TV ads that know you

摘要

Next time you settle in for a night of television, pay attention to the adverts. Do they seem a little more personal than usual? If so, you are not alone - TV networks are increasingly using techniques borrowed from online advertising to show different ads to different people in the hope of better targeting customers. It used to be that everyone watching a channel saw the same ad at the same time, with perhaps some variation depending on your location. Now your neighbour with children could see a toy ad, while you get one for luxury cars. This week it was revealed that some US networks have started targeting people based on their voting record as political parties attempt to scoop up swing voters.