When we begin a conversation around our digital engagement the question, “Is digital advertising invasive or creepy?”, usually comes up. My answer is, “It can be. But we use our powers for good.”
With that said, here is how a non-invasive digital campaign works.
Once the demographic profile and geography of your target customer are found, you work to make sure you pick the best solution for targeting. Depending on the venue, setup, goal and message, you may use geofencing, behavioral targeting, or another form of targeting. Once that is established you begin sending your message (the ad, offer or idea) to your customer. Sounds simple, but here’s where to keep it not creepy.
Sending Digital Ads
When Element 502 sends digital advertising, we use publicly available ad spaces. These may be banners, ad space on a website, or space in a social media feed. These spaces are generally seen by people as acceptable places for advertising. We do not use texts or “scree takeover” ads. Instead, we are just taking advantage of the space that is already available. In theory, this is really no different than the advertisements you see in print publications, commercials on television, or the trailers before a movie. People expect to see advertising there. At no time do we do direct personalization using their name or other information. That would be creepy!
Additionally, when we do a digital target unless a person has already given you their name, email, phone number, or other identifiable information, we do not know who a “click” is coming from. See, I told you, we’re not creepy. We truly use all our powers for good.
Now that you see how this advertising is not creepy, you can actually see how effective it can be. By finding an existing need or affinity, you can begin to share legitimate and helpful information with people. I like to go on the basis that the people we partner with truly bring a great service to their clients. By sharing their product, they can make a difference.
So, what do you think? Does digital targeting still sound creepy? Please let us know. We’d love to continue the conversation. If a method of advertising alienates our audience, it’s really not good.
