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RSSI was forcefully fit into the proverbial “other shoes” last week, and it was a disconcerting experience. I was behaviorally targeted in an unmistakable way, and I had to come to personal terms with the new reality of marketing.
I’ve written about behavioral targeting a number of times in the past, but always from a marketer’s perspective. From that viewpoint, there’s a lot I like about behavioral targeting. But last week, the crosshairs drew a bead on my forehead and I became the hunted, not the hunter.
I’m not naïve. I know I’ve been targeted before, but this was the first time that it was obvious enough to register on my consciousness. And I have to tell you, I’m having mixed feelings about it.
Leaving Footprints and Collecting Cookies
In the past two weeks, I’ve been making my travel plans to head to China for SES in May. I’ve been merrily hopscotching around the Web, booking flights, checking hotels and frequenting the typical online travel haunts: Expedia, Orbitz and TripAdvisor. All the time, these sites were jamming my browser with cookies galore. As I went on my way in blissful ignorance, I was definitely leaving a trail (I’m picturing virtual droppings, probably from too many cookies) that obviously caught one advertiser’s attention. Late last week, I went to About.com on a totally unrelated quest (the topic of which escapes me at this time), and there in the top bar was an ad urging me to book my hotel in Xiamen in the next three days on Orbitz or miss out on a $25 discount.
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Now, Xiamen obviously caught my attention. It’s just not a destination you see all that often in the typical display ad on a Web site -- not Paris, or London, or even Beijing, all of which I might just have chalked up to coincidence. But it does happen to be where SES China is taking place, and where I’ll be spending three or three days in May. And I haven’t booked my hotel yet. So from a targeting perspective, I had a red laser dot on my forehead. Well done, Orbitz!
Is Ignorance Bliss?
I don’t consider myself a neophyte when it comes to online marketing. I obviously knew what was going on. I understood the mechanics behind it. But this was the first time that it was obvious that I was being targeted, and I’ve got to tell you, it creeped me out a little.
Now, I’m not sure if my level of sophistication here, such as it is, was a good thing or not. Would the average user, less aware of the inner workings of behavior targeting, be more apprehensive or less so? Would they just say, “Wow, how did Orbitz know?” or would they quickly wrap their monitor in tinfoil, certain that there was some unhealthy spying going on, either by aliens or the government? I’m not sure, but I know that losing my BT virginity has left me feeling a little queasy.
Did Orbitz Bag Its Prey?
So, the collective marketing audience is wondering, did Orbitz succeed in getting my booking? Well, yes, and no. The ad certainly caught my attention. In fact, it totally derailed my train of thought, which could be why I forget why I went to About.com in the first place. But I didn’t book -- at least, not yet. I’m still sorting out whether I want to or not. It’s really strange. Intellectually I have totally accepted behavioral targeting and even welcome it as an advertiser, but emotionally and as a prospect, I’m still not sure. I had no idea I would be so prudish about this until it actually happened. I admire Orbitz’ marketing prowess, but I do feel a little violated. Maybe it will just take some getting used to. Until then, I’m sniffing the wind when I frequent my online watering holes and being a little more cautious about the trail I’m leaving behind. After all, you can’t be too careful nowadays. The trees have eyes and ears.
RSS FEEDS
I just immediately dismiss anything i see targeted that way at me as a loser product - gotta more expensive than it should be. They gotta fund all that marketing prowess somehow. I dismiss it out of hand as expensive and go looking on my own, or get word-of-mouth.
I mean, most of us had figured out why Coke cost more than RC cola by the time we were, like, 12 or 14. We weren't paying that price cuz Coke's sugar water was better, we were paying for teaching the world to sing.
Ormake target banner ads.
And they probably can, because the average consumer isn't very clear on who "they" is, and the only alternative (turning off cookies) ends up unworkably irritating if you want to go anywhere or do anything online.
I guess also I don't believe in the consumer's reward -- I don't believe I'll really only see what I'm actually interested in, given the persistant misplaced optimism of advertisers about what I might like. Mine must be one of those niche subsets too small to be worth tracking, but the success rate of "if you like this, you might like that" in my case has been abysmal -- it's wrong, except when it's so obvious as to be redundant. (You're buying book five in a series. You might like book four. Ya think?)
BT might increase the success rate enough to be worth it for the seller, but I doubt it will be enough to be appreciably more pleasant for me, let alone worth the loss of privacy.
Plus, context matters, and that is invisible to even the best BT. I use the Web for a lot of different things, and not always alone -- I'd hate for my medical searches to be throwing up BT ads in front of my cleaning lady, for example. If my boyfriend is searching for engagement rings, I don't want the surprise ruined because he Googled movie reviews while I'm around.
My husband is a huge fan of the drink Coke Zero. I must buy a few 12-packs every other week, especially when they're on sale. A few weeks ago as I was checking out at the grocery store (with about four 12-packs in tow), and a custom coupon printed for me. It said, in bold letters, "We couldn't help but notice you like it!" with a picture of Coke Zero, inviting me to get a dollar off my next purchase. I get behaviorally targeted at grocery stores all the time, but this was the first time a company ever openly announced it to me. I thought it was a great touch--I surely took notice!