Consumers Remain in the Dark About Cookies

Internet marketing experts and those who have been in the industry for many years tend to assume that consumer know and understand about the use of cookies for storing personal information and collecting behavioural data for better targeting of ads.  
However, according to some new qualitative research from ad network Specific Media, European consumers do not know a lot about what cookies are and what they do, and generally have a poor opinion of them..  
Once they have had the idea explained, and been shown some different examples of advertising they could be exposed to through the use of cookies for targeted advertising, consumer opinion of cookies improves; generally, consumers are in favour of getting more relevant advertising.  
It is not all rosy though; the research also found that consumers see continued retargeting as annoying, especially if they have decided against buying the product or consider it too expensive.  Remarketing runs the considerable risk of being seen as pushy and annoying rather than helpful if not performed  in a tactful manner and with a light touch.  
Based on hour-long interviews conducted in April with regular internet users, the study also found that consumers were positive about logos appearing on ads to tell them more about behavioural targeting. This is good news as the IAB (who were closely consulted on the study) are obviously planning the rollout of exactly that over the next few months, with the hope being 80% of online-targeted ads will carry it in a year's time.  
For internet marketing professionals, the research implies that there is more still to do to dispel a generally poor view (and lack of understanding) of cookies and their use, and suggests that adoption of the IAB logo scheme is likely to be a step forward.