Retargeting? Yes please.

While browsing the web today I was hit by a banner ad powered by Criteo for Zappos.  They are using my previous browsing history to target Zappos products I may be interested in.  This technology, called retargeting, has been around for a while but I have never been presented with a link at the bottom of the add before.  Clicking this link brings me to a page that actually shows my browsing history, how it correlates to what others have purchased, and tries to make an intelligent decision on what to show me.  Below is my own landing page for the ad:

This is a good thing because it is less of a wasted ad impression because it has some relevant information.  My personal goal around ads I see is to never see an advertisement for something I do not want.  By placing an ad for something I want, may have already purchased, or bailed from a conversion funnel in the past creates a higher affinity to that product.

Many people are afraid of this technology, mainly because it appears at first glance to be an invasion of privacy, but in reality it makes for a much better experience when faced with the fact that advertisements are a integral part  of the web ecosystem.  Smarter ads that can convert to sales are the best way to keep the content free.

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  • http://spencerfry.com/ Spencer Fry

    I agree with you that my goal with ads is to never see an ad that doesn't interest me.

  • Alexis Juneja

    Agree. I've actually stopped going to the movies at Lowes Union Square b/c I do not want to see 30 minutes of irrelevant ads for Pepsi, Minivans, Axe and the like after I've already paid full ticket price for the movie.

  • http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

    Saw a movie this weekend and had to sit through previews before the previews
    - was very silly. Also speaks to a problem of NYC theaters though of being
    so crowded they know you are going to be there 30-45 minutes early!

  • heyjimk

    Thanks for writing about these ads. At Zappos, we're exploring how we can be as transparent as possible with retargeting like this. Most folks seem to really like the personalized ads but the experience is still fairly unusual/surprising and so we've added “Why am I seeing these ads? Learn more” to make it really easy to understand more and, if desired, to quickly opt out.
    If any suggestions on how to make this an even better experience, we're very open to ideas.
    Thanks, Jim Kingsbury

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  • http://twitter.com/ToddWalker Todd Walker

    They

  • http://twitter.com/ToddWalker Todd Walker

    I noticed this, too, after shopping for a watch on Zappos. However, the ads seemed to be blissfully unaware that I had actually bought a watch. I continued to be shown watches I'd considered but did not buy.

    Perhaps the technology takes a bit of time to catch up. Now I mostly see a tempting array of laptop bags!

  • http://mdaniels.com Matt Daniels

    While re-targeting and criteo are pretty amazing, the fact that you noticed a banner ad is even more astounding. Breakthrough.

  • http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

    Very true :)

  • http://analyticasystemsinc.com/blog/ John R. Sedivy

    Definitely an interesting way of looking at targeted ads! I found that prior to the hypertargeted ads on sites such sites as Facebook I wouldn't even notice them. However, with the sophistication of the ads on social sites improving by the minute I have found myself clicking at least one ad! Remarkable considering my tendency to simply gloss over them in the past.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/internetmarketingnickstamoulis Nick Stamoulis

    I too must say that I never really noticed targeted ads until they were popping up on my Facebook page, and now I notice them everywhere, and I sort of get a chuckle out of it. Targeted ads are definitely a better option, because the likelihood of a click is much higher.

  • http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

    Its at least an attention grabber – which is better than banner blindness

  • http://www.blackfridayplanet.com/ William Hushburn

    Having your ads customized is truly amazing. The feeling is just different when everything that suits your interest can be viewed in your ads. This is a very cool post.

  • http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

    Thanks

  • http://www.jmarbach.com jmarbach

    I think re-targeting is the best form of display advertising because with an average landing page bounce rate of 50-75% on average, half of the customers that have an interest in your product can be re-acquired. To add to that, the re-targeting marketing campaigns also boost the chance that an existing customer will buy from you again.