Reflecting on Retargeting

Here’s my latest contribution to iMediaConnection. It occurred to me that once a targeting tactic gets adopted by the industry, many agencies tend to recommend it in every situation until the next hot thing comes around.  Retargeting, though, is one of those things that if misused, could cause significant consumer backlash.  Given what’s going on with the high potential for government regulation, privacy-related consumer backlash is the last thing the digital marketing industry needs right now.  Getting to the right media plan means considering targeting tactics like retargeting on a case-by-case basis, not rubber-stamping it every time for every product in every category.  Very many consumers are concerned and confused about how they’re being targeted.  It’s best not to get people up in arms by doing something that makes them think you’ve latched on to a highly-personal data point.  So while it might be okay to label someone an in-market car buyer for repeatedly visiting kbb.com or a manufacturer’s website, it’s probably not cool to barrage someone with divorce lawyer ads while they’re checking the sports scores, just because their surfing behavior reflects marital difficulties.  Consumer perception is a key consideration when looking at retargeting.  I say perception because most people aren’t familiar with how ads are targeted online, and they might get the wrong idea.