ClickZ columnist Kevin Lee has written an interesting read pertaining to the building and success of profile-segmented search advertising.  Since Microsoft's adCenter is the only tool by a search engine that gives marketers such information, his article focuses somewhat to the use of adCenter.  But the message behind his article applies to all marketers, regardless of the type of advertising, and can best be summed up by the title of Lee's post:  I'm Not a Click. I'm Not a Keyword.  I'm a Person.

Lee is, of course, referring to the people that marketing initiatives are ultimately focused on attracting.  Especially with search advertising, we sometimes forget that the highly coveted "click" is not really what we're after with our advertising efforts.  We're not really battling for keyword bids or conversion rates.  We're battling for people.  And that's why Lee says the type of campaign segmentation available by using profile-style information on search engine users is so valuable.

By using the information supplied in user profiles, Microsoft adCenter allows marketers to compare their keywords against demographics to see if a company's target audience(s) is even searching for those keywords.  As Lee points out, that combines to make for a better ROI and a better customer experience.  If companies could create custom landing pages tailored to the needs of specific segments of the population, everyone wins:  customers have a better experience and companies are better able to marketing specific products at specific segments of the population.

As of now, Microsoft alone offers this type of tool.  And with the traffic numbers Windows Live/MSN has right now, the use of adCenter and Microsoft search advertising might only be a worthy investment for your largest target audiences.  But in time, as Microsoft's traffic grows or other search engines jump on the bandwagon, this type of segmented marketing will become more and more the norm.

I think the most important moral of Lee's story, though, is to always remember what is behind those clicks, keywords, page views, and conversions:  people.  That should be your ultimate target.