Welcome | View My Profile | Sign Out
MediaPost Home About MediaPost Privacy/Terms Media Kit Sitemap
Publications Home News
Online Media Daily Media Daily News Marketing Daily Mobile Marketing Daily Search Marketing Daily
Daily Feed> Email Daily Feed> Video Daily Feed> Social
Online Blogs
Online Spin Email Insider Search Insider Behavioral Insider Online Publishing Insider Mobile Insider Video Insider Gaming Insider Performance Insider Metrics Insider Social Media Insider Just An Online Minute Daily Online Examiner Raw Blog
Media Blogs
Research Brief Diane Mermigas:On Media TV Watch TV Board Magazine Rack Media Creativity Notes From the Digital Frontier Digital Outsider Mad Blog Red White and Blog
Marketing Blogs
Engage:Hispanics Engage:Kids 6-11 Engage:Moms Engage:Boomers Engage:Gen Y Engage:Teens Marketing:Green Marketing:Sports
Magazines
OMMA Magazine Media Magazine
Subscribe
Feedback Loop RSS Feeds Archives Subscribe
Dec 2 Search Insider Summit (Utah) Dec 6 Email Insider Summit (Utah) Jan 11 OMMA Agency of the Year (NYC) Jan 12 MEDIA Agency of the Year (NYC) Jan 26 OMMA Social (San Francisco) Jan 27 OMMA Performance (SF) Feb 24 OMMA Metrics Measurement (NYC) Feb 25 OMMA Behavioral (NYC) Mar 15 OMMA Global (San Francisco) Apr 14 Search Insider Summit (FL) Apr 18 Email Insider Summit (FL)
Recently Concluded Events
Nov 3 OMMA Adnets (NYC) Oct 30 OMMA Video (LA) Oct 29 OMMA Mobile (LA) Oct 29 OMMA Mobile & Video (LA) Sep 23 Creative Media Awards (NYC) Sep 23 The Future Of Media (NYC) Sep 22 Online All Stars (NYC) Sep 21 OMMA Awards (NYC) Sep 21 MediaPost Live at Advertising Week All-Access (NYC) Sep 21 OMMA Global New York (NYC)
All MediaPost/OMMA Events Event Blogging Past Event Videos
Industry Events Calendar
2010 OMMA Agency of the Year 2010 MEDIA Agency of the Year
2009 Creative Media Awards 2009 OMMA Awards 2009 Digital Out-of-Home Awards 2009 Media Agency of the Year 2009 OMMA Agency of the Year
All Awards
Employment Situations Wanted Services Offered Post a Job
Briefs Reports Online
MediaPost Directories
Mobile Insiders Group
People Finder Edit My Profile View My Profile My Contacts My Calendar
HOME • MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS • MEDIA KIT
Hello, My Name Is Gord, And I've Been Behaviorally Targeted
by Gord Hotchkiss, Thursday, April 12, 2007, 9:30 AM

SHARE

TOOLS

RELATED ARTICLES

MOST READ

I 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.

Meet Gord Hotchkiss at Search Insider Summit Utah!
Gord Hotchkiss will be there speaking during "Conference Opens and Opening Remarks" on December 03 at 8:45 AM. Top executives will be there. Will you?
Register today and save.

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.

11 comments on "Hello, My Name Is Gord, And I've Been Behaviorally Targeted"

  1. susan kuchinskas from The 360
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 12:13 PM
    You're hilarious. But -- what a double standard. The least you could have done was click on the ad!

  2. Crystal Henkekl-Kimmes from Yahoo!
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 11:43 AM
    Memories! I too am in the online advertising industry, where behavioral targeting is a huge boon to our advertiser's (and our financial) success. Like you, I was slightly disconcerted when I spent a year planning my wedding online. Every day ads for mega-discount-bridal stores and email spam for the latest bridal magazing popped up and poured in by the minute. It became downright annoying because I was targeted too often. But, at least I had an online experience totally relevant to me and my personal needs. It's better than trying to plan a wedding and seeing ads for divorce attorneys! (Though, with today's 50/50 odds, such an ad might be one of the most valuable a future 'married' could see!) Thanks for commenting on the experiences of being targeted and hit. Glad I'm not the only one.

  3. Ellen Scordato from The Stonesong Press, LLC
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:43 AM
    I bet you've been behaviorally targeted before, this is just he first time you've noticed.

    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.

