# Creepy Privacy Ads Innocence in Danger Uses Unsettling Ad Retargeting to Build Privacy Awareness By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-07-07 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/privacy-awareness References: [brandingmagazine](http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2015/06/11/creepy-man-follows-teens-internet-psa/) & [innocenceendanger.org](http://www.innocenceendanger.org/en/) In order to build privacy awareness among teens who are unwittingly giving up their private information online, Innocence in Danger put together an unsettling campaign. Retargeting is a type of [online advertising](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tesco-5) that keeps track of the people who visit a particular site with a cookie and shows them relevant ads after they leave the site and are browsing elsewhere. In order to promote Internet security, Innocence in Danger used [retargeting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/born-of-two-icons) to bring awareness to this kind of advertising. For thousands of teens who set their social media settings to public, the ads would have a creepy man follow users as they explored multiple advertisements. Clicking on the banner ads revealed more information about how to [protect your identity online](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deleteme). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.3/10 - Popularity: 10% | Activity: 52% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Computers](https://www.trendhunter.com/computers) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Privacy Awareness Campaigns:** Opportunity for organizations to create unsettling campaigns that raise awareness about online privacy among vulnerable demographics. - **Retargeting Technology:** Disruptive innovation potential lies in developing retargeting technologies that specifically target privacy-related concerns and educate internet users. - **Social Media Privacy Settings:** Opportunity for social media platforms to enhance user privacy settings and educate users on the potential risks of having public profiles. ### Where This Applies - **Digital Advertising:** Disruptive innovation opportunities arise in creating targeted ads that raise awareness about privacy and internet security. - **Online Privacy Solutions:** Opportunity for companies to develop and market solutions that help individuals protect their privacy and identity online. - **Social Media Platforms:** Social media platforms can seize the opportunity to improve privacy settings, educate users, and become leaders in promoting online security. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Privacy-Protecting Digital Ad Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/digital-ad-platform.md) - [Marketer-Targeted Cereal Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/out-of-home-campaign.md) - [Haunting Tech Safety PSAs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/centre-for-child-protection.md) - [Anti-Computer-Cookies Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/klaviyo.md) - [Distorted Burger Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ailloween.md) - [Auction-Inspired Technology Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/apple-data-auction-commercial.md) - [National Trafficking Awareness Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/see-the-trafficking-signs.md) - [Robotic Digital Surveillance Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/accept-all.md) - [Influencer-Inspired Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tomcat.md)