Openness about behavioural targeting will increase acceptance

If companies are more open about using data captured online, consumers will be more accepting of behavioural targeting, according to 62.5 per cent of European online publishers.

In the second part of the “New Rules of Revenue” survey carried out by Improve Digital, openness is essential for targeting and relevance in ads to be sustained.

For digital marketing to reach its full potential, 90 per cent argue that easy to understand, comprehensive information has to be provided. There is also a strong commitment to data protection, with 93.1 per cent of publishers saying this is important or very important when working with multiple ad networks.

This does present problems, with 77.5 per cent saying a significant problem exists around monitoring which third parties are collecting data through cookies. However, a slight majority of publishers (52.2 per cent) also said that third parties should be able to use publisher’s audience data to target their advertising campaigns.

“Behavioural targeting is a valuable tool for online advertisers and publishers alike because it enables relevant ads to be served to a pre-defined target audience, which increases the value of inventory,” explains Nic Peters, managing director of Improve Digital UK.  “Therefore, it also significantly enhances the online experience for consumers, who see adverts that relate to their interests. However, this is not well understood, with the result that behavioural targeting is often viewed in a negative light.  Organisations must therefore be rigourous about being transparent in their actions, as well as ensuring they use audience data to deliver tangible benefits back to consumers.”