Ad tracking drives privacy push | WARC | The Feed

Ad tracking drives privacy push

UK consumers want relevant ads but they are increasingly concerned about giving up personal data and aren’t convinced by the industry’s value-exchange argument.

A survey* by ad-targeting business Nano Interactive reveals that, on a weekly basis, 70% are accessing the internet in ways which mask their personal information. These include browsing in private or incognito mode, using Safari as their main browser, regularly clearing their cookie cache, and opting out of cookies on websites.

Why it matters

These behaviours adversely affect advertisers’ ability to target users online. But advertisers are the very reason consumers are taking such actions. When asked why they have become more conscious about online privacy in recent years, ad tracking was cited as the number one reason. 

It’s now at a point where around half of consumers indicate they are more likely to choose a brand if it could prove it never collected or used any personal information for advertising.

Key stats

• Two-fifths (42%) said ad tracking had made them more privacy conscious in the past three years, more than data breaches (31%) or being targeted by online scammers (31%).
• When asked if their personal data was a fair exchange for a free service, just as many respondents agreed as disagreed (30%). 
• The majority (60%) say advertisers should find a better way to make ads relevant that does not rely on collecting personal information.
• Almost a third (29%) say they spend more time browsing privately compared to a year ago. 

Key quote

“In 2023, you don’t need to know who someone is to deliver effective advertising online. Brands and advertisers who embrace truly ID-free targeting will be able to target people online in a respectful, effective way today that is future-proofed” – Carl White, CEO at Nano Interactive. 

*Nano Interactive surveyed 2,009 UK consumers to understand their online privacy habits, with results published in The Tipping Point report. 

Sourced from Nano Interactive