Targeted online advertising – finally one hits the mark!

Ever wonder when online advertising will become more useful than annoying? Or, more useful than irrelevant? Imagine my surprise to discover an ad targeted to me that delivered a bit of new, exciting, welcome information! You see, I’m on Facebook. As I surf around on the site, little targeted ads appear on the left side of the screen. Clearly the ads are accessing, directly or indirectly, information I’ve shared with Facebook – even information that I’ve made “private” from regular viewing. The ads I usually get reference my age or the fact that I am married, but they are generally useless – ‘you’re married? click on this link to win $500.’ Riiiiggghhht. Well, finally, one of these ads caught my interest and attention! It was an ad for a band…one I discovered I actually like – Velvet Code! I surmise that the band submitted an ad to Facebook with a search criteria that included “goofy people who fancy electronic music,” because, well, it found me. Without targeted advertising, who knows, I might be pummeled with, oh, Bon Jovi ads instead. Which would be a bad thing. And that’s why government should keep its regulatory mitts off of these ads– to spare me from Bon Jovi. (See Wayne Crews and Ryan Radia on Selling Out Online Advertising.)