Online Advertising In Emails: Miscommunications or Brilliant Opportunities?
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012I spend a lot of time logged into Gmail. It’s amusing the way that the ads in my sidebar change based on both my search history and my email content. I’ve never been a person that gets worried about anyone finding out what’s in my search history. But based on some very random conversations I have with my friends and how that changes my email ads, I’d be quite concerned about my own reputation management if someone took a look at the online advertising directed at me.
Certainly, in the past, my email has taken some content out of context. I’ve been offered the opportunity to click and find out more about everything from vacations to Fiji to fresh blackberries. Little does Gmail understand that I’m just talking about water bottles and every email my friend sends says “Sent from Blackberry.” Online advertising can be a bit unnerving given the amount of hyper targeting that advertising utilizes.
Sometimes it feels as though someone is reading my emails over my shoulder. Granted that person’s native language probably isn’t English given the miscommunications between what I type and the ads put in my sidebar. Still it’s still uncanny the way that online advertising can be so intuitive. That’s true even considering the odds of inaccuracy.
For example, even if an ad placed in my email sidebar isn’t relevant to what I’m discussing with my friends, it still has the likelihood of getting my attention. Because of this chance, sidebar ads in emails have the chance to change my opinion on a brand, website, or company. When used correctly, advertising can help with marketing and social media in a way that consumers never even realize. Furthermore, now with the ease with which people can pass along recommendations and information via email, in some cases business can be increased by word of mouth.
My friends and I are always making jokes about how inaccurate some of the email ads in our sidebars can be. But the fact is that there are a number of them that I’ve clicked and even passed along to friends. When taken out of context, the material in our daily correspondence can lead to entertaining misunderstandings. When handled very well, online advertising can help a business’s ability to improve sales and reputation management with the click of a consumer’s mouse.
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