  4. Roy Perry from Greater Media Philadelphia
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:25 AM
    Well, well, well, let the backlash begin. Could be that the better this kind of thing works the more it harms the brand. Just because you're selling something instead of kidnapping my kid doesn't mean you're not a stalker.

  5. Meredith Schwartz from Gifts & Decorative Accessories
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:19 AM
    As a user, it creeps me out. I don't like the idea that there is that much known about me as an individual -- I don't trust the privacy protections, either not to fail or be invaded, or to be really sufficient even when properly executed. The people who are promising to keep my info anonymous have little financial incentive to do so, and potentially a big incentive not to -- at least if they can do so without a backlash.

    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.

  6. Maren Woodlock from Noble Advertising
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:10 AM
    Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. If you subscribe to the use of BT for clients, then you have to be prepared to be a target yourself. I doubt the general public has any idea that they might be targeted behaviorally. They might actually look at it as a serendipitous occurence.

  7. Paul Krellwitz from Tiny Prints
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:08 AM
    Know what you mean. Amazon's the one that intimidates me. I make a single purchase for a book or cd, and then I'm getting recommnedations about "people who purchased this also found this interesting." And their accuracy is just astounding. It takes an amazing amount of restraint to limit myself to the one thing I went shopping for in the first place. Plus, later you get e-mails notifying you that items related to your purchase are on sale. It can be tough to resist.

  8. Christina Abbott from People 2.0
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 10:04 AM
    I agree with your uneasiness at having the tables turned on you! I was behaviorally targeted by Coke a few weeks ago with a very blunt (and I thought creative) approach that I'd like to share.

    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!

  9. Terri Wells from Developer Shed
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 9:53 AM
    lol! If more advertisers experienced their type of advertising from a consumer's perspective, maybe they'd understand a little better why they often garner a negative reaction.

  10. Roy Perry from Greater Media Philadelphia
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 9:46 AM
    If YOU'RE creeped out, imagine how this sort of thing will hit the average person. Growth career of the next few months: Behavioral Targeter. Growth career of the future: Door-To-Door Cookie Purger.

  11. Sarah Mark from Valassis
    commented on: April 12, 2007 at 9:41 AM
    I know exactly what you mean, it is disconcerting when we're targeted so well, and my knee-jerk reaction is to go in to hiding. :)

Leave a Comment

You must be signed in to comment. Sign In

Do you have strong opinions and inside knowledge about the topic of this article -- and do you want to share your insights, observations and points of view regularly with the readers of MediaPost? To be considered as a MediaPost contributing writer, please send pertinent info about your credentials, plus several column ideas and one example of your writing on the topic, to pfine@mediapost.com. Please see our editorial guidelines here first.

GORD HOTCHKISS
  • Gord Hotchkiss is the president of Enquiro, a search engine marketing firm. He loves to explore the strategic side of search and is programming chair of the Search Insider Summits, as well as a frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies and Ad:Tech. Contact him here.


AUTHORS

ARCHIVES

RECENT VIDEOS
Recent Search Insider Articles
What's Going To Work? TEAMWORK   
If you have a child in the 18- to 36-month-old range, you may recognize the catchphrase...
Search Insider Sneak Peek: The Three-For-One Keynote   
Avinash Kaushik, Google's Analytics Evangelist, will be kicking off the Search Insider Summit in just two...
Even More On: Everything I Need to Know About Business I Learned From Google   
Today we close out the chapter on business lessons learned from Google. As much as I...
Search Is For The Drills; Social Is For The Holes   
How do people engage with your product or service? Do you sell something like kayaks, which...
Applied Video & Social Search   
So I am sitting around with some friends last weekend watching sports on TV. We get...
Rebranding Myself   
This past Saturday, I married the love of my life. Now begins the process of changing...
SIS Sneak Peek: Looking Backward AND Forward   
In about three weeks, we'll be gathering in Park City, Utah for another Search Insider Summit....
PPC: Commercial Real-Time Search (Almost) Realized    
For all of the focus on crawler and social layers, paid search has largely been ignored...
Finding That One Blue Marble   
In the months straddling 2000-2001, I had the good fortune to lead the ParentsConnected Nationwide Seminar...
The Failure To (Completely) Serve    
At Ad:Tech last week, one message I heard, over and over again, is that people seem...
>> Search Insider Archives 
ABOUT MEDIAPOST • MASTHEAD • MEDIA KIT • RSS FEEDS • PRIVACY/TERMS & CONDITIONS
©2009 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved.
1140 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001
tel. 212-204-2000, fax 212-204-2038, feedback@mediapost.com