On the one hand we want our favourite brands to listen. On the other we don’t want to feel like a character from Orwell’s 1984, where “nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull” and these days even that’s up for grabs.

In May 2015, The Guardian claimed “Personalised marketing at scale” is fast becoming the newest trend in digital comms. This is the ability to reach a large number of customers with tailored messaging. Coca Cola has positioned its latest marketing strategy around the three Ps - personalised, predictive and partnerships.

At last year’s Super Bowl they segmented the US Facebook population by airing the same video but a diff erent thumbnail and caption depending on an individual’s interests and demographic.

Clever brands are working with media owners to create personalised content for viewers. 4oD supported the launch of Burberry’s customisable fragrance, My Burberry. The ads were dynamically served to signed-in users, with an ending featuring the viewer’s own initials visualised onto the bottle.

Aggregating external factors along with customer data can give an even greater personal experience. Spotify’s new Now page recommends playlists to fit with the time of day and what a list ener is doing, creating an opportunity for more tailored marketing. O2 recently acquired Weve, the messaging, location and data matching service that uses iBeacons to target customers who have accessed Wi-Fi at O2 venues.

Therein lies the difference. By actively opting in I understand advertising is part of the model.

However, when an ad is ser ved once I’ve left a page it still feels like Big Brother is watching me.

Read on for examples…