Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#101

Post by davidwihl » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:45 PM UTC

Scown wrote: post #48

menzoic wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google has a lot more data than Facebook and Amazon combined. The targeting is not just based on your current search query. It forms a model of your behavior using your entire search history and browsing history which contains significantly more personal details about you and isn't limited to what you're willing to share in the public eye of Facebook. They also track your browsing history through every site you visit…

All true, but as a potential advertiser you don't really get to use all that targeting when placing ads. Although to be fair that's mostly based on my experience with AdWords. On Facebook I can advertise to people in a well-defined geographical area, who are interested in a scarily well-defined set of things. On Google it's more of a just-in-time approach; catching people who are searching for something in a certain…

On Google, you certainly target by geography.

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722043?hl=en

Disclosure: I work for Google in Ads Developer Relations

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#102

Post by scarface74 » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:45 PM UTC

AznHisoka wrote: post #91

scarface74 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of that data is still just based on Google trying to “infer” interests which is not as accurate as people telling them about themselves. For instance, Facebook knows your relationship status as soon as it changes because most people tell them . Facebook knows where people like to eat because people check in. They know which events you are going to that are advertised on FB because you tell them “that you are inte…

“which is not as accurate as people telling them about themselves.” I’d argue Google’s data is 100x more accurate of who I am as a person than the data I provide FB. As a theoretical example, based on my search history, Google knows I have hemorrhoids, am paranoid about pancreatic cancer, looking for a SMS API provider, am a borderline gambler (because i check betting odds every day), and pondering the benefits of a…

As far as divorce....

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/14/facebook-relations...

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#103

Post by joshfraser » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:46 PM UTC

menzoic wrote: post #38

scarface74 wrote: post #2

This is my bear case for Google. Google offers the least precise targeting compared to Facebook and Amazon. Facebook knows more about its users because users tell it about themselves and Amazon knows more about purchasing habits of its users because of thier purchase and search history. If I’m searching for something with the intention on buying it, I am going to go to the specific site - like Priceline, hotels.com,…

Google has a lot more data than Facebook and Amazon combined. The targeting is not just based on your current search query. It forms a model of your behavior using your entire search history and browsing history which contains significantly more personal details about you and isn't limited to what you're willing to share in the public eye of Facebook. They also track your browsing history through every site you visit…

Don't forget that Facebook also knows your browsing habits thanks to Like buttons, retargeting pixels and Facebook Connect integrations all over the web.

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#104

Post by Gustomaximus » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:46 PM UTC

Scown wrote: post #48

menzoic wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google has a lot more data than Facebook and Amazon combined. The targeting is not just based on your current search query. It forms a model of your behavior using your entire search history and browsing history which contains significantly more personal details about you and isn't limited to what you're willing to share in the public eye of Facebook. They also track your browsing history through every site you visit…

All true, but as a potential advertiser you don't really get to use all that targeting when placing ads. Although to be fair that's mostly based on my experience with AdWords. On Facebook I can advertise to people in a well-defined geographical area, who are interested in a scarily well-defined set of things. On Google it's more of a just-in-time approach; catching people who are searching for something in a certain…

> On Google it's more of a just-in-time approach; catching people who are searching for something in a certain place etc.

Adwords location targeting options have been around some time with 3 targeting options for location: http://prntscr.com/kq9coa

And my advice when using this - Adwords defaults to "People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations" but I would recommend "People in your targeted locations" as the first seems to be a very loose definition by Google and in my experience brings in dud traffic.

Location settings are one of the common set-up mistakes when I see client historic accounts. And there's some good tricks with combining these settings for business that need physical proximity that can make them very effective and flexible.

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#105

Post by whitepoplar » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:48 PM UTC

josephjrobison wrote: post #97

scoggs wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it wasn't obvious already: > For reference, Snapchat did $290 million in the same timeframe, Twitter $660 million. Just goes to show how much potential Amazon has in the Ad Market. Does anyone else think Amazon could overtake one or both of Amazon's biggest competitors in the market (Facebook or Google)?

Amazon is most like Facebook in that the ads are only displayed on its own property rather than all across the whole internet on any site that displays 3rd party ads. That, combined with the fact that Amazon also has a ton of data on its users just like Facebook makes them very alike (not that Google doesn't as well). What separates Google from Amazon is that their paid ads can be displayed on any 3rd party site that…

FB, Instagram, and WhatsApp may as well be the whole internet for too many people.

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#106

Post by MarkMc » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:49 PM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #2

This is my bear case for Google. Google offers the least precise targeting compared to Facebook and Amazon. Facebook knows more about its users because users tell it about themselves and Amazon knows more about purchasing habits of its users because of thier purchase and search history. If I’m searching for something with the intention on buying it, I am going to go to the specific site - like Priceline, hotels.com,…

> If I’m searching for something with the intention on buying it, I am going to go to the specific site - like Priceline, hotels.com, Zillow, etc.

And quite often that specific site will tell Google everything they know about you because it wants to advertise on the AdSense network.

For example, if you go to Singapore Airlines website and search for a flight to Thailand but do not buy it, then open the New York App to read the daily news, you will likely see an ad for Singapore Airlines - perhaps even showing a special deal on flights to Thailand.

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#107

Post by nattaylor » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:49 PM UTC

josephjrobison wrote: post #97

scoggs wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it wasn't obvious already: > For reference, Snapchat did $290 million in the same timeframe, Twitter $660 million. Just goes to show how much potential Amazon has in the Ad Market. Does anyone else think Amazon could overtake one or both of Amazon's biggest competitors in the market (Facebook or Google)?

Amazon is most like Facebook in that the ads are only displayed on its own property rather than all across the whole internet on any site that displays 3rd party ads. That, combined with the fact that Amazon also has a ton of data on its users just like Facebook makes them very alike (not that Google doesn't as well). What separates Google from Amazon is that their paid ads can be displayed on any 3rd party site that…

Amazon and Facebook already have integrations with third parties

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#108

Post by scarface74 » Mon, Sep 03, 2018, 11:53 PM UTC

user5994461 wrote: post #100

scarface74 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reviewing for Google map doesn’t give you the same social media cred of “look how exciting my life is and how great my relationship is!” that checking in on FB gives you. Besides it’s a lot more work.

The point was that google already knows where you ate. You don't have to tell it, it tells you.

They know the vicinty. If there are a lot of restaurants or other businesses, they don’t know exactly which business I was at. If I have an iPhone. They don’t even know that unless it was some place I needed directions to.

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#109

Post by MarkMc » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 12:01 AM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #2

This is my bear case for Google. Google offers the least precise targeting compared to Facebook and Amazon. Facebook knows more about its users because users tell it about themselves and Amazon knows more about purchasing habits of its users because of thier purchase and search history. If I’m searching for something with the intention on buying it, I am going to go to the specific site - like Priceline, hotels.com,…

> Google offers the least precise targeting compared to Facebook and Amazon

If that's true why haven't Facebook or Amazon launched a competitive AdSense alternative?

Re: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88B Online Ad Market

#110

Post by mr_toad » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 12:04 AM UTC

mooreds wrote: post #32

I heard at a talk a few months ago that if you are planning to build an app to sell to retailers, you should build it on any cloud except for AWS. This is because the large retailers are uncomfortable with giving any revenue to Amazon. I heard echos of this in the last paragraph of the post, but there's plenty of co-opetition going on as well.

> giving any revenue to Amazon

Amazon would be dumb to use AWS to cross-subside their retail business. That just hamstrings AWS, and gives other cloud vendors an advantage.