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After visiting the website for Fort Lauderdale-based Exults, an online marketing firm, I noticed ads for the company’s services appearing on several web pages I visited.
I decided to ask the company why.
Exults’ response: Display ad retargeting.
When an individual visits specific company websites, such as for Exults, the browser is tagged with a JavaScript cookie, said Jason Ibarra, agency director for Exults. When a block of advertisement space becomes available in the network, the cookie is recognized and an ad for that company will appear, he added.
I had only been to the Exults website once to verify a fact for a story I wrote on the company’s office expansion. The one visit was all it took before I started to see online banner ads about the marketing services offered by Exults.
Industry-wide about 98 percent of consumers do not go past visiting a company’s website, Ibarra said.
Display ad retargeting “follows the non-converting visitors after the fact to keep the brand top of mind,” he said.
And, my phone call to the company shows it can work.
Exults client Dr. G’s Weight Loss and Wellness Program uses display ad retargeting to promote specials and campaigns. For example, a consumer would visit the Dr. G’s website, be tagged with a cookie and possibly see an ad later for the company’s holiday specials, Ibarra said.
Companies who use this type of marketing only pay for the clicks received from the advertisement. Exults has offered the service to clients for about four years.
The frequency of display ad retargeting can be adjusted and removed. A cookie can be set to be stripped if someone makes a purchase on a company’s website or a new cookie can be added from the purchase “thank you” page, he said. In addition, individuals can remove cookies from a browser options menu.
