How Companies Learn Your Secrets 354
Hugh Pickens writes "For decades, Target has collected vast amounts of data on every person who regularly walks into one of its stores. Now the NY Times Magazine reports on how companies like Target identify those unique moments in consumers' lives when their shopping habits become particularly flexible and the right advertisement or coupon can cause them to begin spending in new ways. Among life events, none are more important than the arrival of a baby, and new parents are a retailer's holy grail. In 2002, marketers at Target asked statisticians to answer an odd question: 'If we wanted to figure out if a customer is pregnant, even if she didn't want us to know, can you do that?' Specifically, the marketers said they wanted to send specially designed ads to women in their second trimester, which is when most expectant mothers begin buying all sorts of new things, like prenatal vitamins and maternity clothing. 'We knew that if we could identify them in their second trimester, there's a good chance we could capture them for years,' says statistician Andrew Pole. 'As soon as we get them buying diapers from us, they're going to start buying everything else too.' As Pole's computers crawled through the data, he was able to identify about 25 products that, when analyzed together, allowed him to assign each shopper a 'pregnancy prediction' score and he soon had a list of tens of thousands of women who were most likely pregnant. About a year after Pole created his pregnancy-prediction model, a man walked into a Target outside Minneapolis and demanded to see the manager. He was clutching coupons that had been sent to his daughter, and he was angry. 'My daughter got this in the mail!' he said. 'She's still in high school, and you're sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?' The manager apologized and then called a few days later to apologize again but the father was somewhat abashed. 'It turns out there's been some activities in my house I haven't been completely aware of. She's due in August. I owe you an apology.'"
Re:Creepy, but it used to be more common (Score:5, Funny)
But our marketing blast algorithm is programmed to have feelings and care deeply about you. And to maximize the emotional manipulation on you. It's like having an omniscient psycho ex. What's not to like?
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:5, Funny)
OK guys, raise your hands - how many have gotten 'feminine products' adverts?
Uhh... Dude... I don't know what kind of web sites YOU visit, but...
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Creepy, but it used to be more common (Score:0, Funny)
"Target has no such connection to Customer#9810957065409." Hey that's my customer number you insensitive clod!
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:5, Funny)
I practice yoga regularly. My mat wore out, so I was looking for a replacement. (I'm taller than the normally-sized 68" mats, so story of my life, I have to get something 4" bigger.) My job is military contracting.
The combination of yoga + weaponry apparently triggers a profile of "interested in single men".
Google thinks I'm gay... or possibly a woman, I'm not sure.
(It's IE at work. I don't get ads at home.)
What do they know on me? (Score:5, Funny)
Walmart (Score:5, Funny)
I'm convinced that Walmart does this kind of data mining too. As soon as I walk into the store, their computer systems identify me, figure out what I'm about to buy, and make SURE that item is already sold out!
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:5, Funny)
Or your wife has been cheating on you, and Google has figured it out already and is trying to get you to get your act together. They've also figured out that the son of a bitch got her pregnant, even though she's still trying to hide that from you, hence those ads.
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:5, Funny)
There are ads on Facebook? Really?
(hugs his ABP)
Re:AARP (Score:5, Funny)
I, on the other hand, at age 41, have not been contacted by AARP. This probably means that their data mining algorithms have determined that I will NOT reach retirement age.
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:4, Funny)
try to find out what it is in your email is triggering the ad you are receiving.
Probably the Days of our Lives listserv.
TARGETed (Score:5, Funny)
This is why I oppose targeted advertising.
As if walmarted advertising is any better.
Re:Am I the first to call BS? (Score:3, Funny)
Now I'm picturing something like:
You searched for: "I want my mat to be 4" bigger"
Did you mean: "I want my Matt to be 4" bigger"
Re:Intelligent Advertising (Score:5, Funny)
Obviously you've never had a girlfriend who has sent you to buy tampons. You make damn sure you get EXACTLY what she tells you to... when she needs them is NOT the time to be making mistakes.
Re:Intelligent Advertising (Score:2, Funny)
Obviously you've never had a girlfriend
This is slashdot. You really could have simply ended your whole post there.
Re:That's an eye-opener (Score:5, Funny)
With a son, you only have to worry about one dick. With a daughter, you have to worry about all the dicks.
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)