This is a response to Nil’s blog post, “Google, stop following me.” Specifically, a comment she had towards the end about online advertisements that are based on other websites you’ve visited with your IP address:

“I should not be consciously noticing these ads, not realizing exactly how and why they are being targeted at me, and definitely not looking upon them with distaste. In the past 24 hours I have seen this company appear on the websites I visit  more times then I can count, but my perception of this brand is not a positive one.”

When a company blatantly pulls my Google history to sell me batteries after I searched what I need to power a wireless mouse, I don’t feel the urge to buy their brand either. Sure, their timing might be great, as they know that I’m already beyond need recognition and I‘m engaging in an external search for information on their product. But for me, when I can clearly see the reasoning behind why an advertisement is in front of me, I stop thinking of the advertisement as just another advertisement and I start thinking about how I am  part of a strategy to improve a bottom line.

I’m well aware that’s the intention behind most advertisements. And to be honest, while there are a lot of privacy issues on the web I’m very vocal about, I don’t care that much if I’m advertised to based on my web history as long as my identity remains private. However, isn’t it bad CRM if an advertisement is actively making me think more about the company’s intentions than it is their product?

If MasterCard puts an ad on a TV channel I frequent, I watch it and think about the benefits using their credit card (if I think about it at all). If MasterCard sets up a tent on campus during the first week of school, I think about how they’re trying to take advantage of naive students who are just starting to gain financial independence from their parents. I know targeting is taking place in both these scenarios, but it seems to me that a failure to be subtle could have pretty damaging affects on a company’s brand image.