YouTube as annoying as live TV

When watching interesting videos friends share I now dread seeing the YouTube domain in the video thread. The reason being is that if I wanted my entertainment interrupted before, after and during a video piece, I would watch live TV. I know It is most often only 5 seconds, but find it excruciating waiting for the “skip ad >” button to appear.

Now if the ad content was relevant to the video or me in any way I may be able to tolerate the 5 -15 sec of force fed marketing, but it is often not. I hope that these ads are placed by (Oxymoron alert) AI and not by some paid individual as 90% of the them are for non-related and not even vaguely targeted to me. I don’t care that the big brother is watching and generally accept the terms of most applications on my Android device. So my browser history and interests are open to marketable abuse for anyone with half a brain and/or a passion for campaign management.

On face value YouTube has the popularity, reach and execution of ad content down and from my experience can be a very powerful tool to market products and services to a highly targeted group of individuals with very specific and often bizarre interests, passions and kinks. If you are even remotely interested in the product you are marketing and can place yourself in your ideal customers shoes you can reach those exact people.

I feel there is a lack of integrity in the way video advertising is placed on YouTube and it will drive users away, probably to equally powerful, but perhaps less popular platforms. The platform can be saved though with enforced guidelines, more intelligent placement of marketing and thorough old-fashioned campaign management.

I guess I am asking YouTube to please take some responsibility and remove the unrelated garbage I am force fed every day before you completely rune your platform not only for me, but for your paying advertisers.