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Remarketing: Creepy or Genius?

Remarketing? What does that mean?

According to Google’s support forums, remarketing helps marketers reach people who have visited your website or used your app. Previous visitors or users can see your ads as they browse sites that are part of the Google Display Network, or as they search for terms related to your products or services on Google.

As marketers we need to go beyond Google’s stance on the matter because they make money from it. As marketers we have to ask ourselves the ultimate question: Is remarketing simply a more effective data driven method of reaching potential customers online, or is it an invasion of privacy? Is it creepy or genius?

We’ve all experienced this before: You search for a new pair of dress shoes to wear at work, you exit of the window after weighing your options and then you go on ESPN or Yahoo to set your fantasy football lineup and right there on the banner is an advertisement for Zappos or another company selling dress shoes. If you’re anything like me, the first time it happened you chalked it up as a coincidence but after it happened a few more times  you caught on.

What does this mean for business?

Like so many other things (time travel, Frankenstein), remarketing seems incredibly exciting. After all, it really does help relevant marketers and consumers get together to fill a business need and a personal need. But when you dig deeper is it really that exciting or is it one more invasion of privacy that the internet has brought about?

From a business and marketing standpoint, the pros are obvious. Remarketing drastically reduces the cost per impression, its better for conversion rates and its based on quantifiable, objective data. From a consumer perspective, it can feel like an invasion of privacy but it could also help your buying process and introduce you to options you may not have found otherwise.

The cons are a little bit tougher to define, other than the fact that remarketing does have a bit of a Terminator/iRobot feel to it. And it may turn buyers off for the foreseeable future. Much like other digital marketing ideas, such as Marketing Automation or the Internet of Things, remarketing will require patience on the part of marketers, patience to allow the general public to adjust to this concept and wrap their heads around it. Many early adopters view it as more effective marketing process but the general population will need some time.

All that being said, is remarketing creepy of genius? Well the answer to that question really depends on who you ask: marketer or consumer? early adopter or late bloomer? millennial or baby-boomer?

What do you think about remarketing? Contact us today to get the conversation started!

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