According to consultants and researchers Fittkau & Maass, 50.7% of German Web users do not want personalized ads and banners. But for 60,2% of German Web users personalized product recommendations are acceptable. A significant part of the people polled do not pay attention to either presentations.
The reason for these reactions are concerns about privacy and the feeling of being watched – the Big Brother syndrome. This phenomenon is more predominant among older users than among younger ones.
The consultants conclude their poll report withe recommendations to online vendors and PR companies to tread a fine line between user acceptance on the one hand and user rejection on the other hand.
