Hiring "ad tech" companies has become increasingly popular as a marketing technique. These firms specialize in automated ad sales. For example, Target hires an ad tech firm to create tracking systems to track customers and their product preferences. In other words, the firm watches you on the internet and tries to get you to make a purchase.
Have you ever been shopping online and put a pair of shoes in your shopping cart? Then you change your mind and switch to Facebook and while you scroll down your timeline an ad pops up with those shoes on it?! Yes, that is Target's ad tech firm following your moves on the internet.
Ad tech firms say they make the process of buying online advertising more efficient for companies because they do the work for them. On the other hand, companies are coming to the realization that the tracking system is too much and obnoxious to the customer.
Companies like Refinery 29 are hesitant to place the company's ad space and consumer data into the hands of third parties because it could potentially do more harm than good. Ad tech avoiders like Facebook and Google have their own ad networks created and controlled by them, taking out the middle-man.
When I get tired of seeing those same shoes pop up on every site I visit, I may be inclined to use ad blockers and cut off communication altogether. Many company publishers are starting to follow in Facebook and Google's footsteps to build their own tools because a third-party firm isn't necessarily focused on creating value to that company.
So what do you think? Is it an effective technique to bait customers into buying those shoes or is it bad marketing to "follow" people around on the Internet? Tell me what you think below!
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