Minis for Mike
March 5, 2020 11:49 AM Subscribe
How kids across the United States hear that “Mike can do it.” Under Google’s new political ad policy, campaigns can use broad demographic data, like age, to target users. A large number of users of all ages, kids included, fall into the age range “unknown” because they use YouTube without logging in. “In an effort to reach as many voters as possible, Bloomberg’s campaign likely targeted these users” of unknown age. WaPo’s Ashley Parker talked to kids and their “surprised and irritated” parents.
What do the kids think?
What do the kids think?
Joshua, 9: “He was the mayor of New York City since Sept. 11, and I also know that he is paying a ton of money to get a ton of ads.”Readers responded quickly on Twitter with their own stories (all links to Twitter):
Caleb, 13: “he just left a mark when he dropped out, really”
Lucas, 8: “Mom, you want to know something? Mike can get it done.”
A mother: My 9 year old overheard my wife and I talking about Bloomberg and said, “do you mean Mike Bloomberg, the guy who rebuilt New York City after 9/11?”To keep the discussion focused, here are links to other current relevant posts if you would like to discuss Mike Bloomberg’s campaign generally and the results of the ongoing Democratic primaries.
Another mother: On our daily walk my 7 year old said, “Mom, did you know Trump is afraid of Mike?!” He thought it was my husbands coworker, Mike.
A grandmother: My little grandson surprised me yesterday when he mentioned kids in his first grade were chanting “Mike can get it done”
“They were pointing to the TV and they said to the 3-year-old, ‘Hey, who’s that?’ And the 3-year-old said, ‘Barack Obama,’ ” Messina said. “And he said, ‘That’s right. Well, what does he do?’ And the 3-year-old looked at his dad all excited and said, ‘He approves this message.’ ”
The kids are alright.
posted by explosion at 12:00 PM on March 5, 2020 [44 favorites]
The kids are alright.
posted by explosion at 12:00 PM on March 5, 2020 [44 favorites]
My kids have seen more Bloomberg ads on YouTube in 2020 than I have seen total ads for anything across all media (including print and billboards). It’s crazy.
On the other hand, my kids would prefer Ru Paul for president over Mike Bloomberg so I feel like resistance isn’t entirely futile.
posted by nickmark at 12:02 PM on March 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
On the other hand, my kids would prefer Ru Paul for president over Mike Bloomberg so I feel like resistance isn’t entirely futile.
posted by nickmark at 12:02 PM on March 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
Maybe he was in the wrong race, should have run for class president
posted by mbo at 12:03 PM on March 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by mbo at 12:03 PM on March 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
Before Bloomberg it was Steyer's ads all over my kid's YouTube. She was fond of saying "You're a frog and a failure".
posted by schoolgirl report at 12:05 PM on March 5, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by schoolgirl report at 12:05 PM on March 5, 2020 [12 favorites]
This is so fascinating. We rarely let our seven-year-old watch YouTube, but even he asked this week, “Why does Mike Bloomfield [sic] keep texting us?”
That said, he was frustrated after my husband and I both voted for Warren on Tuesday because “Elizabeth Warren gets too many likes in our household - someone needs to vote for Bernie.” I don’t know if he felt that way out of a sense of fairness or if he really just likes the idea of free college.
posted by Maarika at 12:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
That said, he was frustrated after my husband and I both voted for Warren on Tuesday because “Elizabeth Warren gets too many likes in our household - someone needs to vote for Bernie.” I don’t know if he felt that way out of a sense of fairness or if he really just likes the idea of free college.
posted by Maarika at 12:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
It's nice that unelected higher-ups at Google are the ones who get to decide how campaign ads can be targeted and if it's OK to aim ads at kids like this.
I wish we could just ban political advertising all together. I know why we can't and won't do that, but it doesn't seem to a good thing society-wise. Like imagine if we were allowed to take steps to decide what kind of a society we want to live in.
posted by bleep at 12:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
I wish we could just ban political advertising all together. I know why we can't and won't do that, but it doesn't seem to a good thing society-wise. Like imagine if we were allowed to take steps to decide what kind of a society we want to live in.
posted by bleep at 12:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
should have run for class president
In a way, he kinda did.
posted by Riki tiki at 12:09 PM on March 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
In a way, he kinda did.
posted by Riki tiki at 12:09 PM on March 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
Bwahahahaa this is incredible. It's never too early to start teaching your kids media literacy.
posted by aspersioncast at 12:14 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 12:14 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
The first (fake) presidential vote I cast in the elementary school mock election was for Ross Perot, so I guarantee I would have been going around saying “Mike can get it done” like a little fangirl. (My parents were horrified!)
posted by sallybrown at 12:19 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 12:19 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
I wonder if he won American Samoa by using an intensive version of this media blitzkrieg on the unsuspecting islands, for weird old rich guy reasons.
