Behavioral targeting had and incredible year in 2007 and 2008 is on track to surpass even those high flying results. Already plans have been set to kick off the year with some great events.

And, whether you are just jumping on the BT train now, or have been a card carrying member for the past few years, these events promise something for everyone and will address many of the hot button issues such as recent acquisition trends, video and BT, social networks, privacy, and much more. Of course, this will also give you the opportunity to mix and mingle with the top industry experts!

For starters, OMMA is holding its second Behavioral Targeting Forum , an event entirely focused on behavioral targeting, on Feb. 11 in New York City. This year the conference panels are designed to turn up the heat on the BT value chain. How will this young and increasingly controversial technology serve advertisers, publishers, watchdogs and consumers all at once? Well, to find out be sure to stay for the day's last session, "Behavioral Barbeque: Grill the Vendors" – where the top behavioral targeting companies will be fielding questions from the attendees.

The IAB Annual Meeting is also a great opportunity to gain insight into the BT market. Among the myriad of topics to be discussed one particular session I suggest paying close attention is "Behavioral Targeting: Matching What They're Watching." The event will also address: How is the rise of behavioral targeting revolutionizing marketing strategy and what are the implications of the FTC's regulatory recommendations for the practice?

Don't miss out on these great events – register today. What events are you planning to attend this year? Post them on the blog and let’s start a discussion!

I'll be watching these events closely as well. Stay tuned!

The Japanese mobile market has gone behavioral, moving beyond the desktop to PDA. Starting this fall, Revenue Science Inc., through a partnership with mediba and Digital Advertising Consortium, will offer behavioral targeting services to advertisers on mobile phones in Japan.

This unique offering will now allow advertisers to serve highly relevant ads to consumers based on their online activity no matter where they are surfing the Web on their mobile device.

The idea to launch in Japan was a no-brainer for Revenue Science. The country is an ideal location to begin this venture due to the culture’s heavy reliance on mobile media. The number of mobile phone subscriptions in Japan exceeded 100 million in January and, with a total population of roughly 127 million, that is some pretty serious penetration at a staggering rate of 78%. Japan has long been ahead of the curve in the mobile market, using mobile phones for a wide variety of purposes, from depositing money in the bank to purchasing candy from vending machines to watching the latest hot video on YouTube. The most frequently used function is browsing the Internet, and this has opened the door for behavioral targeting.

When could we see this technology in the US? Revenue Science says it’s only about a year away from offering the service in the States.

Proponents of behavioral targeting have long noted that BT ads are more effective than their traditionally static cousins, however advertisers tend to be very demanding and what they demand is proof to backup such claims. Now we have that proof in the form of a new study that demonstrates the power of BT.

Jupiter Research, in conjunction with Revenue Science and AOL, recently released a study demonstrating the power and effectiveness of behavioral targeting. The responses showed that, across all advertising, 14 percent more of online consumers are more receptive to behaviorally targeted ads than to contextual ads, representing 63 percent of the total audience. Perhaps more importantly for advertisers, the study shows that behavioral targeting outperforms contextual advertising in terms of consumer attention by at least 10 percent across 14 major product categories, from Financial Services to Consumer Electronics to Pharmaceuticals to Fashion and Style.

In addition, a large number of each of the aforementioned group of consumers also visited shopping, health/medicine, classified, and/or travel sites - making behavioral targeting the optimal solution to reach these in-market shoppers.

To learn more download the complete study.

Comment

Posted by Tim, an Online User on 9.4.07

Q: I've been reading a lot about behavioral targeting and I'm still confused about the benefits for me – the average internet user. I'm also concerned about companies tracking me all over the Web. What about my privacy? How do companies track anonymously?

Jordan: I'm glad you brought this up. Privacy and consumer relevance are hot topic issues within the BT industry.

First off, let me address how behavioral targeting can improve a consumer's online experience. The internet is a medium largely supported by advertisers; therefore if we want continued access to the abundance of information out there on the great World Wide Web, we'll have to deal with ads. However, through behavioral targeting those ads are related to your areas of interest. If you think of ads as informational content, then behavioral targeting is really bringing the information to you! The more relevant ads you receive, the less useless information you'll have to wade through.

Privacy is a topic on everyone's mind and when people use phrases like "track you" or "follow you across the Web" it's easy to see how consumers can get a little weary. However, behavioral targeting companies are just as concerned about your privacy as you are. Check out http://www.networkadvertising.org/consumer/opt_out.asp to find out which companies conform to the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) standards, allowing consumers to "opt out" of the targeted advertising delivered by networks. The companies that conform to those standards, do NOT collect personally identifiable information. Basically anonymous tracking works like this: when you land on a site your browser receives a cookie. Cookies enable Web sites to "remember" you and store your user preferences. Companies cannot use cookies to retrieve individual personally identifiable information about you; however, the cookie does allow advertisers to serve you relevant ads that relate to products and serves you've shown interest in. If you do not want to participate you can easily opt out of behavioral tracking. Visit NAI, for information on how to opt out.

Comment

Posted by Neil, a publisher on 8.22.07

Q: What are some of the top selling BT segments?

Jordan: Behavioral targeting is ideal for many types of advertisers whose audiences have defined purchase lifecycles such as auto purchasers, business travelers, business decision makers, real estate investors, technology enthusiastic, as well as people looking for loans and mortgages, just to name a few.

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Posted by Amy, an advertiser on 7.10.07

Q: Are different types of creative more effective for behavioral targeting?

Jordan: Yes. If you're using behavioral targeting then you've already identified people who are interested in your product or service, and have provided information on where they are in the purchasing cycle. Serving potential consumers more compelling advertising, and providing a sequence of creative executions that guide and influence them through the decision cycle makes it more likely to have that user click on your ad.

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Posted by Rob, an Advertiser on 6.28.07

Q: If I participate in a network, how do I know my ads won't end up on sites I don't want to be associated with?

Jordan: Many behavioral targeting companies have a filtering process enabling you to choose the types of sites you want to advertise on and sites you want to avoid such as gambling, adult, or children's sites. Before signing on with a behavioral targeting provider, make sure they have this capability.

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