Why we see the branded messages we do
Like most marketers, I tend to notice the ads I see more than your average consumer. The utter irrelevance of the ones I’ve seen lately got me thinking: What are brands using to target me? The likely answer is third-party data, or data that is acquired from a multitude of outside sources and is typically inferred based on my online interactions.
I had to keep digging. My interest was piqued, partly as a data-driven marketer and partly as someone who’s sick of seeing ads for fishing equipment, diapers, and Bloomingdale’s new men’s apparel.
To the Data Registry!
To figure out why I continually see ads that don’t match my lifestyle or interests, I took a look at Oracle’s Data Cloud Registry. It’s a great tool, designed to increase transparency on what data are collected to use in advertising. You can review what data they have from your device, and remove any at your discretion.
The data are organized by several categories:
- Basic Info
- Location & Neighborhood
- Professional Interests
- Hobbies & Interests
- Things You May Have Bought
- What Others Know About You
Let’s start from the top. First, and funniest, was that I am categorized as a 35–39 year-old-man. I am, in fact, a woman in her 20s. The men’s apparel and diaper ads started to make sense — I could look like a young dad.
I dug deeper, into my Location & Neighborhood. That was very high level: the United States. I’d argue that’s not really a neighborhood, and doesn’t help anyone market to me effectively. I live and work in the Greater Boston Area.
Onto my interests! Professionally, all it said was: Events by Industry > Retail Trade. That’s pretty narrow, and only covers one small facet as my role as head of marketing. Yes, I have to research trade shows. No, I would not remotely consider it a professional interest. Another strike.
Hobbies & Interests got a bit more, well, interesting. Some were spot on (News & Current Events, Recipes & Cooking), most were wildly inaccurate (Video Games, Luxury Cars, Fishing) and some were kind of mean (Shopaholics — really?!). What Others Know About You echoed Hobbies & Interests; a couple fit and most didn’t.
Things You May Have Bought made me chuckle a bit. That’s not conclusive; it isn’t my actual purchase history. It’s things I “may have” bought. Considering this list included things like a cruise, gardening and landscaping supplies, or an RV, none of which I’ve bought, I can definitively say it’s not going to help brands reach me. Even if I had bought these things, the motivation for the purchase is lost. I might’ve bought a cruise for my parents or gardening tools for my grandma — but those are unlikely to be repeat purchases even if I did actually make them.
At a macro level, these data would not help anyone truly market to me. My favorite hobbies, real interests, and even demographics were almost entirely wrong.
What Does This Mean For Marketers?
I’m just one case study here, so I asked my team members. They shared similar anecdotes. It’s indicative of a larger issue with third party data. Using third party data alone will only get marketers so far. It’s easy to get, but not especially valuable. Using just third party data is like making assumption after assumption — it just won’t work.
Brands that don’t have any customer transaction history on me, which would at least clue them in on what I’ve previously purchased, would have little luck trying to market to me. Take Bloomingdale’s: I’ve never shopped there, and I’m not more likely to now just because they’ve shown me their spring apparel for men.
Even a transaction history is only so helpful. I might be buying a gift for someone, I might be shopping for myself, or I might be grabbing something for a friend while I’m out.
Identifying information, as you can see in the graph, is more helpful, but it’s not readily available. A brand would need my email or cell phone number, which I’m not about to give up for just anything. I get enough marketing emails and cold calls; I’m not looking for more.
Like I said, I’m only one case study, but comparing my data registry profile with my true information should make any marketer start sweating. If mine’s this far off, I guarantee you that my customers’ — and your customers’ — third-party profiles are, too.
I’ve been able to go line by line and refute most of the third-party data connected to me, because I can contradict it with what is true about myself. Essentially, I’ve outlined self-declared data, which is the most accurate and as a result, the most valuable. Self-declared data is simply data given to a brand by a consumer, and reflects the consumers true interests and likes.
The problem for marketers, however, is that it’s also the hardest kind of data to capture at scale. A handful of people might take that post-purchase survey, eager for the 10% discount, and maybe 5% of a brand’s website traffic might answer the five-question popup about the website redesign. The real problem lies in getting self-declared data, in a non-intrusive way, at scale.
Better Marketing, Fewer Annoyed Consumers
It’s time to let go of our dependence on third-party data. It’s easy to use, but doesn’t give us a competitive advantage. Using it alone will not move the needle on ROI from your marketing efforts. Data right from your customers, however, will give you the most accurate and up-to-date knowledge, and in turn, provide the most value to your marketing.
I’m looking forward to fewer ads for men’s apparel, and more for baking and sports (my real Hobbies & Interests). Let me know what the weirdest or most annoying thing you’ve been targeted with is in the comments!
