Very foolish if so. My parents have a very, very well defined origin. Ancestry has had their ethnic origin all over the map of Europe over the last 10 years! Mom was significantly Scandi and Spanish no less. All total nonsense. The only thing that the DNA test gives that is reliable is the matches!
Exactly, but the majority of customers with no interest in family history research don't know that and are simply drawn in by Ancestry's marketing, either as a point of interest for themselves or as a gift!
I guess we must admire the fact that you just have to look into your heart to know the motivations of "the majority of customers".
As for me, I know of no one who bought the DNA testing kit for the ethnicity estimates, but everyone found it an amusing after dinner topic or party piece, as in "what crazy part of the world does Ancestry say you are from again"?
