Social Media Marketing I Encountered in the Past 48 Hours

For the past 48 hours I have kept track of every advertisement, marketing push, branding post, or fundraising request that I encountered through social media. Here are the results:

1. Washington Post Editorial Ad- Sidebar post on FB. Image and text. Didn't click
2. Seamless Ad, "Refer a Friend"-Sidebar post on FB. Image and text. Didn't click
3. Turbo Tax Ad-Sidebar post on FB. Image and Text. Didn't click
4. Steve Madden Shoes Ad, "Discount!"-FB sidebar. Image and Text. Didn't click
5. Old Navy Clothing, "Discount"-FB sidebar. Text and Image. Didn't click
6. Nordstrom ad,"Shop Prom"-FB sidebar. Image and Text. Didn't click
7. RCN, "Discount"-FB sidebar. Image and text. Didn't click
8. 7-Eleven "$1 Coffee every Wednesday"-FB sidebar. Didn't Click
9. Amazon, "20% off, deal of the day-Promoted ad on Twitter. Image and Text. Didn't Click
10. Starbucks Ad "Discount on Baked Goods"- Twitter (I follow them). Image and text. Didn't click
11. GrubHub "Order for Fast and Free Delivery"-FB sidebar. Image and text. Did not click
12. GoodNites "Save $1.50"-FB suggested post. Image and Text. Didn't click
13. Naked Juice "Pack in more goodness"-FB sidebar ad. Image and text. Didn't click
14. Cross Fit "Try a cross fit metro center class now"-FB suggested post. Image and Text. Didn't click
15. Starbucks "Double up on VIA"-FB sidebar. Image and Text. Didn't click
16. Western Union "Now $1 Fee"-FB sidebar ad on FB. Image and text. Didn't Click
17. TMS Depression Therapy-FB sidebar ad. Image and Text. Didn't click
18. 360 H street Apartments "Now Leasing"-FB sidebar ad. Image and text. Did not click
19. Grub Hub "Fast, Free, and Easy Delivery"-FB sidebar ad. Image and Text. Clicked for website
20. Washington Post Editorial-FB sidebar ad. Image and Text. Did not click
21. Shoe Dazzle, "What's in Your Closet?"-FB sidebar ad. Image and text. Did not click.
22. Century Link, "Get Internet, TV, and Phone for one easy price"-FB sidebar. Image and text. Didn't click
23. NBC Olympics-suggested page to like on FB. Image and text. Did not click

After 48 hours, I ended up viewing 23 marketing posts in total. In all honesty, I do not find such branding attempts to be very effective. I was surprised to learn how many of these advertisements I ignore or scroll past on a daily basis because most of the time I don't even realize that I'm being advertised to. When I go on Facebook or Twitter, my goal is not to find new products or discounts because I am more focused on connecting with people. Due of this, I rarely click on these ads or spend time finding out more about the company or organization. I didn't go on Facebook much this week, and I still had an enormous amount of branding ads and posts waiting for me on my newsfeed. This definitely enlightens me as to how abundant these marketing attempts are, and will make me more aware of this on social media in the future.