Ads Following You on the Web? It's called Remarketing or Retargeting.

I'm betting that you've had this experience.

You visit a website to buy something or to find some information.

The next day, you start seeing adverts for the same website you visited yesterday. Almost like the adverts are following you!

Well they are.

They're ads that make use of what's called either remarketing or retargeting technology. This is where a temporary cookie (given to you by the website you first visited) identifies you to the Advertising Network that runs ads on the other sites you visit. The ads shown to you are then adjusted to suit.

All a little scary I know.

But I guess it's no different from using your rewards card every-time you make a purchase at your supermarket. The data gathered profiles you, and other shoppers, so that they can offer more suitable products in all the right places!

Now the good news is, that if you want to opt out of these ads - then simply visit either:

Google's advertising opt-out page - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

OR

The Network Advertising Initiative opt out page. - http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp

So there you go. Tell me about your experiences with how ads have followed you. And what your thoughts are on this.