Avoiding Badly Targeted Rewards and Promotions

Like most people, my inbox regularly fills up with promotions, discounts, vouchers and special offers for things I don't need, want or have an interest in. That said, things have got better. Our acquiescence to personal data profiling has actually meant that that promotions aimed at us are more relevant than they used to be. See the ads down the right hand side of your Facebook page for a good example, but marketeers are still missing an important point. Just because I have searched for something on Google, or bought something from a particular store before, only tells half the story.  Because I once bought an umbrella at Superdrug doesn't mean I want to collect a thousand more loyalty points to win a pound off another one. Oh, and Facebook, please note that because I am 53 it definitely does not mean I am interested in funeral costs!

The other half of the profiling picture is to recognise that I am more than my shopping and searching. Yes, Facebook and Google are very good at monitoring what I am talking about, but there is more. I have chosen to belong to a number of organisations (so keen is my enthusiasm, I am actually prepared to pay for the privilege in most cases), which reflect my passions, my needs, and ambitions. These are trade unions, professional bodies, clubs and societies.  These tell marketers much more about who I am than my retail habits.  If rewards and promotions are to be effectively targeted at me then take a look below the shopping surface and look at who I am, by seeing what I belong to.