Microsoft to Advertisers: We can “track visitors throughout the course of their online journey”

So-called behavioral re-targeting is one of the most troubling online ad techniques.  No one knows they are being digitally shadowed in cyberspace.  But many companies provide such a profiling/tracking/targeting service.  Here’s what Microsoft tells advertisers in the UK/EU it can do [our emphasis]:

“With Re-messaging we can narrow our audience by finding the people who have already visited you. It means we can ensure they always stay in touch and help create continual engagement with your brand.

Re-messaging is effective on its own, but works at its best when combined with other forms of targeting and campaign performance. By placing action tags on your website, we can track visitors throughout the course of their online journey and re-message them on our network. For example the consumer may have previously searched for a hotel but not booked, compared credit cards but not applied, or visited a promotional website. Whatever it may be, if they’ve gone part way to making a purchase or performing an action, we can help you continue the conversation and ensure that the relevant message is seen by the people it matters most to.”

Author: jeff

Jeff Chester is executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. A former journalist and filmmaker, Jeff's book on U.S. electronic media politics, entitled "Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy" was published by The New Press in January 2007. He is now working on a new book about interactive advertising and the public interest.

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