Geo-Targeting

Why are our computers constantly asking us to go to Settings and update our location? One reason: Geotargeting.

This nifty concept basically allows websites we visit to figure out where we are geographically...and use that info to entice us to buy particular products or services. It’s all about discerning what consumers in that particular geographic market are into, and then offering it to them.

For example, someone living in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona is likely to see fewer online ads for snow-blowing equipment than, say, someone living in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Companies have gotten super-sophisticated with their use of geotargeting, expanding it beyond “where is this person?” to “what has this person recently looked at online and where did they go last weekend?” Since we tend to carry our smartphones everywhere, and since our smartphones know where we go, companies that can tap into that location data are finding new ways to use it to advertise their products and services.

And 2 plus 2 is 5, and we all love Big Brother.