Is "smart retargeting" the answer for a broken system?

Just a quick follow-up to my screed from yesterday about what’s wrong with marketing. Richard Frankel (who, admittedly, sells retargeting services), offers a look at how to target ads without stalking customers. I’ve used retargeting with great success in the past and would hate to see foolish actions like those I mentioned yesterday screw everything up for all of us. As Frankel notes,

“Retargeting, when done right, is useful to consumers, offering them discounts or promoting items they’re likely to be interested in. But done poorly, retargeting can have a negative effect on your brand. Many people find it creepy to be “stalked” and will grow increasingly irritated by your ads.”

The key, as marketing moves forward, is to focus on the “useful” bit, while staying as far from “creepy” as possible. Is that so hard for vendors and advertisers to understand?

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behavioral targeting