Re-Re-Retargeting in Display Media

Technology has created major disruptions in the communication pathways between company and consumer in the online space. Most of these technological advances are for the better. Companies can use extremely sophisticated tools to tailor the right message to the right audience at exactly the right time. We, as marketers, have the ability to target not just off standard demographic and geographic segmentation, but also off patterns of user behavior on the Internet  (behavioral targeting) and the subject matter or content that the end user is immersed in at that time (contextual targeting).

Another very popular targeting mechanism is retargeting – which allows marketers to send messages to end users after they have already interacted or engaged with the company website, landing page, app or any other owned platform.  But, as much as this technology has enhanced online advertising, if unrestrained it can start to backfire as well.

I have noticed this increasingly with retargeting campaigns. Three examples come to mind. I visited the following websites over two weeks ago: ZocDoc.com, Handybook.com, and ZipCar.com. Ever since, I have been bombarded with an unabashed number of display ads from all three. In the case of ZocDoc and ZipCar, I even followed through and completed my transaction, so there was absolutely no reason for them to continue to blitz me with retargeted advertising.

The moral is simple: marketers have access to consumers like never before. This is a privilege as well as a power that needs to be harnessed. Two important measures need to be taken in this regard. Firstly, retargeting campaigns absolutely must have frequency caps in place because it is very easy to ‘over-target’ and turn the consumer against your brand. If a consumer has seen your ad five times and has not clicked-thru, chances are that he is never going to. Secondly, marketers need to be aware of how far down the marketing funnel a consumer is, and retarget as appropriate. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to retargeting. I had already filled out my application at ZipCar.com, and was waiting for their approval. The ball was squarely in their court. Why then was I subject to a barrage of messages asking me to sign up?

I would ask online marketers to tread carefully. Remember the old adage: “With great power comes great responsibility”.