AI and other technologies that can be used to track and analyze data are harnessing info from the likes of social media accounts and online spending habits like never before. Algorithms are helping personalize newsfeeds, advertisements and much more. However, a significant range of Internet users are coming to think of this trend as less of a convenience when shopping and more of an invasion of privacy.
Give the people what they want
Although the differentiation of audiences and matching of client preferences with various products and services has long been talked up, the actualization of this phenomenon has only really heated up in recent years. Reception has been mixed, as consumers start thinking of how much privacy they are willing to give up in return for the discounts and promos that come their way. A new survey shows that almost half of respondents who use ad blockers would choose not to visit a website if they knew that it was personalizing advertising to visitors. Moreover, the harvesting and use of information by advertisers is viewed by over six out of 10 people as inappropriate.
Digital natives are more okay with it
The strongest aversion to the use of IT to target audiences with specific material, perhaps not surprisingly, comes from generations that did not grow up with the Internet or were introduced to it later in life. No matter what comfort levels may be, though, the bottom line is that brands will need to work to keep trust among target audiences and long-term fans alike, as big data works to combine information like never before, and digital marketers grapple with how to best to use make use of it.
The Human & Digital Communications Agency
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