Semantic Targeting

In an earlier article I had dwelt on types of targeting –behavioural, contextual, re-targeting etc.

Targeting as an area in online advertising is continuously evolving. Reasons are obvious. A campaign is as effective as it is sharply targeted. If a method of targeting is evolved which guarantees reach to a specific individual, one can imagine how popular it would be!

A step forward in the targeting evolution is ‘semantic’ targeting(ST). ST is a much more refined form of contextual targeting. In contextual targeting ads are served in context to what the visitor to a website is doing. Typically, a contextual system looks out for keywords and display ads to the webpage that the user is visiting. Contextual advertising , therefore, is predicated around keywords.

Behavioural and contextual advertising, though popular have their own pitfalls.

Behavioural targeting is facilitated by placing a cookie on the users PC. The cookie is the spy that tracks the users viewing behaviour. It clearly intrudes on the user’s privacy Consumer groups and law makers have expressed these concerns already.

Contextual on the other hand goes entirely by ‘words’. But contextual targeting goes by the word itself, not its meaning which could lead to misplacement of ads. For example the word orange could be a fruit, could the mobile services provider, could the colour ….

ST goes a step further. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Semantics as ‘the study of meanings’.

ST looks at all the words and gets an overall meaning. Since most words have multiple meanings, without understanding the context of why the words occur , it is quite possible that an ad is wrongly assigned where the context doesn’t exist.

ST also identifies the sentiment of a webpage by analyzing the language on the page. If the page is not positive about a particular topic, the ST system may not allow the ad to displayed on the page.

ST also protects the value and integrity of the brand. It would, therefore, prevent the ad from occurring on sites like Adult/Erotica, Nudity, Alcoholism … thereby preventing potential damage to the brand.

ST is the ‘new kid on the block’. It is evolving, and with time it would become increasingly effective allowing sharper campaign focus.