Have there been reports of every flat surface being covered with his image? Projected onto clouds dyed in his campaign colors? Is his name gradually replacing every word in all the books over there?
posted by thatwhichfalls at 12:22 PM on March 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
Have there been reports of every flat surface being covered with his image? Projected onto clouds dyed in his campaign colors? Is his name gradually replacing every word in all the books over there?
posted by thatwhichfalls at 12:22 PM on March 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
omg this explains so much - can confirm an 8 yrs in our household was really talking up Bloomberg this week and the adults were ....confused as to where this was all coming from. OTOH there were positive aspects of the exposure to all the ad - he also was really into making sure I went to vote, excitedly accompanied me to our polling station, where they had a fake ballot for future voters to fill out. So we got to have a little conversation/civics lesson about how it all works, why it matters that I'm not sure he would have engage in otherwise.
posted by snowymorninblues at 12:38 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by snowymorninblues at 12:38 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
There are only like 3 good reasons to pay for Youtube Premium but in my particular use case they are extremely compelling reasons, and one of them is "no ads".
posted by penduluum at 12:58 PM on March 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by penduluum at 12:58 PM on March 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
OMG so real. I had no idea this was happening until a dinner table remark touched off a double rant from the 10-year old and the 13-year old.
posted by feckless at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2020
posted by feckless at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2020
As we've watched lies about online advertising destroy the traditional media world, it seems to me that this is a lesson kind of on the same scale as when all of those Facebook misrepresentations about the efficacy of video destroyed so many media outlets.
I mean, this is a guy who presumably was hiring people who knew how to do savvy ad buys, and spending a sh*load of money, and basically ended up marketing to middle schoolers.
How many other ad managers are waking up right now and realizing that how the impressions of their spends were being represented to them are total bullshit? "I was hoping to target 35-50 year old women, and instead I got 13 year old boys..."
posted by straw at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
I mean, this is a guy who presumably was hiring people who knew how to do savvy ad buys, and spending a sh*load of money, and basically ended up marketing to middle schoolers.
How many other ad managers are waking up right now and realizing that how the impressions of their spends were being represented to them are total bullshit? "I was hoping to target 35-50 year old women, and instead I got 13 year old boys..."
posted by straw at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
In ten years, Bloomberg will appear on all live media and intone "EXECUTE ORDER 683" and the nations teens will rise up, shouting "MIKE CAN GET IT DONE" as they dump all soda down the drain.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 1:06 PM on March 5, 2020 [49 favorites]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 1:06 PM on March 5, 2020 [49 favorites]
How many other ad managers are waking up right now and realizing that how the impressions of their spends were being represented to them are total bullshit? "I was hoping to target 35-50 year old women, and instead I got 13 year old boys..."
That's kind of the risk tho, right? Like the first article talks about the ad managers knowingly buying up the 'unknown' demos on ad platform. Since they're unknown, we really can't know how many of the targets were on or off the ideal demos, so it could just as easily be spun the other way. The kids angle seems mostly anecdotal and interesting because it's hilarious.
posted by Think_Long at 1:16 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
That's kind of the risk tho, right? Like the first article talks about the ad managers knowingly buying up the 'unknown' demos on ad platform. Since they're unknown, we really can't know how many of the targets were on or off the ideal demos, so it could just as easily be spun the other way. The kids angle seems mostly anecdotal and interesting because it's hilarious.
posted by Think_Long at 1:16 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
The idea that Google doesn't know someone's age because they aren't logged in is hilarious. Give me your last 4 Youtube videos you watched and I can guess your age to 5 years with, oh, 90% accuracy? It may be Google doesn't make it easy for advertisers to access this data. But if they wanted to block ad categories to suspected children it would be very very easy.
(COPPA complicates this a bit, but since the intent of COPPA is to protect kids under 13 I'm guessing there's ways to make it work)
Block all advertising.
posted by Nelson at 1:22 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
(COPPA complicates this a bit, but since the intent of COPPA is to protect kids under 13 I'm guessing there's ways to make it work)
Block all advertising.
posted by Nelson at 1:22 PM on March 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
Yup, this came up as I was driving my kids to school. I mentioned it was election day and asked them what they knew and who they would vote for and my son immediately popped up and said "Mike Bloomberg!" and, when I asked him why, he said he'd seen the commercials on Youtube. We talked for a bit about how he spent a lot of money on advertising but what we're looking for in a president is not just ability to spend money. It was a nice teachable moment.
posted by sleeping bear at 1:32 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by sleeping bear at 1:32 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
Noticed this but had no idea it was because of this reason, fascinating.
