http://www.offcampusmedia.com/2010/01/03/advertsing-is-creepy-and-useful/ Marketing to College Students Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:43:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.offcampusmedia.com/2010/01/03/advertsing-is-creepy-and-useful/#comment-304 Barbara Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:47:50 +0000 http://www.offcampusmedia.com/?p=542#comment-304 About ten years ago my family purchased a camping trailer. I had inherited some money and I purchased many items on my credit card to furnish our new "home" such as towels, kitchen items, bedding, small TV and so on knowing I would pay it off that month. At the end of the year I received a summary of all my purchases and a note from the credit card company telling me my purchases were unnecessary and frivolous. I changed credit card companies that day but I have felt since then that there is no such thing as privacy when shopping in a store or online. Advertising and marketing targeted ads benefit seller first then may be helpful to the consumer. It is a bonus to the consumer if they want help researching products and presumptuous in that targeted ads do not know your actual circumstances. I guess it is sort of like the ideas behind basic gift giving when we buy holiday gifts for another person. Our intent is good..."from what I know about you, here is something I choose you may like". Yet self serving and creepy..."since I bought you something you like that means I really know you and you should now love me because of it." But a gift is just a gift, not an obligation and even though advertisers can target us we must be aware of their intentions and not be fooled into thinking they want us to buy something because they have our very best interest at heart. Ads gently reminding us of this fact restore my faith in companies that they may care a little tiny bit about the actual people they are targeting. About ten years ago my family purchased a camping trailer. I had inherited some money and I purchased many items on my credit card to furnish our new “home” such as towels, kitchen items, bedding, small TV and so on knowing I would pay it off that month. At the end of the year I received a summary of all my purchases and a note from the credit card company telling me my purchases were unnecessary and frivolous. I changed credit card companies that day but I have felt since then that there is no such thing as privacy when shopping in a store or online. Advertising and marketing targeted ads benefit seller first then may be helpful to the consumer. It is a bonus to the consumer if they want help researching products and presumptuous in that targeted ads do not know your actual circumstances. I guess it is sort of like the ideas behind basic gift giving when we buy holiday gifts for another person. Our intent is good…”from what I know about you, here is something I choose you may like”. Yet self serving and creepy…”since I bought you something you like that means I really know you and you should now love me because of it.” But a gift is just a gift, not an obligation and even though advertisers can target us we must be aware of their intentions and not be fooled into thinking they want us to buy something because they have our very best interest at heart. Ads gently reminding us of this fact restore my faith in companies that they may care a little tiny bit about the actual people they are targeting.

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