Uncomfortable with some advertising Sift takes

Uncomfortable with some advertising Sift takes

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I note on Any Answers that Sift is advertising tax software with the tagline 'Kiss Your Accountant Goodbye'.

Am I being over-sensitive if I say that this is disrespectful towards the vast majority of members of the community?

Replies (23)

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By HeavyMetalMike
02nd Sep 2014 10:26

I was going to ask about this yesterday? Or whether it is appropriate for individual firms to advertise on here (Cheltenham firm).

But it's not disrespectful it's just stupid. Stupid young people who are say they do something called "digital marketing" which seems just mucking about on a website and not thinking at all about what they put on it.........?

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By ShirleyM
02nd Sep 2014 10:27

I haven't noticed that one, Andy

But I agree with you. It's biting the hand that feeds.

How do the ads work? I ask because some ads are nothing to do with accountancy, so wondered if they were generated by Google, or something similar.

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Euan's picture
By Euan MacLennan
02nd Sep 2014 10:28

Self-defeating advertising

It sounds like self-defeating advertising on a site for accountants.

But then, I never see any adverts, so I cannot possibly comment!

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By Portia Nina Levin
02nd Sep 2014 10:30

Oh poor terminology

It should say kiss your compliance monkey goodbye. :P

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By Rachael White
02nd Sep 2014 10:41

Adverts

Hello,

This doesn't sound like one of our own advertisements - it may be a Google AdSense ad, controlled by Google and based loosely on search results.

Would you mind sending me a screenshot and/or link of the ad ([email protected]) so we can take a look at it please? If it's a Google ad, we can make sure it doesn't appear on the site again. 

Many thanks,

Rachael

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By AccountancyMarket
02nd Sep 2014 10:44

Adwords?

I noticed that this morning too - it was from SimpleTax , who do sole trader self assessments, and "suggest" common tax savings as the user goes through their self assessment (e.g. working from home £4). Not great for us accountants doing compliance work, but is a warning of what is to come really.

It might be Google Adwords automatically placing that ad on here, but yes they probably have some control over it and can block certain advertisers.

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By AccountancyMarket
02nd Sep 2014 10:46

Rachel beat me to it.....

.

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By sosleepy
02nd Sep 2014 11:02

Andy just out of interest

Was it the product and the tagline you found offensive or the accompanying picture of a young woman suggestively licking her lips?

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Replying to johnhemming:
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By andy.partridge
02nd Sep 2014 11:31

The advert didn't offend me

sosleepy wrote:

Was it the product and the tagline you found offensive or the accompanying picture of a young woman suggestively licking her lips?


It was the perverse notion that a site, principally for accountants, would profit from advertising designed to dissuade people from using accountants.

On closer inspection there is a tiny triangle in the corner of the ad so I was wrong to accuse Sift. Sorry.

 

 

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By andy.partridge
02nd Sep 2014 11:05

That's the one

Yes, AccountancyMarket is correct.

Apologies, Rachael, if it is something that Sift is not profiting from. I wonder how we can tell the Sift endorsed ones from Google AdSense?

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Replying to MissAccounting:
James Reeves
By James Reeves
02nd Sep 2014 11:23

Google

andy.partridge wrote:

I wonder how we can tell the Sift endorsed ones from Google AdSense?

Google ads usually have a little "AdChoices" triangle icon in the top-right corner.

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Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
02nd Sep 2014 12:26

What adverts?

I use ad block so never see ads on websites ;)

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By James420
02nd Sep 2014 12:34

.

I do not use ad block because without ads no Accounting Web. 

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Replying to Glennzy:
Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
02nd Sep 2014 13:47

Eh?

James420 wrote:

I do not use ad block because without ads no Accounting Web. 

AWeb works fine with ad block on.

Its not the only income source and I got fed up of having pages plastered with inappropriate ads.

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By andy_north
02nd Sep 2014 13:24

Thanks for bearing with us.

Obviously we have to keep he lights on up here

 

As a side note are there any "ads" that you do like (or at least tolerate) whether on AWEB or other sites?

We make a point of tailoring the advertising in the email newswires so they offer something useful. Does that help?

Any feedback - as ever, much appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

(AWEB Publisher)

 

 

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By Rachael White
02nd Sep 2014 13:27

Hello again. 

Hello again. 

We've sorted this particular ad out and thank you for flagging it up to us.

It was served up automatically, based on a number of factors including the content of the page. It's not been brought to our attention so won't be shown int he future. 

Google Adsense ads are automatically populated, based on your own Google searches and ad preferences. (I.e. I currently see one for Rosetta Stone as I searched for a language course recently). 

You can tell a Google Adsense ad by the small 'x' in the corner of the advert. If in the meantime (before we're able to deal with it) you want to get rid of a particular ad, just click the 'x' and Google will remember never to show it to you again. 

We're sorry for any offence caused by this advert, which was in no way affiliated with us. 

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By Democratus
02nd Sep 2014 13:50

@ rachael you want to get rid of a particular ad, just ...

...click the x

 

I just get two options 

report this ad or

ad covers the page

Which do you suggest - don't want to annoy the advertisers. (True story)

 

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By Rachael White
02nd Sep 2014 14:04

@Democratus I get two options: Report this ad and Stop seeing this ad. I'm not sure why you're not getting the second one but I can try to find out.

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By nicstone
02nd Sep 2014 16:07

Options

@rachael, I get the same options as Democratus, no option to "Stop seeing this ad"

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By Rachael White
02nd Sep 2014 16:15

Quick question - are either or both of you logged into Gmail when you're trying to do this?

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Replying to lionofludesch:
By Democratus
02nd Sep 2014 17:39

Rachael

Yes - is that the reason?

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By nicstone
03rd Sep 2014 09:26

Rachael

No, I dont use gmail

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By Democratus
03rd Sep 2014 09:48

i now get the option to "not see the ad"

and am not yet  logged into Gmail. Perhaps that's my problem.

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