Spending On Behavioral Targeting Will Reach $1B This Year

Behavioral Targeting Using Cookies: Getting More Popular Than Ever

US online advertisers are predicted to spend $1.1 billion on behavioral targeting advertising. with spending hitting $2.4 billion by 2014.  eMarketer's study published today predicts a strong 20% rise in behavioral targeting over the coming years.  As privacy-worried consumers become more comfortable and educated about the limits that good, conscientious marketers impose on themselves - to say nothing of a coming wave of privacy legislation and regulation expected by the industry -  the marketplace's growth will be in part driven by that rising confidence.

What Is Behavioral Targeting Or Retargeting?

When a consumer uses the web, tracks are left on that user's machine. These tracks are stored in a file called a cookie.   Where a user has gone is commonly known to an advertiser or publisher, enabling real-time decisions to be made concerning which display advertisement is appropriate to show the user. Decisions based on where a user has gone, or what a user has done is called behavioral targeting. Making these decisions for a user of an e-commerce site to show them a coupon related to their purchase activity is one form of retargeting.  Privacy advocates object to intrusive forms of behavioral targeting; ethical forms do not collect or otherwise leverage the personal information of users.