logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2020
48m 21s

441. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Pa...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Google and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming from advertising. In our previous episode, we learned that TV advertising is much less effective than the industry says. Is digital any better? Some say yes, some say no — and some say we’re in a full-blown digital-ad bubble. 
Up next
Yesterday
Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update)
Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode. SOURC ... Show More
1h 5m
Jul 14
How a Great Architect Thinks, with Bjarke Ingels | Better in Person
Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Pod ... Show More
43m 27s
Jul 9
681. How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick Cavett
Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. SOURCES: Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host. RESOURCES: Eye on ... Show More
43m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
The Troubling Future of Advertising
<p>It's no secret that the ad industry is huge. Advertisers spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year attempting to convince people they should buy a given product or service -- and these same forces also work around the clock to leverage the latest in neuroscience and tech ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 2018
Advertising
The UK has been a global leader in the Advertising Industry since the end of the last century. But like many businesses it's now facing disruption from technology. Pop up banners on the internet and social influencers are cheaper and more immediate. Evan Davis and guests discuss ... Show More
28m 11s
Aug 2021
Advertising Part 1: Big Oil Company Cares
This episode we dive into the complicated world of advertising. Is advertising a good thing for society? What does advertising mean for us as individuals? Can you be authentic, and is authenticity what is lacking from advertising? What is the deal with those stupid Change commerc ... Show More
51m 39s
Dec 2022
Is TikTok Too Big To Ban?
The digital advertising landscape is shifting. (0:21) Bill Mann discusses: - Google's and Meta Platform's collective share of the digital ad market shrinking - Amazon leading the charge in e-commerce ad players - TikTok's impact on the ad industry and whether it is "unbannable" ... Show More
20m 30s
Jul 2023
Peak social media: The ads machine
<p>Mark Zuckerberg used advertising to turn Facebook into the first global social media giant, boasting 3bn users around the world. But today there are questions about the business model that has powered it for the past 15 years, and what Zuckerberg’s new focus on building the Me ... Show More
27m 5s
May 2022
CLASSIC: You're Worth About A Dollar: Targeted Online Ads
<p>Have you ever searched for something online, only to find an eerily related series of ads popping up at each website you visit afterward? If so, you've encountered the Brave New World of targeted online advertising. But is it a force for good? For ill? Join the guys and specia ... Show More
48m 18s
Apr 2022
7 Items That Have The Greatest Impact On Response To Advertising (2 of 2)
<p>Are your ads leaving the intended impression? Or are they disregarded after a glance?</p> <p>Continuing where they left off last week, Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer discuss in detail the four remaining components of ad creation that, if used effectively, will dramatically increa ... Show More
41m 59s
Jan 2018
Buying Attention
<p>Have you ever opened your computer with the intention of sending one email — only to spend an hour scrolling through social media? Maybe two hours? In this episode, we examine the strategies media companies use to hijack our attention so they can sell it to advertisers.</p><br ... Show More
36m 37s
Apr 2024
The Revolution Will Be Vertical
<p>Google&#39;s new ad format might hide your ad behind a scroll — but it&#39;s not as bad as you think. Your LinkedIn campaigns can now run on TV. Everything&#39;s going vertical on Facebook. And the massive company thinking of buying Hubspot — would be its biggest deal ever.</p ... Show More
7m 27s
May 2024
Emotion + Science + AI = Profit
<p><span>Thousands of TV shows, paired with thousands of academic marketing papers — and what do you get? One TV network says an insanely good audience targeting AI. Also: a new report says podcast listeners might be a dark horse. Print magazines are back. And Samsung may have ju ... Show More
7m 15s