Advertising is basically gambling. In the long run, the house (the media) always

Advertising is basically gambling. In the long run, the house (the media) always wins. But if you don’t play then you can’t get a big win. And companies gamble because big wins pay off.

Social is an interesting form of gambling. You’re selling the hope of something, and you only have to return as much of the users’s bets in the form of wins, to keep him spending in the hope that he MIGHT get a big win.

The more tangible the thing you’re selling the more open to discrimination (testing) it is.

So, if you can sell gambling, it’s better then, say, selling status-symbols like Ferraris and gucci bags and Loubouton shoes. Where you pay for artificial scarcity. And selling signals is better than selling non-status-luxuries, and selling non-status-luxuries is better than selling necessities, and selling necessities is better than selling things you don’t really want (second rate insurance, or a new religion).

The western ethic though, is to compete on quality.

Interesting.