What's the advert on the top of the page?

[Loric]

We see every day - unless we have an adblocker, then shame on you for denying GradCafe their pennies per 100 views.

 

What's the advertisement at the top of the page say RIGHT NOW for you?

 

I'm looking at yet another advert for Penn State Online. Why? I have no idea. One does wonder how they choose what to advertise and to whom. I mean, person interested in college.. ok.. but Penn State Online? Never in a million years.

[TakeruK]

Right now, the ad is for www.degreeleap.com/GRE and it advertises as "No GRE Graduate Schools".

 

I get this one pretty often. There seem to be a rotation of a few that I see regularly. I also see one for Amazon with things I've been looking at, Best Buy, my online Bank, and my undergrad Alumni association asking for donations.

[Loric]

"Earn Your Business Degree - Your Way!" - at Rassmussen College.

 

But I don't want a business degree..

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

The same things I see on the tops of pages when I go to other (not related to grad school) websites. It's usually recent things you've looked at. Right now it's showing discounted office suite software. Earlier it was an ad for a website that sells bikes. And after refreshing the page, it changed to a link to Converse's (the shoe company) website. 

 

And after refreshing two more times, it went to All State (insurance) and then NyQuil. I don't know why since I've never once searched insurance or sleep medicine... Haha I'm getting carried away with this. Two more refreshes and it went to Xfinity cable television and then to a website selling tickets to the upcoming Lakers vs Celtics basketball game. 

Edited January 18, 2014 by Gnome Chomsky

[antecedent]

The one for this page is for St Jude's Children's Hospital, but the one before that was a more regionally-appropriate Canadian Tire ad supporting the Canadian Olympic hockey team. 

 

Not very appropriate to my google searches (I rarely google children's hospitals or hockey) but at least the advertising has caught up with my location. For the past month my computer has been convinced I was still in the U.K., which was annoying for searches where geography/nationality was relevant. 

[meowth]

An ad for the 2014 Ford Focus, which isn't very relevant to me... I don't even know how to drive.

 

I think it's more relevant when it's an ad based on something I searched more recently, like one sponsored by google. But really I must admit I usually don't pay attention to them and had to look that it was even there after you mentioned it.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Now it's an ad for a gas medicine. How did it know I had gas? 

[Loric]

Earn my degree, my way.. from Rassmussen.. again..

 

Apparently something in the search analytics thinks I have a desire to do things MY WAY. Lol.

[SocInTheCity]

Equinox gym on one thread; Westin Hotels in another. Which makes me think it's linked to my email or search history. 

[Loric]

Still Rassmussen, bu this time it's "FACT: Complete your bachelors degree in 18 months."

 

Um, thanks, i have my BA. Had it longer than 18 months.

[doobiebrothers]

for some reason allstate?

[Loric]

"No GRE Grad Schools."

 

 

Umm.. thanks.. but I did ok on the GRE.

[antecedent]

"Psychiatric Nursing"

 

....it's definitely been reading my email

[Brisingamen]

"Funded studentship! York.ac.uk. Applied health research masters -- apply online."

[Human_]

It's Google's adserving platform (adsense). The algorithm determining what ad is displayed is largely based on your search history (while logged into a google account), your cookies, relevant information/keywords on grad cafe, and advertisers' bids (how much they're willing to pay per click in order to be shown instead of other advertisers). And it's a pay-per-click ad, though you do still earn a few pennies if you reach 1000 views with no clicks. At that point, though, you must be doing something really wrong to have a nonexistent or sub-1% click through ratio.

 

This is what I see. They must have a high bid, because I'm definitely not looking up insurance on my free time lol.

 

 

That has to be the ugliest ad ever created by a multi-billion dollar company.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Human_

[snakex]

An ad for Yoplait light. Peppermint bark and mocha mint flavors. Hmm. Gross.

[legan]

Volkswagen of Hartford--Your #1 Choice for New or Pre-Owned Volkswagens in CT!

 

The Internet Machine definitely knows I am moving back to CT, and that I need to buy a car. 

[Loric]

"3 out of 4 Grads Agree We Helped Advance Their Careers!" - Rasmussen.

 

I wonder what the 4th thought...

[starofdawn]

Online degrees with OSU! As in... Oregon State University.

[Maleficent999]

Mine says, "NO GRE GRADUATE SCHOOLS. Find graduate schools with no GRE requirements." I have no idea why. I've never Googled that topic before, nor do I care.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I've yet to get a grad school ad. Now it's some video game called League of Angels. I haven't played a video game since I was 9. No lie. 

[phdapp]

St. Jude Children Research Hospital

[roguesenna]

weight watchers. my BMI indicates that I am just short of underweight. then again, considering this country's obsession with weight loss, maybe that point isn't relevant.

[roguesenna]

Now Berkely College with this interesting tidbit:

 

"Based on its total number of international students, Berkely is ranked No. 6 among specialized institutions in the U.S...."

 

how do those two things have anything to do with each other? and that's a whole ad predicated on the fact that the school couldn't make it into the top 5?

[antecedent]

MASTERCARD. Man, advertising credit cards to grad students is cruel.