Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • January–February 2018
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Ads That Don't Overstep: How to Make Sure You Don't Take Personalization Too Far

By: Leslie John, Tami Kim and Kate Barasz
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

Data gathered on the web has vastly enhanced the capabilities of marketers. With people regularly sharing personal details online and internet cookies tracking every click, companies can now gain unprecedented insight into individual consumers and target them with tailored ads. But when this practice feels invasive to people, it can prompt a strong backlash. Marketers today need to understand where to the draw the line. The good news is that psychologists already know a lot about what triggers privacy concerns off-line. These norms—and the authors’ research—strongly suggest that firms steer clear of two ad-targeting techniques generally disliked by consumers: using information obtained on a third-party site rather than on the site on which an ad appears, which is akin to talking behind someone’s back; and deducing information about people (such as a pregnancy) from analytics when they haven’t declared it themselves. If marketers avoid those tactics, use data judiciously, focus on increasing trust and transparency, and offer people control over their personal data, their ads are much more likely to be accepted by consumers and help raise interest in engaging with a company and its products.

Keywords

Online Advertising; Customization And Personalization; Information; Customers; Attitudes

Citation

John, Leslie, Tami Kim, and Kate Barasz. "Ads That Don't Overstep: How to Make Sure You Don't Take Personalization Too Far." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 1 (January–February 2018): 62–69.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Register to Read

About The Author

Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • November–December 2020
    • Marketing Science

    Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency

    By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
    • June 23, 2020
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Inequality in Socially Permissible Consumption

    By: Serena Hagerty and Kate Barasz
    • June 2020 (Revised October 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Time Out: The Evolution from Media to Markets

    By: Kate Barasz and Eva Ascarza
More from the Authors
  • Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
  • Inequality in Socially Permissible Consumption By: Serena Hagerty and Kate Barasz
  • Time Out: The Evolution from Media to Markets By: Kate Barasz and Eva Ascarza
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College