardigan and a wool jumper.
Controlling supply works a thousand times better than advertising. That's why Coke appears so popular - they literally pay for prime space in supermarkets. >

Brand recognition is strong. It just takes a second to get that logo or brand name into your brain. 
Repeat a hundred times, and now you have an association with that brand in your brain. >

True, but it's a negative association. Ads serve only to put me off ever using a company, because they always come across so disingenuous and desperate that I don't trust the company nor the product.
For comparison, how many times would a wristwatch salesman at the beach have to tell you about his solid gold mechanical Notascamm timepieces, only $30 a piece, before you were aware of the Notascamm brand? Do you think you're more likely to buy it after the first interaction with him, or after the hundredth? >

Well yeah there's a negative association with the commercial itself. Try this - what's the very first thing that pops into your mind when I say the word Windex? Did you think about their commercials? Or was the thought about a window or maybe the act of cleaning something? I honestly can't tell you what a Windex commercial looks like despite probably seeing them thousands of times. But I sure as shit associate Windex with cleaning household surfaces. >

I honestly don't know what Windex is? I assume that must be a regional thing, I'm not American, which might be relevant?
I actually tried to guess before reading the rest of your comment, and assumed something to do with clothing - like a windbreaker or a waterproof coat.
Sorry, I respect the point you're trying to make and promise I'm not just being awkward. >

Okay, bad example. 
Maybe Fabuloso if you're Spanish? 
Or Dopple-doosh if you're Dutch? 
Idk foreign brands well. Besides the insanely popular ones like Mercedes Benz and Adidas. But I think you get where I was going anyway. >

It's cultural difference. In plenty European countries we don't use commercial brand names when we talk about things - we just use regular names of the things. So I don't say "windex" (or whatever equivalent of it is in my country, I don't even know) when I talk about dirty windows. I just say "window cleaner" or something like that.
It's very weird for me to watch some American TV and hear people casually mentioning specific brand names when they talk about generic stuff. I can think of only one example that actually works in my country (Poland) and it's "adidasy" when talking about any type of sport shoes. Oh, and "jeep" when talking about offroad car, but that's quite rare anyway. >

Oh, that's interesting I didn't realize that. Thanks for the explanation. 
The example I used, Windex, I thought was universal. It was the main punch line of the popular movie my big fat Greek wedding. It's also quite an old brand in the US.
We also do speak in general terms for things however some brands have So seeped into our culture that the brand names become the description of the item for example sneakers. Sneakers used to be a brand but now describes a type of shoe.
I know there are a few Caribbean countries that have similar brands. For example Vicks vapor rub. Several Caribbean countries use that shit on everything. >

Its not ignored and skipped.
Its about to make you aware of the product and the brand. Thats why you have to wait 5 seconds to skip the ad. And once YouTube will show you enough of them, you will remember the product.
They are fully aware you skip ads, thats why they made them in a way that 5 seconds is enough >

You don't have to wait to skip though, the moment an ad comes up you just press the !, report is as irrelevant since I never buy anything from ads, and the video continues.
I haven't watched an ad on youtube in years since you can just report them and it instantly skips the whole que and continues the video, and since the video is blacked out during the report process I don't even see like the first few seconds and it leaves no impression whatsoever. They're just paying to waste maybe 4 seconds of my time with a black report screen. >

Are you watching YouTube on PC or mobile? Because I can't see any exclamation mark on mobile.
And even if you are doing this - you are a drop of water in an ocean. You do this, but others don't. You might think you outsmarted the ad providers by not even watching a single second of ad, but ad providers are aware of people like you, or people using adBlocks. They know some people are avoiding ads and they simply don't care. Because majority of people simply don't bother to do what you do. They skip after 5 sec and live their life.
I'm not saying by any means that ads are good, but people in charge of them know what they are doing. And even if 10% (which would be millions) of users start to block ads or avoid them like you, they still have 90%. We shouldn't think that we somehow outsmarted them, they dont care about us. >

The reporting is in the mobile app, when an app starts to play there is a ! In the bottom left next to the 1 of 3, though there are also the youtube vanced apps which comes without ads standard, for pc I just have an adblocker for everything. With how available ad blockers are nowadays, watching ads is almost just a choice you can make for yourself, if you don't want them there are definitely ways to eliminate them almost completely, and if people choose to keep watching them they will probably continue to influence at least a portion of that audience, just not me.