The data is clear: Most people simply don’t like ads.
This even applies to targeted ads, with 51% of adults saying that this marketing tactic is an inappropriate use of their personal data, instead of a convenient way to learn about products that might suit them. Only 27% of respondents consider it to be helpful.
The chance to advertise curated products and services to a nearly unlimited number of potential buyers is too good to pass up. Marketers who aim to please customers find that their hands are tied dishing out potentially unwanted ads.
Advertisers also must walk a tightrope when it comes to targeted ads and customer opinion. In another report, up to 63% of respondents say they would effectively boycott a brand for targeting them too insistently.
To make matters murkier, there is very little concrete data to help advertisers do the math and figure out if targeted ads are actually worth the extra cost compared with non-targeted ads. (A quick Google search will also show you that opinion is divided.)
What millennials want
The good news is that millennials might change things. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, 41% think that targeted ads are convenient. That’s almost exactly the inverse of the 55+ age group—and a positive sign for marketers.
Over the next decade or two, this group will become dominant online as their relative spending power grows. Here’s how to reach this ascendant demographic on Instagram:
1. Offer value.
Millennials tend to buy with their minds, not
