Helping Google to increase revenue and for mobile users to find apps better suited to them, Google’s mobile ads will be based on user interests.
Perhaps not publicised by Amazon themselves, it’s a well known fact that much of the online retailer’s revenue is made thanks to some very intelligent algorithms. This is the code that says ‘you bought a new shirt, would you like some new trousers to go with that?’ or, ‘you bought a PS4 so maybe you’d like to buy an extra controller’. Rather than just being a grab for money, for users it is actually useful as things like this direct us towards things that we might actually want even though we didn’t specifically search for them. Too, this sort of algorithm is present in Google’s services which is why searching for dog groomers might bring up listed ads for pet food. Now, Google are set to improve how these sorts of recommendations work in their mobile ads, announcing that mobile users will begin to see suggested ads and apps related to their interests.
How the ads would work is that using a fairly comprehensive list of what you do online – whether that be the things you buy, the apps you use or even the purchases within those apps – the ads that show up as you’re browsing the web will be much more related than they were before. Previously, if you searched for something like ‘cat memes’ then various meme sites and image editors would be featured in the ads but now if you browse the web and your phone says that you’ve been using your fitness app quite regularly then you may find yourself seeing ads for dieting apps too. Not only this but you may even see ads for apps that you’ve already got, whereby clicking on them launches a relevant app that you already have installed, like the niftiest shortcut known to handsets.
The decision by Google to improve their mobile ads in this way could cause some privacy concerns as those question just what is happening with their mobile data but as the ads seem to be based on nothing that your search history or cookies don’t already disclose, there should be little to worry about. Too, it also doesn’t seem to be a case of Google disclosing that information to anyone else so for the most part, Google’s new mobile ads are a welcome improvement.
Source: engadget
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