Dear Sponsored Ads…

Dear sponsored ads,
Can you please stop following me around? Can you please disappear from my digital space? Because you know what?
… It’s working.
I see you. I need you. I click on you.
It is no secret that I have just bought a house. Therefore, my current internet activity shows I am interested in furniture, rugs and must-have decorations. I am searching paint colors and pool fences. I am reviewing loan information and local hotspots. I am researching nearby daycares and places to sell my unwanted items.
Then, whether it’s for work or pleasure, I hop on Facebook to catch up with my favorite social network.
Inevitably, I am bombarded with baby photos. I see friends at happy hour. I see local news stories. I get a good laugh at a funny video.  I read an insightful, professional blog post.
Then there it is.
A sponsored ad for the rug I found online a day prior.
Keep scrolling.
Boom.  Another ad for paint color.
Scroll again.
Look, here is a top-rated daycare right next to my new home.
Scroll.
Ah, a perfect couch that would look beautiful on our balcony.
And I click. Why? Because I am the perfect audience for this particular product, item and/or service. I have already shown interest. I am in need of what they have to offer.  And they know it.
This is the power of pumping dollars into a digital campaign. This is why targeted ads and sponsored content is so effective. Brands are now able to cut through the noise and deliver the right message to the right user at exactly the right time. As long as it’s not done in an invasive way, this form of advertising has the ability to generate a more personal experience for consumers and a higher conversion rate for the company.