There continues to be noise around the growing menace of advertising in the online world. Alarmists point to the increasingly sophisticated capability to track and capture a user’s travels and behaviors across the Web, known as behavioral targeting. Armed with this information delivered via cookies placed in your Web browser, advertisers are in the position to deliver highly targeted ads wherever you go online. This is being framed in a “Big Brother is Watching” way as though companies are getting into the business of spying on you (see this recent WSJ article) and threatening your life, liberty and happiness.
Here’s the thing – for all the bluster, it is largely an unfair characterization of how the industry actually operates. The problem is not companies getting into the business of spying (it’s just too expensive for companies to spy on consumers – there’s no real revenue in it); the real problem is fear and a lack of education around the online advertising industry. We fear the unknown and what we don’t understand. At first glance, this new world of digital media and targeted online advertising may look frightening. But take a second glance, armed with knowledge about how online advertising works, and you’ll see there’s no boogeyman hiding in the closet, or monster under the bed...[read more]
Here’s the thing – for all the bluster, it is largely an unfair characterization of how the industry actually operates. The problem is not companies getting into the business of spying (it’s just too expensive for companies to spy on consumers – there’s no real revenue in it); the real problem is fear and a lack of education around the online advertising industry. We fear the unknown and what we don’t understand. At first glance, this new world of digital media and targeted online advertising may look frightening. But take a second glance, armed with knowledge about how online advertising works, and you’ll see there’s no boogeyman hiding in the closet, or monster under the bed...[read more]
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