Target practice
Ellen Neuborne
Imagine a world without spam. Imagine a world in which e-commerce functioned with all the attentive, individualized service of an upscale boutique. Imagine a world in which the retail adage, “I know half my advertising isn't working, I just don't know which half” is quaintly outdated. This is the nirvana promised by behavioral targeting — a technique used by online publishers and Web site owners to figure out what a customer wants by analyzing his or her actions online. Touted as more accurate than targeting by demographics or even context, behavioral targeting promises marketers the answer...