Types of Behavioral Targeting

Two types of behavioral targeting are extended-content targeting and purchase-intent targeting. Extended-content targeting includes reaching out to an audience that’s shown interest in specific interest-based content. For example if a consumer looks up three golf Web sites in a week, they may be targeted as an avid golfer therefore later being targeted with a golf ad when they are doing something unrelated like reading the news. Impressions on content sections or Web sites are limited so publishers use this opportunity to expand their inventory while providing advertisers with opportunities to continue to reach a preferred audience.

Purchase-intent targeting reaches viewers that are looking for a product or service. In-market consumers make take several different actions where advertisers determine when to serve them an ad to persuade their purchase intent. For instance, someone shopping for a car may see an ad with a special car incentive while doing something non related. Purchase-intent targeting is also termed retargeting or remessaging. Advertisers are targeting consumers who have visited their sites previously but not necessarily the publisher’s site so the advertiser may retarget them on a publisher’s site to reconnect them with the ad.

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