Google Analytics has historically been a fantastic tool to measure visitors to your site.  But who are your visitors? How old are they?  Are they male or female? What are their interests? The demographics & interests report in GA answers all these questions. 

Privacy Policy Update

Before you enable demographic reporting & make changes to your tracking, it is crucial that you make changes to your privacy policy. Google states on their website:

If you've enabled any Google Analytics Display features, you are required to notify your visitors by disclosing the following information in your privacy policy:

• The Google Analytics Advertising Features you've implemented.
• How you and third-party vendors use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) or other first-party identifiers, and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) or other third-party identifiers together.
• How visitors can opt-out of the Google Analytics Advertising Features you use, including through Ads Settings, Ad Settings for mobile apps, or any other available means (for example, the NAI's consumer opt-out).

We also encourage you to point users to Google Analytics' currently available opt-outs for the web.

Because laws across countries and territories vary, and because Google Analytics can be used in many ways, Google is unable to provide the exact language you need to include in your privacy policy. Only you understand the unique aspects and special considerations of your business, and your privacy policy should account for this information that only you can provide.

Example

Spark
http://www.spark.co.nz/privacypolicy/

Use of cookies for advertising and analytics
Our website places a cookie on the hard drive of your computer. A "cookie" is a file which allows us to track and target the interests of users. In addition, our website uses third party cookies from Google Analytics for Display Advertisers, including the following features:

• Google Display Network Impression Reporting - which gives us additional insight into who has viewed our paid digital advertising on other websites. This will help us optimise and tailor our advertising.
• DoubleClick Platform integrations & Remarketing with Google Analytics – the integrations between both our web analytics and paid advertising platforms together to give us additional insight. This allows us to tailor our advertising to ensure the right types and offers are shown to you while you are using the internet outside our website.
• Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting - which gives us insight into behaviour information relating to visitor age, gender and interests on an anonymous and aggregate level. This will help us to understand browsing behaviour to give you a better experience whilst visiting our sites.

Cookies are used to analyse your use of our website and to serve ads when you visit our website. The information we collect and share with third parties through cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous (it does not include personal information which is likely to identify you). The information may be used to serve you ads in relation to our products when you visit our website and third party websites. You can access information about Google's Privacy Policy here.

While we recommend that users enable cookies on their browsers in order to enjoy all the features of our website, the decision remains in the hands of the individual. Most browsers allow you to control management of cookies, this will be different depending on each user's PC - refer to your browser help menu for further information.