It’s Friday, so let’s just sneak in some bad news while you’re not paying much attention. We’ll start with a study from location intelligence company Location Sciences, which found that up to 65% of location-based ad spend is mistargeted. More precisely, 29% of the ads are delivered outside the target area while 36% rely on IP address, which is not accurate. Oh, and 36% of top GPS-enabled apps display location fraud.

Retailers may be realizing that personalization isn’t as powerful as conventional wisdom suggests. OneMarket found the most common use for customer identity systems is to verify eligibility for targeted discounts, while personalized product recommendations ranked last. A surprisingly high 29% said they could tie ad impressions to subsequent behavior in physical, Web, and mobile apps. Much more here on the topic.

Hi, it’s Jamie, Senior Intern at the CDP Institute Department of the Obvious.  Everyone here is worrying about a U.S. debt default, but I have no money and the gruel supply seems stable.  So I’m free to share this warning from the U.S. Surgeon General that social media can harm the mental health of young people.  Washington’s credit rating may fall, but this remains AAA obvious.