Target advertisements

## Behavioral Advertising

Large companies **target advertisements** towards users from their personal information. This marketing strategy is called behavioral advertising. *“Behavioral advertising is a technique used by online advertisers to present targeted ads to consumers by collecting information about their browsing behavior”* . A user’s internet activity can indicate which advertisements should be targeted towards them. Companies analyze many forms of a user’s data including pages viewed on a website, amount of time on the website, number of clicks, how recent the visit was, and all interaction with the website . Behavioral advertising is an important marketing strategy because it tailors an advertisement to a user’s personal interests. If a user is scrolling through Facebook and views an advertisement that appeals to them, the user may be interested in clicking on the ad. Targeted advertisements may seem to be an invasion of privacy, but overall, specific advertisements that adapt to a user’s interest is an effective marketing tool.

*Video reference -*

Behavioral advertising will expand to be the norm in the future. As technology advances, data and algorithms are improving, which increases the accuracy of information . Companies will eventually be able to learn specific details about a social media user based on their account and personal interests. Although behavioral advertising is already happening, it’s going to develop and become an advanced marketing tool. Millennials are the most accepting of behavioral advertising of all ages. Experts believe that millennials will support the growth of behavioral advertising because they were raised with all of their information online . Millennials are the first generation to use social networks and expose personal information online. Since the millennial generation is lenient when it comes to sharing personal data, it’s easy for companies to collect consumer data .

## Future Outlook

   Behavioral advertising occurs today and will occur at an advanced rate in the future. **Targeted advertisements** could be interpreted as an invasion of privacy, or as a technology that is improving the way a user makes purchases. Custom advertisements tailored from tracking a user’s online activity is an effective way to market a service or good. Social media will contribute to the advancement of behavioral advertising in the future because a company will be able to collect more information on the user. A scholarly research study about internet users' understanding of behavioral advertising found *“40% self-reporting they would change their online behavior if advertisers were collecting data"*.

*Image reference -*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Behind the Scenes of Behavioral Advertising. (n.d.). Retrieved from Kissmetrics website:

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/behavioral-advertising/
2. ↑ iabuk. (n.d.). How online behavioural advertising works [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Y4Efyxmk4
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Drell, L. (2011, April 26). 4 Ways Behavioral Targeting Is Changing the Web. Retrieved April 9,
2017, from Mashable website: http://mashable.com/2011/04/26/behavioral-targeting/#BdaEdsJ6ZmqR
4. ↑ McDonald, A., & Cranor, L. F. (n.d.). Beliefs and Behaviors: Internet Users' Understanding of
Behavioral Advertising. Retrieved April 9, 2017, from [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/    papers.cfm?abstract\_id=1989092 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/
papers.cfm?abstract\_id=1989092]
5. ↑ Behavioral Advertising [Illustration]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jXoDSu12ces/hqdefault.jpg