Welcome to the first edition of something I’m calling Paid Views, a weekly roundup of some favorite Meta and Google ads that stopped my scroll this week.

As targeting has gotten more and more precise a huge share of the ads being served now were never built for a mass audience at all. Because the companies best at this are using the algorithm to inform paid media with very specific references to subcommunities on the internet.

Four picks this week. One I loved, two I’m still arguing with myself about, and one that felt like it was made for me specifically but years too late.

Let’s jump right in.

#1 Pet Talk | PetSmart

Watch Here

Any ad that illicits an instant laugh out of me is a winner here. Maybe it’s because I make the type of talking head content the ad is referencing.

Filing this under how I see myself at work.

It’s no secret in marketing that putting an animal in an ad lifts brand perception, and I’m no different from the general public on this one. But what I like about this example is the execution. Leaning fully into the pet talking head concept. Little shirt, headset mic, editing style, it’s all done super authentically. And what a great recurring series idea for any pet related company. Surprised i’m seeing PetSmart of all companies pull it off first.

Who knew I needed this, but this one won my heart this week.

#2 Ranked Lobbies | Gillette

Watch Here

Am I really impressed with this as an ad? Still undecided, honestly.

“Ranked lobby” isn’t really doing the cultural work it would have a few years ago. Gaming language has moved on, and “high elo” feels a lot closer to how the crowd would actually talk now. So the reference lands slightly stale, which is a rough spot for an ad built almost entirely on a reference.

But for those also not getting the deeper meaning; “High Elo Lobby” / “Ranked Lobby” as defined by the Genz-Looks-Maxxing crowd and used in this context means going into a social space or circle with people who have a high level of attractiveness or status.

So based on that the ad is doing what its supposed to in a short scroll. Position the razor inside the ritual of getting ready for a night out on the town in Miami. And some credit where it’s due, a legacy razor brand reaching for gaming language at all is more interesting than another close-shave demo.

#3 Grippy AF | Altra Running

One for those that like a little crude internet humor.

If I was undecided on the last one, this one might be worse, and yet the double entendre did admittedly make me chuckle a bit upon first seeing the ad. Crude humor grabbing attention isn’t anything new, but in this case it actually gets the main selling point across. So at least it is effective in conveying that as quickly as possible.

The more interesting thing here is that brands are getting increasingly comfortable being this unfiltered in paid. Largely because paid social has to sit directly next to organic content that has little-to-no filter at all, and overly polished doesn’t survive the feed. But as we’ll continue to see during this era is that some brands are willing to take the gamble of backlash for dark humor while others are not even prepared for the possibility of a reaction. I sure hope Altra ran some ICP tests before shipping this one out…

#4 No need to (speed)run | Apple

Watch it Here (Mobile Only)

Honestly, I’m surprised to see something this (meme) culturally specific from the tech giant who always seems to be getting backlash for their advertising and lack of innovation in recent years. And while Apple is no stranger to having a bit of fun, especially with the creative side of their clientele, this is felt narrower than their usual ad placement.

My full take leans slightly weak. A lot of the ad would be over someone’s head, and the 3D niche that the ad is targeting has lost a fair number of people to AI over the last couple of years.

But I haven’t felt this targeted by a paid ad in a minute. As someone who has spent an genuinely upsetting amount of his life watching a render bar and raging at my computer dying during that process, this one at least interested me enough to watch and see what the brand wants me to see.

That’s edition 001. If this is your kind of thing, subscribe and Paid Views will land in your inbox every week.

And if you’d rather watch me break this stuff down than read it, I’m on TikTok and most other networks at john.sferra