Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral Targeting (commonly abbreviated BT) is the process of segmenting users by not just demographics, income, race, gender or other superficial characteristics, but also by other (often times more relevant) metrics such as time spent interacting with an object or message, frequency of interactions, recency, likelihood to purchase after following a certain trajectory of interactions, etc...

Behavioral Targeting activities typical center around building and/or exploiting existing user profiles, user preferences and user activities/histories, in order to tailor a message (i.e. marketing), offer (i.e. advertisement) or a specific product/service to a specific user at a specific point in time, thereby controlling, influencing or otherwise benefiting from knowledge about, their behaviour.

Market

"With the greater attention paid to overall ad targeting, and the rising focus on brand messages online," says Mr. Hallerman, "this market will nearly quadruple by the end of 2011, growing to $3.8 billion."

There are three key reasons for the large spending gains:

Behavioral targeting helps marketers reach a more engaged audience with fewer ad impressions Behavioral targeting helps publishers monetize their "long tail" pages — the non-premium or remnant inventory that either is sold for less money or remains unsold Even though individuals are often not aware of the process, many tend to find ads targeted by their actions to be more relevant to their needs, and therefore more palatable or even welcomed.

Legal Issues

There are a number of outstanding legal issues regarding the practice of Behavioral Targeting at each layer of the OSI network protocol, but most public debate has been conducted around the Application, Computer/Device and ISP levels.

A recent inquiry from the US Federal Government has been inconclusive at best, despite the pointedness of each of the questions posed.

The inquiry has found that the majority of the major players are denying their involvement in Behavioral Targeting or Tracking.

Standards Bodies

• Behavioral Targeting Standards Consortium: http://www.btstandards.org./
• IAB - Guidelines, Standards, Principles & Practices: http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443

Political Bodies

FTC

The Federal Trade Commission is the primary regulatory political body in charge of looking out for cosumers' interests in the US. They have ruled towards less strict self-regulation by the Content & Ad businesses engaging in Behavioral Targeting activities. Despite releasing a major guideline for such self-regulation process, they have as yet not issued any formal legal or political mandates.

Major Players

• Yahoo! Behavioral Targeting (for Advertisers): http://advertising.yahoo.com/marketing/bt/
• Omniture Conversion Products: http://www.omniture.com/en/products/conversion
• TACODA: http://www.tacoda.com/
• HowToTarget.com: http://www.howtotarget.com/
• BT Buckets: http://btbuckets.com/

Phorm

• Phorm: http://phorm.co.uk
• Phorm’s Webwise: It’s back and gaining traction: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=768&tag=nl.e102
• BT silences customers over Phorm: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/19/bt_phorm_censor/

Tools

• OPT OUT FROM ONLINE BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING (BETA): http://www.aboutads.info/choices/
• ClickClickClick: http://clickclickclick.click (example of capabilities of browser to listen to your activities)
• FF plugin - Collusion: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/collusion/ (Firefox plugin to analyze HTTP traffic & Cookies and visualize who's tracking you)

Resources

• Using your browser URL history to estimate gender: http://www.mikeonads.com/2008/07/13/using-your-browser-url-history-estimate-gender/
• Using your browser history to tell what's on your mind: http://petewarden.typepad.com/searchbrowser/2008/08/a-tag-cloud-for.html
• Political Viewpoints: http://petewarden.typepad.com/searchbrowser/2008/08/can-i-guess-you.html

JavaScript

• User Details Scripts: http://javascript.internet.com/user-details/
• Finding a User Mac Address (Javascript): http://neilkilbride.blogspot.com/2008/02/finding-user-mac-address-javascript.html
• Advanced JavaScript with Internet Explorer: Retrieving Networking Configuration Information : http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/JavaScript/Advanced-JavaScript-with-Internet-Explorer-Retrieving-Networking-Configuration-Information/1/
• User Information: http://www.hotscripts.com/JavaScript/Scripts_and_Programs/User_Information/index.html
• W3C - JS Cookies: http://w3schools.com/js/js_cookies.asp
• Display Running Time of a Page using JavaScript: http://www.dotnetspider.com/resources/19126-Display-Running-Time-Page-using-JavaScript.aspx
• How to Detect the Social Sites Your Visitors Use: http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/socialhistoryjs/
• SocialHistory.js -- Find the Social Media sites in a user's browser history: http://code.google.com/p/aza/source/browse/trunk/SocialHistory/SocialHistory.js

