Virgin Media portal to use behavioural targeting across site

Virgin Media has embraced behavioural targeting across its portal as it looks to boost revenues.

It has appointed behavioural targeting firm AudienceScience to collect data and create segments based on user behaviour across its site, which includes verticals like travel, shopping and music.

Visitors will receive relevant ads based on the anonymous data collected by AudienceScience. The behavioural targeting firm’s tags have been implemented across Virgin Media’s site to build audience segments. Virginmedia.com attracted 6.5m unique users last month, according to Nielsen.

The deal comes after months of discussions between Virgin Media and behavioural targeting firms.

A Virgin Media spokeswoman said, “We’ve signed an agreement with AudienceScience to explore and develop our audience segmentation capabilities on virginmedia.com. The solution will enable us to deliver relevant advertising to groups interested in similar topics, such as a haircare ad for visitors who recently searched for Britain’s Next Top Model or offers from Eurostar for users browsing hotels in Paris.”

he deal with AudienceScience followed plans unveiled by Virgin Media in July to extend a review of behavioural targeting firm Phorm. This followed BT’s announcement it had no immediate plans to deploy Phorm’s ISP-based technology.

AudienceScience already works with publishers including CNet, The Guardian and Future Publishing.

This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk