Problems of online advertising
A. Privacy
The use of online advertising has implications on the privacy and
anonymity of users. Hosting the banner images on its servers and using
third-party cookies, the advertising company is able to track the
browsing of users across these two sites.
Third-party cookies can be blocked by most browsers to increase
privacy and reduce tracking by advertising and tracking companies
without negatively affecting the user's Web experience. Many advertising
operators have an opt-out option to behavioral advertising, with a
generic cookie in the browser stopping behavioral advertising.
B. Malware
There is also a class of advertising methods which are considered
unethical and may even be illegal. These include external applications
which alter system settings (such as a browser's home page), spawn
pop-ups, and insert advertisements into non-affiliated webpages. Such
applications are usually labelled as spyware or adware.
They may mask their questionable activities by performing a simple
service, such as displaying the weather or providing a search bar. These
programs are designed to dupe the user, acting effectively as Trojan horses.
These applications are commonly designed so as to be difficult to
remove or uninstall. The ever-increasing audience of online users, many
of whom are not computer-savvy, frequently lack the knowledge and
technical ability to protect themselves from these programs.
C. Limitations
- One of the challenges that Internet marketers face (as does the general public) is that many internet products are outright scams or promoted with deception making it difficult to know which one is worth buying. This is especially the case with products that are supposed to train or aid Internet marketers in making money. While the quality of products has improved in the past few years, ethics are often still missing in online marketing. Many so-called money making products are "empty boxes" in which there is essentially nothing there, yet a buyer is to make money by reselling this empty box to others. Pyramid schemes are also still prevalent.
- The consumer is unable to physically feel or try on the product which can be a limitation for certain goods. However a survey of consumers of cosmetics products shows that email marketing can be used to interest a consumer in visiting a store to try a product or to speak with sales representatives; from here a purchase decision can be made
- The marketer will not be able to use personal interaction to influence the audience as the marketing is completely based on the advertisement and the information that the advertisement might lead to (websites, blogs and other channels).
D. Security concerns
Information security
is important both to companies and consumers that participate in online
business. Many consumers are hesitant to purchase items over the
Internet because they do not believe that their personal information
will remain private. Some companies that purchase customer information
offer the option for individuals to have their information removed from
their promotional redistribution, also known as opting out.
However, many customers are unaware if and when their information is
being shared, and are unable to stop the transfer of their information
between companies if such activity occurs. Additionally, companies
holding private information are vulnerable to data attacks and leaks.
Internet browsing privacy is a related consumer concern. Web sites
routinely capture browsing and search history which can be used to
provide targeted advertising. Privacy policies can provide transparency
to these practices. Spyware prevention software can also be used to
shield the consumer.
E. Ethics
Online advertising encompasses a range of types of advertising, some
of which are deployed ethically and some are not. Some websites use
large numbers of advertisements, including flashing banners that
distract the user, and some have misleading images designed to look like
error messages from the operating system,
rather than advertisements. Websites that unethically use online
advertising for revenue frequently do not monitor what advertisements on
their website link to, allowing advertisements to lead to sites with
malicious software or audience-inappropriate material. The ethical
propriety of advertisers that use web searches for competitors' brands
to trigger their own ads has been questioned.
Some argue that website operators who ethically use online
advertising typically use a small number of advertisements that are not
intended to distract or irritate the user, and do not detract from the
design and layout of their websites.Many website owners deal directly with companies that want to place
ads, meaning that the website linked to by the advertisement is
legitimate.
The use of technologies like Adobe Flash in online advertising has led to some users disabling it in their browsers, or using browser plug-ins like Adblock or NoScript.
Many sites use centralized advertising services whose advertisement may
be blocked as a side effect of security and privacy measures, because
the services require JavaScript
and cross-site requests to function, while such features are often not
necessary to use the sites and are a potential source of vulnerabilities.
Some companies perform customer engagement
studies in online marketing to insure consumer satisfaction, through
the use of online compliance centers, building and deploying fraud
detection tools, while inspecting websites and publishers to insure
website pages offer the highest degree of information security and compliance with Can Spam Requirements.
For any question or suggestion. I hope we can share about tips internet business. thanks
Source : Encyclopedia, SFI- Marketing Group
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