Web Ads with Zip Coded Targets

Advertising has always been target oriented where the right product has to reach the right customer. The challenge is about reaching the right person. In an attempt to reach the right person, the advertising industry has embraced the telecom industry and we are in a new age of zip code specific advertising. Web based advertising is an old concept now and the internet service providers are acquiring such routers with a special software which will be able to track the IP addresses to the level of zip codes and provide the information back to the advertisers for demography based advertising reasons.

Juniper Networks has tied up with Feeva, a software company which deals with computer networks and digital advertising to include a specific software in the router like the MX960 which will be able to track down the zip codes of potential customers which can be later used by the advertisers. How exactly does it accomplish it? Feeva attaches a tag in the HTTP header, consisting of a “zip+4” number which is more accurate than the normal five digit zip code.

Advertisers have been gathering data about demographic data, zip-codes but it is not reliable enough. IP address detection is only accurate within the twenty-five miles range and cookies that track the user’s surfing habits do not give information about the location of the marketer. This is where the importance of the technology lies.

However, there have been concerns with the privacy of the end user that is the potential customers but according to Feeva, no other personal information is divulged except the zip code. However, it is for the technicians to see into the security issues of the end system user. So what can we do to ensure our privacy?

 1)      A combination of firewall and antivirus/antimalware software configured properly in the system with special care for ICMP related packets over the internet.

2)      A home-network behind a router is very safe provided the router is configured properly with reference to security.

3)      Proper maintenance of the computer like deletion of cookies and junk software which gets accumulated as you visit the internet.