“The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.”
Ecclesiastes 1:6
In March of 2019, one of my clients wrote to let me know about new changes in Facebook ad standards. Clickbaity, fear-laden, “punch-em-in-the-gut” landing page copy was out. Facebook had even started rejecting ads that had the word “you.”
In other words, the usual exploding ammo had to go back into the gun safe, to be replaced by rubber bullets.
But a few days ago, the same client wrote me with the following message:
“We’ve recently noticed a rise in more aggressive video angles on YouTube. These generally surround very broad health, wealth, and relationships angles or products. Looking to try one ourselves with an existing product already selling well on YT. As there are no disapprovals on YT atm, we want to go aggressive with this one.”
The client also linked to an example of what he had in mind. Here’s how the video starts:
“When my wife felt I can no longer provide luxury for her, she left me and it broke my heart.”
The narrator says his business crashed, his whore wife left him, he was desperate… and then got a feng shui bracelet. It’s got a special Pi Xiu design, which strongly attracts money and success.
Everything’s turned around now. Business is blooming, the guy feels great, and he’s got a new girlfriend, too. She says she loves him for who he is. You too can get the same bracelet for $19.95.
Ridiculous, right? Well, get this:
This video has 4.5 million views on YouTube. And it ain’t from going viral.
One thing I should point out:
Whoever is running this offer is not linking to this video from a more tame YouTube ad. This entire 5.5-minute melodrama is running on YouTube.
My theory:
YouTube is plucking up that which it has planted. They’ve got tons of users and engagement. They want to ramp up ad sales, so they are making it easy for advertisers right now.
This will last for a while, then they will clamp down. Much like Facebook, who got there sooner, did last year.
As a wise man once said, to everything there is a season. Right now, it is a time to shock, puzzle, and profit on YouTube. And rejoice in your own works. For who knows what will come after?
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