--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were the first people to do…" description: "\"We were the first people to do advertising on the Web. I actually saw in 1993 that the ad could be the content, the destination.\" — Tim O'Reilly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/tim-o-reilly-7147_actually_we-were-the-first-people-to-do-advertisi_359906.png" --- # We were the first people to do advertising on the Web. I… ![“We were the first people to do advertising on the Web. I actually saw in 1993 that the ad could be the content, the destination.” quote by Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/tim-o-reilly-7147_actually_we-were-the-first-people-to-do-advertisi_359906.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/tim-o-reilly-7147_actually_we-were-the-first-people-to-do-advertisi_359906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/tim-o-reilly-7147_actually_we-were-the-first-people-to-do-advertisi_359906.png) > “We were the first people to do advertising on the Web. I actually saw in 1993 that the ad could be the content, the destination.” [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early web ads could be content themselves, making the destination part of the experience. **In simple terms:** Ads can become the experience. Key Takeaway Design ads that blend with content. Themes marketing innovation digital media Mood optimistic analytical Type strategic visionary When to use this quote - online campaigns - brand storytelling - website design Key Concepts content integration user experience advertising strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can ads add value without distraction? - What balance works for users? A Different Perspective Blending ads may dilute content integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web/) ## Related quotes > [“ads and popups in favor of minimally intrusive, context-sensitive, consumer-friendly text advertising. The Web 2.0 lesson: leverage customer-self service and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/ads-and-popups-in-favor-of-minimally-intrusive-context-sensitive/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [The Web is actually a coming together of three technologies, if you like: the hypertext, the personal computer, and the network. So, the network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cailliau/the-web-is-actually-a-coming-together-of-three-technologies-if-you/) [Robert Cailliau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cailliau/) > [The mobile market is exploding and it makes perfect sense for a media company like ours to create a real content destination for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-chernin/the-mobile-market-is-exploding-and-it-makes-perfect-sense-for-a-media/) [Peter Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-chernin/) > [We're trying to be a content destination for viral images and to be an entertainment destination in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-schaaf/we-re-trying-to-be-a-content-destination-for-viral-images-and-to-be/) [Alan Schaaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-schaaf/) > [Advertising and content have always been bound together - in print, on television, and on the web. Sure, you can skip the ad -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/advertising-and-content-have-always-been-bound-together-in-print-on/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [One of the big changes at the heart of Web 2.0 is the shift from the creation of software artifacts, which is what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/one-of-the-big-changes-at-the-heart-of-web-2-0-is-the-shift-from-the/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [When I found this opportunity to answer the ad, I got the job and I've been there ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-decarlo/when-i-found-this-opportunity-to-answer-the-ad-i-got-the-job-and-i-ve/) [Dan DeCarlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-decarlo/) > [The ad business has some of the great artists, but because there are so many, its hard to determine the true gems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stoute/the-ad-business-has-some-of-the-great-artists-but-because-there-are/) [Steve Stoute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stoute/) > [Marketing is selling an ad to a firm. So, in some sense, a lot of marketing is about convincing a CEO, 'This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/marketing-is-selling-an-ad-to-a-firm-so-in-some-sense-a-lot-of/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [The very first television ad targeted to women was produced by the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in 1956. It includes footage of a woman supervising her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-very-first-television-ad-targeted-to-women-was-produced-by-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Imagine you're watching '30 Rock' and an ad comes on, but you don't like it. With Hulu Ad Swap, you can actually click the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kilar/imagine-you-re-watching-30-rock-and-an-ad-comes-on-but-you-don-t-like/) [Jason Kilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kilar/) > [What happened was I saw this ad for a yogurt plant for sale. It was in my junk mail pile, and I threw it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamdi-ulukaya/what-happened-was-i-saw-this-ad-for-a-yogurt-plant-for-sale-it-was-in/) [Hamdi Ulukaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamdi-ulukaya/) > [I saw an Emmy ad that AMC took out with all the 'Breaking Bad' nominees' photos, and there's my picture from the show. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-margolis/i-saw-an-emmy-ad-that-amc-took-out-with-all-the-breaking-bad-nominees/) [Mark Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-margolis/) > [Basically, Pizza Hut just backed out on the ad agency at the last minute. They got fired and we got fired. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-ween/basically-pizza-hut-just-backed-out-on-the-ad-agency-at-the-last/) [Gene Ween](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-ween/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) ## More by Tim O'Reilly > [Empowerment of individuals is a key part of what makes open source work, since in the end, innovations tend to come from small groups,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/empowerment-of-individuals-is-a-key-part-of-what-makes-open-source/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [In social networks, you gain and bestow status through those you associate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/in-social-networks-you-gain-and-bestow-status-through-those-you/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Programming is how we talk to the machines that are increasingly woven into our lives. If you aren't a programmer, you're like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/programming-is-how-we-talk-to-the-machines-that-are-increasingly/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [When you have to prove the value of your ideas by persuading other people to pay for them, it clears out an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/when-you-have-to-prove-the-value-of-your-ideas-by-persuading-other/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Anyone who puts a small gloss on a fundamental technology, calls it proprietary, and then tries to keep others from building on it, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/anyone-who-puts-a-small-gloss-on-a-fundamental-technology-calls-it/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [We often get blinded by the forms in which content is produced, rather than the job that the content does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/we-often-get-blinded-by-the-forms-in-which-content-is-produced-rather/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [It's hard to make something as large as a government change. It's a little bit like building the transcontinental railroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/it-s-hard-to-make-something-as-large-as-a-government-change-it-s-a/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [The problem for most artists isn't piracy, it's obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/the-problem-for-most-artists-isn-t-piracy-it-s-obscurity/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/obscurity-is-a-far-greater-threat-to-authors-and-creative-artists/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [You have to pay attention to money, but it shouldn't be about the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/you-have-to-pay-attention-to-money-but-it-shouldn-t-be-about-the-money/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [The thing we should all be looking for are people who want to make a difference. I'm a big believer in the Silicon Valley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/the-thing-we-should-all-be-looking-for-are-people-who-want-to-make-a/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Amazon is now the definitive source for data about whole sets of products - fungible consumer products. EBay is the authoritative source for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/amazon-is-now-the-definitive-source-for-data-about-whole-sets-of/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Everybody's enamored of the iPhone, the Google phone. But the applications are going to change. You know, we're going to start using our phones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/everybody-s-enamored-of-the-iphone-the-google-phone-but-the/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Being too early is indistinguishable from being wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/being-too-early-is-indistinguishable-from-being-wrong/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic? Lindbergh. Who was the second? No idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/who-was-the-first-person-to-fly-across-the-atlantic-lindbergh-who-was/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) [Explore all 94 Tim O'Reilly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. 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