Targeted Advertising

I was watching Glee on Hulu today, and I thought about our week on Media Consumption and the BBC's Virtual Revolution. When the commercials were played, in the top right corner it asked if the ads were relevant to what I was watching, and I could vote yes or no.

Then, after I voted, it thanked me and said it was trying to improve my ad experience.

Companies are trying to make the ads we view while watching online episodes relevant to what we are actually watching. This makes sense to me because if the ad is relevant, I am more likely to pay attention to it. If I am watching Glee, and an ad about John Deere tractors comes on I'm going to ignore it and wonder why they chose THAT ad to put on during Glee. On the other hand, if I am watching Glee and an ad for a dancing video game comes on, I will pay attention because I can see its relevance. If I have to view ads, they might as well make sense with what I am watching, right? :)

Thanks for caring Hulu!