With more people accessing the Internet via hand-held devices, website developers are being challenged to create online environments that are compatible with a wide range of hardware, from cell phones to widescreen monitors. A recent Business Week technology article highlights the problems this may cause for companies like Google. The search engine giant and other firms that generate revenue from ads must address the fact that there is less ad inventory available on the small screens of hand-held devices.

Ben Kunz, Director of Strategic Planning for Mediassociates and author of the article, sees personalization as the solution. By using targeted ads personalized to the user’s tastes, companies can charge more money per ad. To use a fishing analogy, a traditional marketing campaign is a lot like fishing with a net. You cast a large net and hope you get some of the “right” fish. A personalized campaign is more like bait fishing. You pick a spot where you know the fish are likely to be found and you use a type of bait that you know they like.

We recently posted about the increasing importance of personalization as it relates to the financial services industry, a subject discussed in the winter 2008 edition of our Consulting Insights newsletter. In the article, we discussed the challenges Fidelity has faced in trying to appease a large and diverse advisor base, each with their own unique needs and business agreements. The firm found that many advisors simply weren’t using their old one-size-fits-all website. As a solution, Fidelity created a new, personalized site that addresses the individual needs of each advisor.

While initially devised as a way to ensure advisors were willing and able to use their site, Fidelity now finds itself armed with a powerful tool for launching targeted sales campaigns. Like bait fishing, they can use the site to match the right type of products with the right advisors.

Firms throughout the financial services industry spend countless dollars collecting and analyzing data about the individuals who visit their site. Going forward, we expect more and more firms to leverage this information to create a personalized experience.