Targeted advertising

is a form of advertising where online advertisers can use sophisticated methods to target the most receptive audiences with certain traits, based on the product or person the advertiser is promoting.

These traits can be demographic which are focused

• on race
• economic status
• sex
• age
• the level of education
• income level
• employment
• psychographic (a qualitative methodology used to describe consumers on psychological attributes)  

Attributes focused on the consumer’s values, personality, attitudes, opinions, lifestyles, and interests.

They can also be behavioral variables, such as browser history, purchase history, and other recent activity.

Targeted advertising focuses on specific traits, and the consumers who are likely to have a strong preference will receive the message instead of those who have no interest and whose preferences do not match a product’s attribute.

This eliminates wastage.