Skip to main content

Growing Confusion about Behavioral Ad Targeting

 
eMarketer reports that Internet users have been sending mixed messages about targeted advertising. Sometimes say they appreciate the relevance; sometimes they would provide personal information to facilitate targeting; and yet they also report concerns about advertisers and publishers having too much data.

While this suggests that consumers may be confused about online privacy and what behavioral targeting entails, research from online ad preference management provider PreferenceCentral calls into question whether consumer education is a solution for marketers.

Asked if they would prefer to pay for content, view targeted advertisements in exchange for free content, or receive limited free content supported by untargeted ads, 58 percent of US internet users chose targeted ads.

However, their willingness to receive those types of ads decreased after they became more educated about how behavioral targeting worked.

Nearly half of internet users said awareness of behavioral targeting did not change their comfort level. But, only 14 percent became more comfortable with education, while twice as many said they were less so.

After behavioral targeting education, 50 percent of users preferred to receive limited content and avoid targeting, compared with 37.3 percent who remained willing to be targeted in exchange for fully free content.

Putting control into a user's hands over the ads served and the types of information used for targeting, however, restored a higher level of comfort with targeted advertising. The conclusion: education without effective empowerment may not be enough for consumers to get comfortable with targeting.

Popular posts from this blog

Mobile Data Traffic to Triple by 2030

As new app demand grows, we're witnessing a surge in mobile data traffic.  This trend, driven by the proliferation of bandwidth-intensive services such as video streaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and next-generation cloud applications, is reshaping the telecommunications industry. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, global mobile data traffic is set to triple by 2030, challenging network operators to keep pace with this escalating demand and evolving user expectations. Mobile Data Market Development The exponential growth in mobile data usage is a function of more devices being connected -- it also reflects fundamental shifts in how mobile subscribers and enterprises use technology. The ubiquity of smartphones, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the adoption of immersive digital experiences are all contributing to this surge in mobile data. Mobile network operators now find themselves at the center of a data-driven economy, where t...