• by Shirley Marschall , Featured Contributor, Yesterday

The ad-tech industry is completely obsessed with signals:  intent signals, engagement signals. First-party, second-part, modeled signals.

We analyze scroll depth, hover time, clicks, views, and conversions with forensic precision. Entire targeting strategies hinge on capturing the right signal at the right moment.

But aren’t we ignoring the loudest signal of all? The one playing out right in front of us — in plain human behavior.

Because if you step outside the industry echo chamber for even a moment, you’ll notice something: People have been trying to avoid advertising for decades.

•   Stickers on mailboxes that say “No ads, please”

•   Gmail quietly shuffling promos into their own corner

•   YouTube Premium, selling an escape from preroll purgatory

•   Viewers reaching for their phone (or heading to the bathroom) the second TV ads start

•   Podcast listeners pounding the 30-second skip button

•   And of course, ad blockers — used by hundreds of millions worldwide

These aren’t inferred, tracked, or modeled. They’re behavioral signals — and they’re loud. Yet somehow, we treat them as noise.

We don’t need a new whitepaper to explain what these behaviors mean. They’re not saying stop advertising.

They’re saying: Don’t interrupt me. Don’t insult my intelligence. Don’t waste my time.

The message is clear: People don’t hate ads. They hate bad ads.

At least for now. And before the industry jumps headfirst into the infinite potential of AI, maybe it’s time to ask: Are we listening to what people are really telling us? Because if we keep ignoring these behavioral signals, we may end up somewhere worse: where people don’t just avoid advertising — they start to resent it.

Unless annoying people has somehow become the goal? Yeah, didn’t think so.

People are asking for relevance, respect, and — ideally — a little bit of value.

Not performance-driven tricks. Not disguised interruption. But attention that’s earned, not forced.

Advertising doesn’t need to disappear. But it does need to evolve — especially now.

As third-party cookies fade and privacy regulations tighten, ad tech is scrambling.

We’re chasing new signals — contextual, probabilistic, AI-modeled. Layering tech on top of tech on top of tech, to compensate for signal loss.

And yes, some of that is necessary. But maybe it’s time to stop mining more signals — and start listening to them.

Because the goal hasn’t changed. It’s not just about reaching someone. It’s about earning their attention — in a world where attention is fleeting, fractured, and fiercely protected.

So let’s treat attention like the precious, human thing it is.

Let’s build creative and experiences that respect the moment — not hijack it.

Let’s listen when people say “no thanks” — and give them a reason to say “maybe.”

Because here’s the thing: If people are working this hard to avoid ads, the answer isn’t better targeting. It’s better advertising.

Yes, AI can now generate endless creative variations — but more doesn’t necessarily mean better. And just because we can doesn’t mean we should.

If we keep flooding people with dynamic banners and algorithmic video edits without fixing the core problem, we’re not innovating. We’re just repeating history.

Retargeting already triggered GDPR.

Let’s not make the same mistake twice.