Ads That Follow You Latest in Online Marketing

Monday, 30 August 2010 | by Pat's Picks

Going from website to website on the Internet, you may think someone’s following you. Or more specifically some advertisement is following you. And you’re right. The New York Times says it’s increasingly common for a company to buy ads from multiple sites with the intent of reaching you with the same ad campaign. Called ‘retargeting’ by the advertising industry, the strategy is the latest in a trend toward highly personalized marketing campaigns. While retailers say they’ve have nothing but positive results from the strategy, some consumers say it feels like their favorite stores have “unleashed a persistent salesman who wouldn?t take no for an answer.”