ABSTRACT
Audiences are consumers of media, as well as the advertising and marketing messages surrounding media content. In fact, understanding consumer behavior and targeting audiences that are most likely to respond to a brand or media organization is critical to an organization’s success. This chapter introduces readers to the technological trends driving business intelligence and consumer insights today, including third-party data and data brokers, online and mobile search, artificial intelligence (AI), geolocation, and addressability. Case studies provide datasets that allow students to identify optimal consumer profiles within a market for a media brand, identify the most likely audiences to convert into car buyers, and more. Additional cases introduce students to funnel analysis and demonstrate how online consumer analytics can be used in strategic planning and decision making. Discussion questions challenge students to identify the ethical boundaries in targeting consumers. While technology and data broker services make many targeting and addressability opportunities possible, readers are challenged to think critically and ethically about their role as analysts. Exercises give students the opportunity to explore the idea of consent and what it really means and to explore consumer data protection and privacy laws around the globe.
