Advertisers are always seeking ways to catch the consumer eye, and they’re now moving beyond tailoring messages merely based on age and gender. Canvas8 spoke with Christopher Summers, assistant professor at the Darla Moore School of Business, to find out why behavioural targeting really sells.

According to the world of online dating, coming across as an arse to some can make others love you more. If having haters makes those who like you like you all the more, does the same psychology apply to our relationships with brands? And does it actually pay for a brand to rub part of its audience up the wrong way?

In the wake of a personal data explosion, knowing everything about one’s target audience has turned out to be a mixed blessing. People are aware of what personalisation suggests about their privacy, and as a result, brands are struggling to walk the line between customised and creepy.

With 79% of Brits rarely or never clicking online ads, brands are wasting huge sums of money on ineffective advertising. So how can companies entice consumers to voluntarily eyeball their content? Canvas8 sat down with 15 British men and women to find out what they think about online ads.