Targeted Ads are Creepy to Consumers
Reuters is reporting that almost 60% of Americansin a Harris Interactive poll were uneasy when Web sites use information about a person's online activity to tailor advertisements or content. "There's a creepy factor and a fear of the unknown that people don't want to deal with," said Michelle Warren, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group in London, Ontario.
This is consistent with my experience. I teach a class on digital media law and policy every year and I always ask the students what privacy intrusion worried them the most. In the past, identity theft was far and away the overall winner. This year, targeted advertising and online monitoring was the winner and the reason was clearly the "creepy" factor.
This suggests to me that companies will need to use great care when implementing targeted advertising solutions and that alleviating the "creepy" factor will be at least as important as creating tangible benefits to consumers.
