Just got a Ford F-150 ad when I opened this thread to complain about the same F-150 ad in thisthread.
I may be a Ford man, but that wasn’t cool.
I know you guys are working on it and I appreciate that but GOD DAMNIT the Machete trailer ad just crashed my browser three times in a row. It starts sound without a mouse-over (though it can be muted) but still crashes my open browser window. And I can’t just pop up to history to relaunch, I have to ‘quit’ then restart. Fuck devious ad people.
The final indignity? They’re showing that GODAWFUL LUVS DIAPER AD! The one where the babies strut down a catwalk with different diapers, pivot, show the audience their diaper clad asses, and then take a crap and making the diaper expand so that judges holding up score cards can rate how well the diaper stands the test. It’s bad enough that this ad exists anywhere but on the Dope?!
I can also attest to the “interactive” ads with no mute option, but I’m also getting ads with sound in the “HIMYM Episode 1/3/11 - “Bad News” Possible Spoilers” thread in Cafe Society. Only when I go to it from User CP, though, using the “go to first new post” thingy. The ad appears after the first post, so there is no way I have accidentally moused over it. The one I caught screen shots for was for Bing (here’s one from while the ad is in progress, and here’s another from the end of the ad that clearly shows the sponsor; when the ads are over, the space turns to a white box). At least with these there is a mute option, but it’s still highly annoying to click “go to first new post” and have there suddenly be sound before the page even finishes loading – and I have to scroll all the way to the top of the page to be able to click “mute.”
Re-reported.
Thanks, TubaDiva. 
I understand that I get what I pay for, but for some reason these video ads are just really annoying. Probably the closest to a serious complaint that I’ve ever had here.
They finally tracked down the German ad and kiboshed it. They’re still looking into the others.
If it helps, the last time I saw any noisy ad was the last day that I posted to this thread.
so YAY!
The noisy ads are back!
But I got sound only, no video. However, it was loud.
Something about the adult pool and an icy drink. About five minutes ago. Turned it off by leaving the thread.
My question still remains: who is stupid enough to buy from these ads and encourage this sort of thing?
Do they just think these things are working, or is there any proof? I’ve yet to meet anyone who isn’t annoyed by them, and I assume annoyed people are not going to become customers.
The proof is advertisers pay significant amounts of money to run these ads. Nobody is going to pony up wads of cash for advertising that doesn’t make more money than it costs to run.
There are lots of stupid people, and some of them should know better. I personally know someone who is the CEO of a regional transportation company who fell for a Nigerian scam. He would have boarded a flight to Nigeria if an alert airline ticket counter agent had not ask some questions and convinced him it was a bad idea. This is a guy who manages a fleet of buses and employs hundreds of people. If he is stupid enough, imagine the run-of-the-mill moke reading a messageboard. Easy pickings.
Yeah, I installed ad block today especially to stop these. I am happy to view ads that are silent or require a click to activate, but these that start playing without anything piss me off, especially when listening to music or watching an actual video.
Well yeah, but, you’ve left open the possibility that among the stupid people who should know better are the ones who pony up wads of cash for advertising that doesn’t make money.