at what point is behavioral targeting sexist?
i’m searching for a client’s ad, one which, as a consumer, i would certainly be interested in. i need a screenshot to create an “ooh & aah” client deck. one of my staff has had it served to him a handful of times. once he sent me the link to the page where he’s seen the ad, i sit. i refresh. i refresh. i refresh. i have received ads for: crate & barrel, jcpenney, national city bank, hsbc bank, disposable contacts (images of women on the go) and some sort of baby/parenting site. i’m not in the market for any of that shit. i’m not a mom. i think my stained/torn up towels work just fine. i AM in the market for a badass movie/auto promotion.
now, i’m not sure what browsing history indicated i’d be a candidate for a sale on new towels or flatware, but i’m starting to wonder if maybe some other bt segments are missing me. i like a lot of things that traditionally are “men” products/services. i don’t need a jock strap, but maybe i like movies where things blow up. or a car with over 330hp. or a giant triple bacon cheeseburger. these are things that are included in my browsing history, often.
i believe in the power of behavioral targeting in online media, but one consideration that easily gets elminated when you start using large quanitities of bt is the opportunity to reach new audiences. and there is the balancing act. maybe there isn’t a huge audience that you’re missing with bt, but it’s possible.
the other side of this is that i’m offended that the bt machine assumes all i care about are babies, towels and flatware. as the general public becomes more savvy regarding bt technologies, i hope the providers occasionally just take a look at the audience and imagine how they perceive the products being sold to them. similar to the way popular media depicts beautiful women as annorxic and blond (and white), i may get the impression that the site thinks i should only care about babies and flatware. and then, i say “fuck you” and continue building my own pontiac g8.
just food for thought.