One of my kids did notice that in the Hulu add for our dipshit congressman Brian Babin, the commercial pairs the first mention of his name with a picture of a chicken. That's pretty damn funny.
posted by BeeDo at 1:43 PM on March 5, 2020
One of my kids did notice that in the Hulu add for our dipshit congressman Brian Babin, the commercial pairs the first mention of his name with a picture of a chicken. That's pretty damn funny.
posted by BeeDo at 1:43 PM on March 5, 2020
I can remember getting on a school bus when I was a little kid and a bunch of people were chanting something ... "New Order, Gave Water" ...? I couldn't make it out but, being a kid, I joined in the chant just for the joy of shouting something on the bus.
I found out later I had been chanting "Boo Ford, Yay Carter!" I'm sure my parents would have been mystified if I came home saying that.
posted by straight at 2:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
I found out later I had been chanting "Boo Ford, Yay Carter!" I'm sure my parents would have been mystified if I came home saying that.
posted by straight at 2:07 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
You know you're a '20s kid when you have an strange familial affection for Great Leader Mike Bloomberg. He's Riddler Suit Guy for a whole new generation
posted by Query at 2:11 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Query at 2:11 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
Well, I think we learned “Mike can’t do it” but still, burn in Hell, Mike.
Don’t advertise to kids.
— Fake Mr. Rogers
posted by drivingmenuts at 2:14 PM on March 5, 2020
Don’t advertise to kids.
— Fake Mr. Rogers
posted by drivingmenuts at 2:14 PM on March 5, 2020
Funny how this stuff can stick, though. From 1976 I have a very clear memory (whether it's real or not, who knows) of watching someone speaking at a campaign event on TV to support Jimmy Carter and saying something like "let's get rid of four-letter words, like Ford, and Dole". I suppose I could try to figure out if that was an actual thing.
posted by maxwelton at 2:23 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 2:23 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
My 5 and 7 year old saw Mike’s ads *a lot*. My 5 year old was running around the evening of Super Tuesday singing “I like Mike....he does big poops” (Possibly after I laughed and said under my breath to Mrs Inflatablekiwi that Mike seemed to be really shitting the bed in the results.....).
Interestingly both kids mentioned that he would help reduce gun violence and that they like that policy. So....win there.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 2:28 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
Interestingly both kids mentioned that he would help reduce gun violence and that they like that policy. So....win there.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 2:28 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
the first article talks about the ad managers knowingly buying up the 'unknown' demos on ad platform
They're probably cheaper ad slots. And while it is indeed ridiculous to claim that Google doesn't know which accounts are kids, and which viewing habits are kids, if they acknowledge that "this show is being watched by someone under 13," they wind up with a whole bunch of legal liability. So instead, they insist very firmly that they can't possible tell who's watching that playlist, throw the data into the "unknown" category, and continue to aim kid-focused ads at the mysterious "unknown" demographic.
From that article:
After a major policy change in 2019, Google (YouTube’s parent company) began prohibiting political campaigns from targeting specific voters using first-party data associated with the voter file. Targeting is now restricted to broad demographic data, including location, gender, and a variety of age ranges.
And they very carefully never mention that the "unknown" age category includes a tiny number of logged-out and VPN-using people, and a whole lot of kids that they're not allowed to gather more specific data about.
When Google changed their political ad policy, they did so in response to the 2016 election hacking.
And not in response to, oh, the GDPR and California's new data tracking law? I mean, I'm sure Google did some hand-wringing about the election hacking, but I have my doubts they decided to just give up the money they got from micro-targeted ads.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:46 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
They're probably cheaper ad slots. And while it is indeed ridiculous to claim that Google doesn't know which accounts are kids, and which viewing habits are kids, if they acknowledge that "this show is being watched by someone under 13," they wind up with a whole bunch of legal liability. So instead, they insist very firmly that they can't possible tell who's watching that playlist, throw the data into the "unknown" category, and continue to aim kid-focused ads at the mysterious "unknown" demographic.
From that article:
After a major policy change in 2019, Google (YouTube’s parent company) began prohibiting political campaigns from targeting specific voters using first-party data associated with the voter file. Targeting is now restricted to broad demographic data, including location, gender, and a variety of age ranges.
And they very carefully never mention that the "unknown" age category includes a tiny number of logged-out and VPN-using people, and a whole lot of kids that they're not allowed to gather more specific data about.
When Google changed their political ad policy, they did so in response to the 2016 election hacking.
