According to Beverly Macy, highly sought after speaker, author and expert in social media, these ads are reshaping media. I’d add that they are reshaping consumer expectations and comfort zones. We all know what these ads are, right? We may not have known what they are called.
Beverly’s example is you check out a pair of shoes online and suddenly – there they are in your Facebook news feed. That’s programmatic marketing. Or, you’re a mom and you bought a new stroller at Babies ‘R Us and now you see an ad for birth announcements from a company like Shutterfly. She asks the question “Is it creepy or helpful.”
These are programmatic ads matching buying and shopping habits with relevant content based on invisible digital “cookies” tracking online activity as well as information we willingly supply online when “registering” with websites, completing surveys and shopping via ecommerce.
According to Beverly, “As customers deposit more and more personal data online, they expect ultra-customized experiences in exchange from their favorite brands. Brands continue to look at trends to understand where things are heading, but they also have lots of data coming in. They are realizing there’s gold in their own data and they intend to forge closer contact with their customers’ purchasing intent.”
At the same time I will observe that there are growing contingents of folks, myself included, that find the experience at least somewhat invasive and Big Brother-ish. In fact you can find a growing counter trend in folks sharing how-to’s on cutting back on what you share and tips on more diligent management of web privacy settings.
That said, for those eager for more personalized brand relationships Beverly tells us to, “Look for a whole new customer loyalty dynamic as the tables are turned and the customer rewards the brand for serving up relevant content, quickly, and in the right place at the right time on the right device with repeat business.” Relax and enjoy.
