Microsoft`s Push for the AdWords Market - A change for the better?
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One of the major complaints advertisers have with pay-per-click programs is the inability to choose to whom they are advertising, resulting in unqualified traffic. This will make all the difference in being able to make the sale or not. MSN’s adCenter information page states, “For instance, if you sell running shoes, you want an audience who is interested in running shoes to see your ad and take action, which may result in the audience clicking on your search ad, visiting your web site, and buying a pair of running shoes. Conversely, you would not want someone who is interested in buying horseshoes to see your ad and take a similar course of action because that likely not result in a sale, but the click on your ad by this person would still cost you.”
Currently, registration for the adCenter pilot program is by invitation only. You will apply for the program, and if you meet with MSN’s criteria, you will be extended an invitation. I finally received mine, but it took nearly 4 weeks to receive. Further, with the invitation, I received a similar sign-up offer, but for the MSN pilot QuickLaunch Marketing Analyst, which I can only assume is like Google Analytics. I say “assume” because I am still on the waiting list for signing up for Google Analytics. I can’t report on personal experiences with adCenter Beta just yet, however a few clients signed up for the adCenter pilot program have already seen great returns.
A representative from AskJeeves finds the concept of MSN’s customer profiling slightly disturbing because they feel this violates privacy issues, and so do many others. But MSN claims that the information they get from registered users is not personally identifiable, and cannot be traced back to any one particular individual. I would imagine that this would be no different than the information gathered by Google with its toolbar, which technically is a version of spyware.
However, some people who believe this is just another form of spyware are not happy with the idea of customer profiling at all. And while MSN doesn’t intend for the information to be used in any way to harm individuals, there are plenty of folks out there that don’t have the same ethics. People have trouble differentiating between helpful and harmful spyware, and would just rather not deal with it at all.
For advertisers, however, the idea is worth gold. Advertisers are truly tired of spending money on completely unqualified clicks on their ads, and being able to reach their target audience is, after all, what successful marketing is all about. And, if advertisers are happy, then publishers are happy.
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