Ads to Target Mavens, Connectors, and Salesmen

CNET reports that a new generation of advertising companies are set to create “social ads,” targeted to those who have the greatest influence over their friends. An ad on Facebook, for example, may report that your friend Jane has just rated the latest Goo Goo Dolls CD a 9.5 using a music-rating application, then link you to a site where you can download the album. A company may pay for an ad to be displayed to an influential person – a maven, a connector, or a salesman – than to a less-valuable target.

The new system may deliver more informative, effective, better-targeted ads. But privacy concerns may stand in its way. Let’s hope that any new privacy law does not hamper new advertising innovations.