The proliferation of online targeting methods has created a confusing array of options for marketers and their ad-network partners. This report reviews and “reality checks” the leading targeting methods — including geo-locational, demographic, contextual and behavioral targeting — and evaluates how well they have lived up to their potential.
While all have their advantages, each method has shortcomings which prevent it from becoming the dominant method. Geo-locational targeting is often inaccurate and falls short when targeting travelers and Internet users at work. Demographic targeting lacks standards and, since it’s typically based on aggregated site-profile information, often misrepresents individuals visiting the site. Contextual targeting continues to mismatch ads with page content and is blind to interests, budgets and “in-market” status. Finally, behavioral targeting creates a one-dimensional view of the consumer, does not reflect ability to buy, is plagued by privacy concerns and struggles to identify when consumers are no longer “in market.”
New and emerging targeting methodologies will address this quagmire of pitfalls that are holding online targeting back from realizing its full potential. One of the most progressive offerings is predictive targeting which moves online targeting beyond the single dimension of Web-surfing behavior. The new approach relies on a far wider range of data points to anticipate future behaviors across a far wider range of interests.
To deliver on the promise of predictive targeting — and overcome the shortcomings of older methodologies — TARGUSinfo launched AdAdvisor services. Since no click-stream data is used, the platform enables advertisers to deliver relevant display advertising from the moment they encounter a user by delivering an audience of anonymous, non-personally identifiable population segments based on verified offline consumer information.
Where other targeting methods track a limited set of fleeting “in-market” behaviors, AdAdvisor provides a holistic view of the consumer by using segment scores to track hundreds of predictive persistent behaviors and provide offline data to corroborate online behaviors.
Segment scores reveal a robust set of demographics, interests, lifestyles, browsing behaviors and purchase behaviors — enabling ad networks to resourcefully match their available inventory with their current set of advertisers. Segment scores even work in tandem with other targeting methods to deliver a significant lift to results.
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