Truste Has released the findings of a very interesting survey it conducted regarding behavioral targeting. It turns out that consumers’ comfort level with the concept is going up.
“Up until now, consumers haven’t been fully aware of behavioral advertising, although it’s a part of their everyday lives if they spend any time online,” a Truste representative tells murdok. “But brand new research is showing that now the cat is out of the bag – and as more consumers become aware that their online behavior is being tracked, more appear to actually be okay with it.”
“Recent events such as the Facebook TOS debacle and the release of the FTC guidelines have put behavioral targeting in the headlines, making the issue more top of mind with consumers than ever,” she adds. “Privacy advocates have been critical of behavioral targeting and some companies have stumbled as they attempt to capitalize on digital advertising technology.”
Following are some interesting findings from the survey:
– 63.9% would choose to only see online ads from online stores and brands that they know and trust.
– 83.8% say that less than 25% of the ads they see while browsing online are relevant to their wants and needs.
– 68.6% know that their browsing information may be collected by a third-party for advertising purposes.
– Three quarters of consumers say they know how to protect their personal information online, yet 39% admit that they do not consistently take the necessary steps to do so.
– 34.9% feel their privacy has been invaded or violated in the last year due to information they provided on the Internet.
– 50.5% say they’re uncomfortable with advertisers using their browsing history to serve relevant ads, even when that information cannot be tied to their names or any other personal information.
– Only 30.6% said they would be comfortable having their browsing behavior captured by websites on which they’ve registered in order to improve user experience.
– Consumer discomfort with tracking has declined by six percent points year over year.
– Over half of respondents say that privacy is very important to them. Most think they know about the tools available and say they would take the necessary steps.
– The same percentage said they would register online to prevent advertisers from tracking their browsing behaviors, even if it meant that they would receive more ads that they found less relevant.
– Up to 80% say that individuals and website owners are responsible for insuring individual online privacy.
– 42% would click a button or icon on a display ad that read “Click here to reduce unwanted ads.
– 68.4% say they’d use a browser feature that blocks ads, content and tracking code that doesn’t originate from the site they’re visiting.
– 53% say they would complete an anonymous survey about the products, services and brands they buy in order to limit the online ads they see to just those products, services and brands, but 18% would not.
– 34.3% would still fill out a survey about products, services and brands they buy, even if it wasn’t anonymous.
Controversial ideas often have a way of gaining acceptance. Look at the last Facebook redesign (they’ve got more changes on the way now). It’s pretty evident that behavior targeting is only increasing in practice. Reports suggest that it’s on pace to reach over $1.1 billion this year.
