Display space for grace

Apparently, according to my Facebook profile ads, I have two options: never to shave again and/or to drop by the evening worship service at Park Avenue United Methodist Church. Altho I have nothing but respect for both of these lifestyle choices, my interest in both is approximate to zero (for two very different reasons, tho). How can you not love display advertising? In lieu of my previous post on accountability and metrics, display advertising seems curiously untouchable. Not one of the "what to do now?" articles questioned effectiveness & accountability of display ads. I think that actually it would be really funny if a marketer choose to cut its banners in half only to find out that NOTHING in the awareness/recognition/intent to purchase changed (thanks to Gene Liebel for this comment) - which can only confirm the 60 years old saying that half of the advertising is wasted. Really, ad people are talking about cutting on "experimental media", which anyway represent only a tiny slice of their advertising budgets, but are pretty comfortable with displaying their ads mostly by the largest number of eyeballs criteria. (I have to admit that I am aware that once Google jumps in the game, this may change. But for now ...). At the same time, the reasons for cutting spending on experimental media are based on the opinion that "the assumption that eyeballs would generate ad revenue is no longer valid". If they won't generate revenue, why still having the same display ad buying strategies (highest traffic destinations, reach vs. relevancy, etc)? Apparently, people tend to continue doing what they know how to do the best - that is, the traditional advertising model based on buying ad space. Accountable or not, it works. One's got to have faith.