This Week in Badvertising
May 23, 2008 – 8:18 amFacebook is a pit of terrible, terrible advertising. As someone who works in advertising, I cringe every time I see examples of bad targeting, bad copy, and bad strategy. But there’s one ad that keeps popping up on my Facebook sidebar that I have to address. This one:
I am not thirtysomething. I am not very gay. I am not way too single. I do live in Manhattan, but as I’ve established, the thought of Carrie Bradshaw makes me drunk on rageahol. How did this ad show up in my sidebar? Isn’t Facebook supposed to be a treasure trove for great target advertising? The personal data that I enter should make it quite clear that all of the claims in this ad are untrue.
And more troubling: “SGM in New York? Wannabe?” What the hell does that even mean? “Man, I really enjoy my heterosexual long-term relationship, but I’ve always wanted to be a single gay male in New York!” Man, that thought crosses my mind every single day.
I don’t even know what this ad is selling me, but they’ve got the wrong guy.
4 Responses
Funny, I’m gay and I’ve never seen that ad on Facebook.
I’m confused about the “Wannabe” word. Are they calling you a wannabe? The spelling would suggest such. Or are they asking if you want to be single, gay, and in NYC? Who would honestly want to be single, gay, and in NYC (besides the NYC part)?
By John Barleycorn on May 23, 2008
i’m just saying. you’re hugging dudes and blogging about sailors. maybe they know something.
By lozo on May 23, 2008
Did you click on it to find out what they were actually trying to sell you?
By Annie in MN on May 23, 2008
Those FB ads are for $#*!. They clearly are not well targeted - you should see some of the crap that comes up on mine.
Lozo, V.funny btw.
By jane on May 23, 2008