Online advertising flooded into my computer and phone during the holiday-selling season: banner ads, email advertising including spam, Facebook ads, sponsored tweets, rich-media ads, pop-ups and pop-unders, and my personal favorite: pre-video ads that slow me down when I\u2019m checking out the sports highlights from the previous night.<\/p>\n
As a sales guy, I understand that we need to sell stuff and the internet is the new retail trading space \u2013 and it\u2019s going to get busier because more folks are getting connected.<\/p>\n
Information-technology researcher Gartner predicts that there will be 30 percent more connected devices in 2016 than last year. That represents 6.4 billion more devices. If you\u2019re going fishing, go to where the fish are!<\/p>\n
As an instructor with a large academic family and a grandparent with a large personal family, I\u2019m used to processing 150+ text messages and 100+ emails every day before I even touch social media. The sheer volume of \u201conline stuff\u201d doesn\u2019t overwhelm me. I\u2019ve developed an immediate filtering sense that sorts the legitimate messages from businesses with which I\u2019m not familiar.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also grateful that the \u201ccold call\u201d messages are more targeted to products and services that match my age and consumer behavior. I rarely receive online ads for speed dating, music that I\u2019ve never heard of, or nightclubs that open after I\u2019m already in bed. At the same time, I\u2019m not overjoyed by the ads for Viagra, senior-living apartments, Medicare Part D and reverse mortgages.<\/p>\n
So, how exactly are these companies targeting me? We\u2019re familiar with the online tracking tools consumers seem to have no concerns with: cookies, profiles and other online tools that identify our shopping habits.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the speed<\/em> that this information is available that is striking. An acquaintance who works for a technology-research business told me the analytics to process and make sense of data captured from online habits is moving faster and faster. It is giving the end-user the tools to evaluate the data and operationalize a marketing solution online.<\/p>\n I purchased two pairs of slacks online over the holidays. Within one hour, I had a tile ad on my web browser for belts, socks and shoes to go with the slacks. I have to admit, this was pretty creepy.<\/p>\n This tracking is being extended into the bricks and mortar retailers, as well. Nordstrom ran a test to track the cell phone signals of shoppers in the store to determine optimal store layout and the opportunity to offer in-store coupons. While consumers seem to be OK with the online tracking, the in-store tracking got some pushback from consumers who viewed it as a form of stalking.<\/p>\n So did the online retailer think I needed a new belt, socks or shoes just because I purchased a pair of slacks? A behavioral psychologist who consults with my sales students at UCF told me that it\u2019s not a practical sales message, it\u2019s an emotional pitch. They want me to feel like I\u2019ll look better in these items. That I\u2019ll be more professional, credible and perhaps comfortable. It\u2019s the dirty little secret of tracking and online marketing analytics.<\/p>\n I like to shop but I don\u2019t like to spend a lot of time shopping. For me, convenience is king because time is so precious.<\/p>\n As a veteran of the advertising business, I love selling with ads. As a result, I\u2019m OK with the emotional pitches.<\/p>\n The best endorsement is a happy customer \u2013 and if I feel better, look better and get a compliment or two, I\u2019m a happy customer. Bring on the ads!<\/p>\n William Steiger is an instructor and marketing consultant in UCF\u2019s College of Business Administration and coordinator of the college\u2019s Professional Selling Program. He can be reached at william.steiger@ucf.edu.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Online advertising flooded into my computer and phone during the holiday-selling season: banner ads, email advertising including spam, Facebook ads, sponsored tweets, rich-media ads, pop-ups and pop-unders, and my personal favorite: pre-video ads that slow me down when I\u2019m checking out the sports highlights from the previous night. As a sales guy, I understand that we need to sell stuff…","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":69552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[4,21],"tags":[14812,7882],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-70475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-opinions","tag-bill-steiger","tag-ucf-forum"],"yoast_head":"\n