We’ve all had the bizarre Facebook ‘recommended ads’ pop up on our news feeds. The obviously Muslim friend gets an add for Christian singles. It’s definitely something to laugh about, until the recommendations get eerily predictive. This didn’t happen with Facebook, but instead with Target. In short, a man found out his daughter was pregnant AFTER Target knew and sent maternity ads to his daughter. Creepy, right?
Let me back up. Every time you go shopping, you share details about your consumption patterns with retailers. And if those retailers are smart, they study those details to figure out what you like, what you’ll buy, and which coupons are most likely to use.
Target has figured out how to data-mine its way into the uterus. They figure out whether you have a baby on the way long before you need to start buying diapers.
A Minneapolis father was outraged when his daughter received an ad in the mail that contained promotions for maternity clothing. While the manager of the store apologized several times, it was the father who ended up apologizing after a serious talk with his daughter. It turned out that she was indeed pregnant, but how could Target know this? Newly pregnant women buy certain kinds of vitamins. But it doesn't stop there; Target can determine which trimester a woman is in. For example, mothers in their first trimester tend to buy more fragrance free lotion.
New parents are serious spenders, and Target is very aware of this. This snippet of their website shows just how enthusiastic they are about helping you buy for your baby:
Now, the girl was definitely already a Target customer but though the aggressive predictive ads, you can bet the young woman became a consumer of maternity and infant goods there too.
This issue is definitely transferable to the world of online shopping. Cookies remember the kinds of things you shop for and if you have an account on target.com, even better. Companies can track what you’re buying and predict what else you might be interested in. Like the ad sent to the young lady’s house, an email could have just as easily been sent.
At the time of the controversy (February 2012), here are the results of a mini poll conducted by www.kdnuggets.com:
What do you think? Did Target go too far with their predictive ads? Is it an invasion of privacy?
Leave an answer on the poll and a comment with your thoughts.
Sources:
1) Roberts, M. L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet Marketing: Integrating Online and Offline Strategies. 3rd Ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western, Cengage Learning.
2) "New Poll: Was Target wrong in using analytics to find pregnant women?" 11-17-13. <http://www.kdnuggets.com/2012/02/new-poll-target-analytics-wrong-to-find-pregnant-women.html>
3)"How Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did." 11-17-13. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/>
Sources:
1) Roberts, M. L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet Marketing: Integrating Online and Offline Strategies. 3rd Ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western, Cengage Learning.
2) "New Poll: Was Target wrong in using analytics to find pregnant women?" 11-17-13. <http://www.kdnuggets.com/2012/02/new-poll-target-analytics-wrong-to-find-pregnant-women.html>
3)"How Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did." 11-17-13. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/>
Emily, I am amazed by your blog! The article you have found was intelligent and offered so many insights on how retailers market to their consumers based on cookies and information about consumer behavior. The in-depth blog really stood out to me as it taught me more about this chapter and how behavior works online. Cookies are crucial for business's around the world to track behavior and put together a list for coupons based on patterns. If I were her father I would have felt the same way. WOW! Good Post!
ReplyDeleteJeff Sinnott
Nice blog Emily on how Target may have crossed the lines with their predictive ads. I feel that they have every right to use the information as they so choose. We don't sign contracts upon entering the store or sight that says they cannot send us information or promotional items. I am surprised to hear that Target apologized for what happened to the father since it was not necessary but that just goes to show they value their customers. Well written blog and I look forward to the next one!
ReplyDeleteShana W.