I should have been clearer, sorry. I wasn't considering those competing against FB for ads in the same medium. I was thinking more of rivals for ad spend generally. Perhaps some of it would revert to print titles, or broadcast, as a result. I'd like to think that sometimes an advert can be effective even if you can't measure its impact precisely.
Perhaps I am unduly influenced by the sorts of ads that I like, which tend to be posters, billboards or, just occasionally, TV/cinema/online pre-rolls. My favourite example would be the success of a Levi's ad from the '80s, see [1]: ‘It was a piece of magic’: How Levi’s ‘Laundrette’ ad led to an 800% sales boost
Yes, I realise that no small company can afford such advertising as that, but in a previous life, when I spent about a year in advertising sales for a local newspaper, I was wined and dined about a dozen times by local firms who'd let me come up with ad copy for them, and sometimes a campaign, who (rightly or wrongly) attributed a sales boost to my efforts.
I mean it doesn't have to move to dead venues like print or tv broadcast in order to just get away from targeting. It's not like internet advertising requires narrow demographic and individual history targeting for some reason, it's just that it made that more convenient.
> Yes, I realise that no small company can afford such advertising as that, but in a previous life, when I spent about a year in advertising sales for a local newspaper, I was wined and dined about a dozen times by local firms who'd let me come up with ad copy for them, and sometimes a campaign, who (rightly or wrongly) attributed a sales boost to my efforts.
I mean, the fact that this isn't really a thing anymore is almost certainly part of what kills local media nowadays, and by a kind of vicious cycle also helps kill local businesses. It used to be that small, local businesses weren't competing on the same playing field as large (inter)national businesses. They'd get local eyes on local ads in local venues. That would keep local media alive, and the ads would keep local businesses competitive.
Now they fight with national brands for ad space on national platforms where they're outspent for more narrowly targeted ads than were ever possible in the old days. Local media dies to national media, local businesses die to national businesses, meanwhile the national media gets bigger and richer every day.
Perhaps I am unduly influenced by the sorts of ads that I like, which tend to be posters, billboards or, just occasionally, TV/cinema/online pre-rolls. My favourite example would be the success of a Levi's ad from the '80s, see [1]: ‘It was a piece of magic’: How Levi’s ‘Laundrette’ ad led to an 800% sales boost
Yes, I realise that no small company can afford such advertising as that, but in a previous life, when I spent about a year in advertising sales for a local newspaper, I was wined and dined about a dozen times by local firms who'd let me come up with ad copy for them, and sometimes a campaign, who (rightly or wrongly) attributed a sales boost to my efforts.
Anyhow, you make a good point nonetheless.
[1] https://www.marketingweek.com/levis-laundrette-sales-boost/