For the past few days I have been searching online for a Halloween costume, then I started realizing advertisements for costumes on my browser. Is this coincidence?? I think not. This is what is referred to as behavioral advertising, where companies monitor your Internet surfing in order to target the "right" consumers for their product or service. It's something that is rather harmless, but I'm sure that many people may think that it is an invasion of their privacy. Consumers will now have the option to opt out of advertisements or to change their advertising preferences by clicking on an Advertising Option Icon.
It seems that in some cases, it may be rather convenient in the sense that it may help you find what you are looking for, with the advantage of searching for the best price. For example, when making travel arrangements you always want to find the cheapest fares for your hotel and/or airfare. In that sense, 
behavior advertising may not be such a bad thing. It could show advertisements for different travel companies and you may get lucky and find cheaper prices. However, if you are searching for something that you might consider private, you may not want advertisements for what you are searching for to be all over your browser, especially if it is a shared computer. This also comes back to the issue where people feel that it is an invasion of privacy and who don't want their Internet surfing patterns monitored. This new icon will benefit those people that do not want to receive those specific advertisements.
behavior advertising may not be such a bad thing. It could show advertisements for different travel companies and you may get lucky and find cheaper prices. However, if you are searching for something that you might consider private, you may not want advertisements for what you are searching for to be all over your browser, especially if it is a shared computer. This also comes back to the issue where people feel that it is an invasion of privacy and who don't want their Internet surfing patterns monitored. This new icon will benefit those people that do not want to receive those specific advertisements. Some marketers believe that this will improve targeting their consumers. Consumers will have the option to completely opt out of certain advertisements, or select topics that they might be interested in. With consumers having this option, marketers can be more successful in finding their target consumers.Find out more here: ttp://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-100410.
One thing that I do wonder how many people will realize that this option even exist. Also, if they know its there, how many people will know what it is. Unless someone starts advertising this new option, I don't think that many people will understand it is and how it can help them.
I completely agree with you Jennifer. Behavioral advertising makes it easier to find products you are interested in. Your search for your Halloween costume is a perfect example of what they are referring to. Some people believe it is an invasion of their privacy but I believe it is smart advertising that will be very profitable. Companies will be standing in line to sign up for this program; there is millions to be made. If I had a business online I would be one of the first people to start using this program. I do believe that it will be the nest big internet seal of approval.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point about shared computers being an issue. I didn't think about that. But if a parent were searching for something not appropriate for a child or teen and then the child or teen uses the computer and sees tons of advertisements not targeted to their age group then that may lead the parent to get upset. I don't really think that this targets consumers better. I discuss in my Blog how I searched for legal information for a friend and from then on got advertisements asking if I needed an attorney. They need to place those ads on my friend's browser and not mine.
ReplyDeleteIts a great pont that Jennifer points out that this type of marketing can definatly help you out in terms of advertising exactly what your looking for and could demonstrate you knew products that you didnt kno exactly.But my main concern with this type of marketing in which I I fully agree with AlexG..what if the computer your using is not yours its a families or your work computer and you were seraching for something rather embarecing or private?
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of freaky how smart Google is getting. When I use their email service, Gmail it seems to know exactly what's on my mind and gears the ads at the top of the screen towards that. Just the other day I was emailing with my mother about flights to Miami, and a few minutes later an ad shows up talking about cheap flights. As long as it stays general and sort of anonymous, I don't really have a problem with them doing this. I feel a bit weird about them having access to my email like that, and being able to scan it for certain buzzwords that they turn into ads, but hopefully that's all they use my emails for.
ReplyDeleteJeniffer, I am on your side! I strongly believe that we should utilize behavioral advertisement as a tool to reach the proper consumers that are willing and hopefully able to buy our products. I’ve always hated when I get mail or po-ups with advertisement that has nothing to do with who I am and what I want. I think that when companies start utilizing this amazing tool, consumer will benefit from this “filter”.
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