Study: Consumers see much greater risk than reward in online ads

By Craig Chamberlain

Illinois advertising professor Chang-Dae Ham, an expert in the study of hidden persuasion techniques, says the personalized advertising that follow us online is “a very special type” in the way it elicits risk perceptions and privacy concerns.

Personalized ads now follow us around the web, their content drawn from tracking our online activity. The ad industry has suggested we’re OK with it – that we see benefits roughly equal to perceived risks.

A study by University of Illinois advertising professor Chang-Dae Ham says otherwise, suggesting the industry may want to reconsider its approach.

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