PHP

• Browser Language Detection: http://aruljohn.com/lang.php
• 3 Free Ways to Geolocate By IP: http://blog.programmableweb.com/2009/03/31/3-free-ways-to-geolocate-by-ip/

Tutorials

• The Complete Guide to Retargeting Ads: http://www.ripenecommerce.com/blog/guide-to-retargeting-ads

External Links

• BehavioralTargeting.com: http://www.behavioraltargeting.com/
• How do I Leverage On-Site/Behavioral Targeting? Article: http://www.searchengineguide.com/manoj-jasra/how-do-i-leverage-onsitebehavioral-targe.php
• MediaPost's Behavioral Insider [1]
• wikipedia:Behavioral targeting
• The ClickZ Network - The Three Dimensions of Behavioral Targeting: http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3401511
• Behavioral Targeting 101: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/3297.asp
• Browser detect: http://www.quirksmode.org/js/detect.html
• Epicenter The Business of TechTiVo To Sell Geographically-Sorted User Behavior to Advertisers: http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/04/tivo-will-monit/
• 'Will Trade My Info for Better Ads': http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=105252
• The Sweet Sound of a Well-Targeted Ad: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/the-sweet-sound-of-a-well-targeted-ad/
• Is Google taking behavioral data to display?: http://www.mikeonads.com/2008/07/18/is-google-taking-behavioral-data-to-display/
• The Implicit Web: http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2006/12/2007_the_implic.html
• Behavioral Targeting And Online Video -- Making It A Reality: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=79133#comments
• 15 Unfortunately Placed Ads: http://www.oddee.com/item_87332.aspx
• Targetted Advertisement at Work (Obama ad next to Socialism definition): http://www.oddee.com/contrib_4989.aspx
• Behavioral Analytics - Web Analytics -- What, Who and How: http://www.jesusmena.com/id61.html
• Google's Behavioral Ad Targeting: How to Reclaim Control: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/031109-googles-behavioral-ad-targeting-how.html
• E-Metrics - Business Metrics For The New Economy: http://www.targeting.com/emetrics.pdf
• NBC admits using "behavior placement" on popular shows: http://theweek.com/article/index/201774/NBCs_cynical_mindcontrol_games
• Apple facing class action suit over iOS data collection: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/12/apple-facing-class-action-suit-over-ios-data-collection.ars
• IE9 and Tracking Protection - Microsoft disrupts the online ad business: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/ie9-and-tracking-protection-microsoft-disrupts-the-online-ad-business/3004
• You’re Tracked Everywhere You Go Online. Use This Guide to Fight Back: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/smarter-living/privacy-online-how-to-stop-advertiser-tracking-opt-out.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab
• Google Not Yet Invited To Join Ad Industry Group To Solve A Problem It Helped To Create https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/354360/google-not-yet-invited-to-join-ad-industry-group-t.html
• Facebook goes to war with Apple over targeted ads: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/facebook-goes-to-war-with-apple-over-targeted-ads/ar-BB1bZ7m8
• Supreme Court Should Turn Away Facebook In Battle Over Tracking, Users Argue: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/360543/supreme-court-should-turn-away-facebook-in-battle.html
• Big Tech Critics Seek To Prohibit Facebook And Google From Microtargeting Ads: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/361629/big-tech-critics-seek-to-prohibit-facebook-and-goo.html
• US Lawmakers Ready Bill To Ban 'Surveillance Advertising': https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/361757/lawmakers-ready-bill-to-ban-surveillance-advertis.html
• FTC's Slaughter Suggests Agency Will Scrutinize Behavioral Advertising: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/365443/ftcs-slaughter-suggests-crackdown-on-harmful-bu.html
• Facebook To Prohibit Companies From Serving Behaviorally Targeted Ads To Minors: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/365446/facebook-to-prohibit-companies-from-serving-behavi.html
• New Bill Would Ban Behavioral Targeting Of Minors: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/365539/new-bill-would-ban-behavioral-targeting-of-minors.html
• Every Single Cognitive Bias in One diagram (INFOGRAPHIC): https://www.visualcapitalist.com/every-single-cognitive-bias/
• It’s Time to Stop Talking About “Generations”: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/its-time-to-stop-talking-about-generations
• Proposed Ban On Behavioral Targeting Draws Opposition From IAB, Others: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/370445/proposed-ban-on-behavioral-targeting-draws-opposit.html
• Connecticut Passes Right To Opt Out Of Behavioral Advertising: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/373437/connecticut-passes-right-to-opt-out-of-behavioral.html

See Also

Advertising | Privacy | LBS | Personalization | Social Media | Marketing