Introduction
Let's start with the two following contradictory statements:
- Behavioral Targeting is the future of online media
- Behavioral Targeting is a load of hype
Behavioral Targeting (BT) is a load of hype. Like so many internet businesses, BT has been horribly over-promised and chronically under-delivered.
On the other hand, without question BT is the future of online media. We know that consumers like relevant ads:
| Would you be more inclined to click on a banner ad if the product/service was more relevant to your area of interests or needs? |
Freq |
Pct % |
| Absolutely yes |
132 |
12% |
| Most likely yes |
425 |
40% |
| Unsure |
210 |
20% |
| Most likely no |
167 |
16% |
| Absolutely no |
136 |
13% |
| Total |
1070 |
100% | |
| Source: “Understanding America’s Perception of Internet Advertising and Consumer Privacy,” conducted by Revenue Science, Chapell & Associates, and the Ponemon Institute (2004). |
The trick is to provide more of them.
From Bob Garfield’s Jetsonian world of the future, to Lorraine Ross of USA Today’s program for dynamically serving web pages, marketers increasingly recognize BT as a terrific way to reach that elusive customer at the right place and the right time.
For consumers, it's all about privacy. On the advertising side, it's all about scale.
What needs to happen for BT to take off as promised? Keep reading to find out
