Myth 3: Behavioral targeting clusters are flexible and provide the ability for truly customized campaigns
Reality: A behavioral buy is rarely going to be customizable. While advertisers can set the parameters of who they want to target once the buy is made, there is little leeway within the predetermined user buckets. However, marketers do have flexibility in the ad creative users are served. Ideally, creative should appeal to the different user groups of a campaign to ensure each bucket is served the most relevant ads possible. There is also an opportunity to make campaigns more effective by serving a variety of ads to the same user across different online destinations.

In most cases, marketers are currently just following users with the same advertisements. I know we can do better.

Myth 4: Behavioral campaigns are the most effective forms of purchasing display media
Reality: Behavioral targeting is best used in combination with other data like demographic or contextual. Used on its own, advertisers would essentially be disregarding information they already know to be true. If it is already understood that women between the ages of 18-24 are consumers of a product, behavioral buys should be framed around this.

While the ability to target users based on their online behavior is progress, online marketers need not abandon the targeting techniques of old.