Recently I have received several examples of medical innovations originating in the nearby community of Cheadle Hulme. A little thought revealed a dubious marketing strategy
First there was Sensational eye surgery stuns Cheadle Hulme. Then, incredible ways of detecting unpaid PPI compensation rocks Cheadle Hulme. This burst of close-to-home creativity had passed me by, although I regularly visit the pleasant townships of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme.
Today, after another such notification I realized what was happening. I had become my very own innovation hub. The news items were disguised and targeted advertisements. It may have come about because I had mentioned East Cheadle rather regularly. It is the fictional locational setting of my recently published book The Double Houdini.
Targetted messages
The clever folk who are blanket bombing the web on behalf of banks and medical services are only doing their jobs. In was after my recent eye operation that I learned of sensational eye procedures in nearby Manchester. Another targeted message. Did someone get hold of hospital records for that?
I suppose the ads pop up like Pokaman Go characters close to your identified location. Not too difficult for a markeing outfit to discover that, in a world of Satellite technology, Google Maps etc.
I may be wrong
Or there may indeed be local versions targeting consumers with ever more precise advertising messages.
A little more research
A little more research showed that the messages were targetted to ‘land’ appearing to come from a specified target location (in my case Cheadle, and sometimes Wigan but I haven’t worked out that one). They appeared to be part of the BBC website, which also was misleading.
I would wecome any comments that would shed more light on this dubious marketing strategy.
Click for regular updates
I’d expect to find that the ads are a result of your recent search and browsing activity.
A noxious mix of click bait and advertorial. A short path from here to Minority Report eh?
Regards
Liam
Yes. But unsolicited ads have powerful backers, and I ‘get’ the point about no such thing as a free view.
Best wishes
Tudor