You're Being Stalked on Your Own Turf: Be Wary of Personalized Advertising

By Mini Swamy

TMCnet Contributor

 

How much crazier can things get? With an ever increasing number of smartphones and mobile devices stampeding the markets, we find that interactive advertising has undergone a twist - a personal one - as digital advertisers get ready to run Internet marathons by personalizing their target audience and following them wherever they go.

The 'one size fits all' concept appears to have been relegated with Abacast, the provider of digital radio streaming, taking the lead with its cloud-based ad insertion, allowing advertisers and broadcasters target listening audiences with individualized ads, regardless of the nature of device used.

'Targeted cloud-based ad insertion technologies will be an imperative driver for broadcaster profitability in online radio as we continue to see consumers using many devices to consume content when and where they choose,' observed Rob Green, CEO at Abacast.

Broadcasters and advertisers generally deliver their ads such that all listeners hear the same thing at the same time, and this is where Abacast leaves the trodden path.

Recently profiled in an article in Adweek.com, Abacast's technology was described as a 'first-of-its-kind" technology for [the radio industry].

Simply put, what this new concept actually amounts to is that each listener can receive individualized in-stream audio ads. Abacast's targeting options compartmentalize listeners into specific categories, and lure all those who fall in that bracket by having them believe the message is 'just for them.'

For instance, if particular ads are targeting 'all male listeners in the 25-34 age range in a group of zip codes,' there's almost a 100-percent chance anyone belonging to that group would be tempted to listen in.

Curiosity is a strange thing and not many walk away from it.

Abacast's cloud-based ad insertion is specifically designed for all broadcaster sizes, and is deployed on its streaming network as well as on Akamai (News - Alert) and Amazon. Currently in production, it addresses legacy players as well, and uses cost-effective HTTP delivery without the need for additional client software.

We have cyber criminals stalking the Internet, targeting individuals, and now digital advertisers and operators are stalking individuals as they unleash the power of 'one-to-one marketing.'

What's next on the agenda?