It's an advertiser's dream — the ability to target
customers through their mobile devices, right to down to where they
are and what they are doing. But can such precisely targeted
messages become a recipient's nightmare?
A recent Massachusetts case highlights the tension inherent in
geo-location targeted ads, as well as special concerns that crop up
when advertisers target consumers using health care metrics.
A digital ad agency, Copley Advertising, was retained to use
"geo-fencing" technology to target women entering health
care clinics. Specifically, once anyone entered reproductive health
centers or methadone clinics in Columbus, New York City,
Pittsburgh, Richmond, or St. Louis, Copley recorded the ID for
their mobile devices and served them mobile ads for up to 30 days.
The ads included text such as "Pregnancy Help, "You Have
Choices," and "You're Not Alone," which, if
clicked, took the user to a web page about abortion alternatives
and offered access to a