And not in response to, oh, the GDPR and California's new data tracking law? I mean, I'm sure Google did some hand-wringing about the election hacking, but I have my doubts they decided to just give up the money they got from micro-targeted ads.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:46 PM on March 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
The first (fake) presidential vote I cast in the elementary school mock election was for Ross Perot
John Anderson, my jo
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:13 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
John Anderson, my jo
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:13 PM on March 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
I tutor a middle schooler who was super amped about Bloomberg's campaign because he must be good if he can get his ads onto YouTube.
I knew at that moment his campaign was doomed if he was throwing gobs of money at 12 yos
posted by lownote at 4:20 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
I knew at that moment his campaign was doomed if he was throwing gobs of money at 12 yos
posted by lownote at 4:20 PM on March 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
Who are those parents who let their kids on the internet without ad blockers?
posted by MartinWisse at 12:03 AM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by MartinWisse at 12:03 AM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Now I understand why all of my middle school students were so AWARE of Bloomberg (and had some positive attitudes about him).
posted by usedsongs at 3:25 AM on March 6, 2020
posted by usedsongs at 3:25 AM on March 6, 2020
One easy solution to this particular problem is an adblocker...
I don't understand as a parent how you couldn't be horrified that your kids got brainwashed like this.
posted by starfishprime at 5:09 AM on March 6, 2020
I don't understand as a parent how you couldn't be horrified that your kids got brainwashed like this.
posted by starfishprime at 5:09 AM on March 6, 2020
For older kids, I see the opportunity for an even bigger teachable moment -
"Hey, if you just saw Mike Bloomberg's ad, that means you're on line. This is the perfect chance to Google him and see what he thinks about different things, since you're already on the Internet and it's right there. Put on one of those lo-fi beats to study to videos, bring up Google on another tab and you're good to go!"
And that's how kids find out about the whole stop-and-frisk thing, which one would hope would nip that Mike fandom right quick.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:59 AM on March 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
"Hey, if you just saw Mike Bloomberg's ad, that means you're on line. This is the perfect chance to Google him and see what he thinks about different things, since you're already on the Internet and it's right there. Put on one of those lo-fi beats to study to videos, bring up Google on another tab and you're good to go!"
And that's how kids find out about the whole stop-and-frisk thing, which one would hope would nip that Mike fandom right quick.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:59 AM on March 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Hey, if you just saw Mike Bloomberg's ad, that means you're on line. This is the perfect chance to Google him
If they're watching on a computer or laptop, this is true. Tablet, maybe. If they're watching YouTube on a Playstation, their googling abilities may be limited, and it's a lot more hassle to use a browser through a console connected to a TV.
Part of why internet propaganda works, is that the ad companies have taken every chance to reduce fact-checking and additional research. They're advertising more intensely in settings where they know it's unlikely a person will stop what they're doing to investigate, and instead, just the slogan sticks with them.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:14 AM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
If they're watching on a computer or laptop, this is true. Tablet, maybe. If they're watching YouTube on a Playstation, their googling abilities may be limited, and it's a lot more hassle to use a browser through a console connected to a TV.
Part of why internet propaganda works, is that the ad companies have taken every chance to reduce fact-checking and additional research. They're advertising more intensely in settings where they know it's unlikely a person will stop what they're doing to investigate, and instead, just the slogan sticks with them.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:14 AM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
John Anderson, my jo
Oh no. I just remembered, I must have been 11 years old and I guess I thought political cartoons were amusing? Because I remember sitting in some class drawing a cartoon of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan on the debate stage (Carter with an enormous toothy smile, Reagan with big hair) in the middle is a TV screen with John Anderson's face (wearing glasses, which was odd for a politician, and his raven locks turned to snow). There was a speech balloon coming from Anderson on the TV but it was completely covered by Reagan and Carter's speech balloons which were full of blah blah blah. Or maybe it was Woodstock scratches <('"""''"'""''''"").
posted by straight at 5:42 PM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh no. I just remembered, I must have been 11 years old and I guess I thought political cartoons were amusing? Because I remember sitting in some class drawing a cartoon of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan on the debate stage (Carter with an enormous toothy smile, Reagan with big hair) in the middle is a TV screen with John Anderson's face (wearing glasses, which was odd for a politician, and his raven locks turned to snow). There was a speech balloon coming from Anderson on the TV but it was completely covered by Reagan and Carter's speech balloons which were full of blah blah blah. Or maybe it was Woodstock scratches <('"""''"'""''''"").
posted by straight at 5:42 PM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
« Older Perhaps a swirl of cyano for flavor... | what planet do you live on? Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I that the next billionaire candidate will share Bloomberg's atavistic hatred of the working class, but be much more charismatic.
They'll own our kids too, if we let YouTube and all the other platforms have their way.
posted by turntraitor at 11:55 AM on March 5, 2020 [6 favorites]