The goWholesale Blog

Consumers Wary of Customized Ads

April 17th, 2008

A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Dr. Alan F. Westin Professor of Public Law and Government Emeritus at Columbia University showed that the majority (59%) of U.S. adults are uncomfortable with customized ads directed at them based on their web surfing habits. It doesn’t really surprise me either.

After all, have you ever been reading your GMail and glanced over at the ads down the side and noticed that the ads have been determined by scanning the content in your email? I’ll admit that when I first noticed that going on, it weirded me out a bit. It made me feel as though someone must be looking at my private emails! Apparently I’m not alone.

The survey goes on to report that more people would be slightly more comfortable with the practice if they were presented with a privacy policy first but not by a huge margin. From a consumers standpoint it does tend to send up some privacy red flags.

But as an advertiser, this type of focused strategy is enormously beneficial. It makes sure that the ads are far more targeted on the individual which saves the time and money of both the advertising business and the consumer. However, if the uneasiness remains, don’t be surprised if you see some battles ensue.

The question for business owners and advertisers (also being consumers themselves) will be: which side of the fence will you come down on?

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Posted in E-Commerce and E-Business, Marketing Your Business |

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