Have you ever looked at something online and suddenly it was being “suggested” to you on Amazon? I know I’ve merely SPOKEN about something, and within a few hours to a few days, I start to see ads for that very thing on Facebook.
It’s creepy!
Let’s not even get into AI because that’s its own level of uber creepiness. But the fact that you can browse the internet, talk about something, and in some cases, just stand in front of a certain item in a store, and start to get advertising about whatever you’ve seen or spoken about? Yeah, I’d say that’s creepy.
It’s called online ad targeting and although they TRY to make it not seem creepy…it’s creepy. And kinda stalkerish. And most people have reported they don’t like it. And now United Airlines is going to get into it, too.
United’s new personalized ads
United announced late last week it plans to add personalized advertisements to its mobile apps and inflight entertainment (IFE) screens in the near future.
The airline announced the launch of Kinective Media by United Airlines – the first media network that uses insights from travel behaviors to connect customers to personalized, real-time advertising, content, experiences and offers from leading brands. That means they’ll use your personal information, such as your hometown, flight information and age, to create ads that are personalized to you.
So let’s say you’re on a flight from Washington D.C. to Chicago-O’Hare. Your IFE may show you an ad for a special exhibit at the Field Museum or a limited edition flavor at Garrett’s Popcorn. On your return flight, even though you’re flying into D.C., United knows you actually live in Virginia. So when you check in, they may feed you ads on your United app for a particular restaurant that’s opening in your city, or a special exhibit at your local museum.
United says that the data used by Kinective Media won’t be from information that personally identifies any individuals. They also claim that when they create these personalized ads, they won’t use any data having to do with race, ethnicity, disability status, biometrics, or personal health. And they promise not to use or target any data for individuals who are under 18 years old.
But it’s still creepy.
Kinective Media is already working with brands such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Macy’s, Chase United Co-Brand Credit Cards, TelevisaUnivision and IHG Hotels & Resorts. Their focus is on premium brand relationships across key verticals such as retail, luxury goods, financial services, automotive, media brands and travel.
At this time, all U.S. customers have the option to opt out of personalized advertisements at any time.
So how fast are YOU going to opt out?
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