If the Shoes Fits...

People may be growing somewhat accustomed to being tracked online and shown ads for products similar to others they have shown interest in. At first it may seem like a “coincidence” and then you catch on. Wow! These computer guys are pretty crafty. Hmmm…

More and more, however, the ads tailored to the specific viewer are for specific products that they have looked at online. How can that happen? The New York Times recently described the phenomenon. Where are they getting that information on me? It is that Big Brother thing, isn’t it? Not really. But it is close. And it is only the beginning- therein lies the debate. Where are the lines to be drawn between smart, highly efficient marketing and intrusive abuse of personal information? The answer to that question, while not necessarily new, is still in its infancy, even while the techniques and the technologies that allow for personalized retargeting to be used in marketing mature and evolve exponentially.

In the online advertising business, personalized marketing is being hailed as a breakthrough, because it tries to show consumers the right ad at the right time: more appropriate for the consumer and more efficient for the advertiser. But there are reservations too. Many fear that it increases the concern that there may be unnecessary surveillance going on, and perhaps represents an infringement of privacy.  There are various proposals to regulate it. But the debate will continue to rage.

Big Brother Knows What You're Buying Online

Retargeting is not new. Programs for retargeting use small text files or “cookies” that are exchanged when a Web browser visits a site. This process is used by virtually all commercial web sites’ loyalty programs and in aiding in the customization of content. What IS new is its increasing use and the dramatic and quick application of retargeting by many mainstream sites like Zappos, Amazon and others. The question that will be delicate to answer for those in marketing and online advertising may be when and when not to use it. And, of course, how the shoe fits the occasion.