People complain about being interrupted with advertisement all the time. It happens during your favorite TV show, in email, and through social media channels. While none of us want to be interrupted, if the message put in front of us is more targeted to our interests we seem to be more tolerant. If you love cooking and a commercial pops up with a funny video where a teenage boy attempting to make dinner for a girl, makes a complete mess of his parents kitchen, it’ll probably evoke a chuckle. We no longer feel like our time is wasted because we can relate to the story and appreciate the humorous spin the commercial provides. Targeted advertisement is happening more and more and I believe when perfected, we’ll start thinking differently about how our favorite brands are reaching out to us.
So, how are advertisers using the data we’re creating daily through messaging on social channels? They’re asking for you to ‘opt-in’, just not in a traditional way like we’re accustomed to by signing up for e-newsletters or txt messages, rather in choosing if the ads put in front of us are relevant or not. See below for such an example as seen on Hulu.com:
The real question is how many people will respond and click one of the two buttons? I predict that initially, many will choose not to answer for fear of the unknown. Over time, as people see the benefit to having relevant advertisement as opposed to nonsensical rubbish, more will choose to participate. Listen to your favorite podcast or watch on-demand programming and you’ll still notice company plugs and advertisement albeit less than your traditional media outlets. Knowing that we can’t avoid the pitch, would you prefer things of interest to you or a Tampax commercial for the single bachelor?
Facebook has been a hot topic of late with all the changes and privacy discussions. While some still long for being FANS, others understand why they’ve switched to the LIKE button. It’s trickled over to Facebook’s advertisement which has always been targeted based on the information we share in our profiles and communication with others. Not only are we asked if we LIKE an ad, we’re told which of our friends like them. Below is an example of what we see on the sidebar.
So many talk about the shift social media has brought to the communication table. Hand in hand with all this change is how marketers and advertisers shift their messaging and who will ultimately see what. There might come a day where almost all of our previous interruptions become wanted content through the use of targeted advertising. My question to you is, do you 
what’s happening?
I like the principle here but I fear the execution. By that, I mean that I am terrified to click on Hulu’s new “Is this ad relevant to you” buttons.
The 5-hour Energy commercials are, in fact, relevant to me. But I also hate that smug jerk who’s always reminding me what 2:30 feels like.
So if I click ‘Yes’, will I be forced to see that guy every time I visit Hulu for the next three months or will I just be peppered with ads for Red Bull and Starbucks?
There’s a major messaging problem here, methinks. ‘Relevant’ is not the same as ‘Like’.
I come to Hulu because I want to be entertained. But if the repetitive ads annoy me, I boycott the products. (Are you listening, Bud Light Golden Wheat?)
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Matt – You could be right, it’s too early to tell how people will ultimately interface with new options. I share the same concern and have yet to click on anything yet I’m the same guy who didn’t think he’d use Foursquare, yet recently I’ve embraced the concept and possibilities.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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