Customer Match by Google Will Target Ads Using Your Email Address

Google is letting advertisers in on your email address so that they can get you exactly what you’re looking for. And yes, this is a new feature by Google. The company is rolling out a new tool called Customer Match, which allows advertisers to use a list of email addresses to target specific users across Google. So now you can be tracked online by your Gmail address.

When you buy a smartphone, for example, from an online retailer and provide your email address, the retailer will feed your email id along with your recent purchase to the Google server. So the next time you’re surfing the net while logged in to your Gmail account, Google will be able to send you a whole bunch of ads related to you recent smartphone purchases such as phone covers, earphones, and other accessories.

“Let’s say you’re a travel brand. You can now reach people who have joined your rewards program as they plan their next trip. For example, when these rewards members search for “non-stop flights to new york, on Google.com, you can show relevant ads at the top of their search results on any device right when they’re looking to fly to New York. And when those members are watching their favorite videos on YouTube or catching up on Gmail, you can show ads that inspire them to plan their next trip.” Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s ads and commerce veep explained in a blog.

Google is perhaps trying to catch up with Facebook and Twitter who also use your respective email addresses to provide targeted ads within their site. Google calls Customer Match a “privacy-safe” product, but it is still a matter of concern for users who feel that advertisers are getting even more specific with their ad targeting, which calls into question just how much ‘they’ know about you. .

Google, however, has stated that companies will not be able to create personalized profiles of individuals and the tool mainly allows them to compile a list of the user’s habits on YouTube, Google search, and other Google related services. Customer Match will be available to advertise in the coming weeks and you can soon expect to see more specific advertisements pop up in your Gmail account, YouTube, and Google search.