YouTube ads have gotten so bad over the past like 3 years. I'm just getting a lot less stuff that anyone would ever actually consider buying. like, I used to get a lot of ads for small bras and maternity wards, things I don't think I'd ever need, but stuff that _someone_ would actually want. but these days I maybe see one per week of a functioning product, with a half-competent ad format.

I think _part_ of it is advent of AI lowering every barrier of entry. no need to pay anyone with a brain/conscience/self-respect, just type "man in workshop builds small dog" into a video generator, slap TTS on it and you've got all you need to sell a "robot dog" to grandparents.

even beyond fake product scams, fake game scams, sketchy legal services and the like. I mean, just...

ads for TikTok are so bad, dude, every one is the least enticing footage imaginable: no sound footage of a river, most ear scraping ASMR ever, a dog walking around a room, etc.. there's no way the stuff is vetted.

so anyway, I got an ad for TikTok ad the other day:

camera view is level with a table. it's black and smooth.

a dog stands almost perfectly still, profile to the camera. its body, legs, and tail are visible. its head is just out of frame.

behind the dog there is a bit of negative space where the blank white wall can be seen clearly. this part of the frame is not empty for long, however, as gloved hands come into view.

as the rubber-clad appendages continue to approach the animal; a woman's voice:
"Today I'm going to show you what to do to pop your dog's anal glands."

I have never closed out of a video faster in my entire life.

@dba_afish: It's a tactic to get people to upgrade to Premium.

dba_afish said:
YouTube ads have gotten so bad over the past like 3 years. I'm just getting a lot less stuff that anyone would ever actually consider buying.
[...]
ads for TikTok are so bad, dude, every one is the least enticing footage imaginable: no sound footage of a river, most ear scraping ASMR ever, a dog walking around a room, etc.. there's no way the stuff is vetted.

I haven't watched a YouTube ad in years xP. Ublock Origin or Brave browser on desktop, YouTube Revanced on my phone, Smart Tube on my Firestick. The Revanced apps (there are many, ie Reddit, Spotify, Facebook Revanced, etc) do not only block annoying shit like ads, but they can add some other features/patches as well, if you have an Android they are definitely worth checking out.