TST TiN) HOT Have marketers become spies? Babs Se Ts ed Pt) Rr ‘We marketers have always beta spies, only bad ones. Now, ‘we have the technology to know everything we ever wanted toknow about our customers. We can trac thet every ‘move, online of off, and use thal knowlege to contol the ‘information they receive. We put the US government's spies to shame and We're very proud of our newly fous powers. ‘We fool ourselves ino thinking consumers have asi! us to spy on ther, They may want meaningful content on demand (they always have) but we've never fo them what they ‘must giv up for that. Do we matketers eally think our neighbours ot farsily [now how closely they're being watched o just how that ‘monitoring changes what they aetually see online? Ofcourse not, and we are fooling ourselves when we claim that customers support ths sortiny because they click “T approve’ buttons. They do so because its easier than reading the privacy mouseprit. ‘We are experts at making sure that consumers understand the dlails of how a deodorant works but we see 10 it that they ‘ay uninfomsed about how is personal datas gathered and used. Article A I Worse, most company policies on how consumer data will oe De used are vague, tieaning that chere's no limit to whal We ‘might do once a new technology becornés available. - : I Wenumhetrs are continually exedingourrech nto QD ‘consumers’ lives through neW tools like location tracking, ‘machine learning abd predictive search, We want the world, to trust us that we'll track them fairly but we comtrol the right to decide what ‘fair’ means, Just wait unl consumer decide they dot like what wesey QOD it cans. Comsunier” reactions could make responses the US spying scandal seem mild. They could jet not only our technology bu also the brands we aFe pushing using that technology. Other markets have done just fine with regulations. oe Certification requirements create trustworthy marke for Dealt, law and ther profesional services Consumers" personal data should not bea resource for QD ‘marketers harvestand exploit In the data marketplace, fgosumers are aaj participa group — ane that has beet. ‘denied information, prowetion and, thereby, full freedom: of choice. ‘Wensed the government to provide the regulatory fFamework so that it cam function fly. This will not only save marketers fiona themselves but perhaps also save us from our customers” wrath. JONATHAN SALEM BASKIN is a brand aad septation expert based inthe US. His eighth book, The End of ‘Anonyeity, will be published tis year. © Business Spotlight, 3/2014, worwcbusiness-spotlight deTTT Tepe) OHI IE Have marketers become spies? Se eee Po Led ED 4s 21s-ccatry consumers, we are all aware that every SP “we take leaves some form of digital signature, providing for data owners to use this insight fx many different ways. Qo ‘The simple fact is that the digital world is part of our lives and ts benefits are unquestionable. Some ofthese ‘are more obvious ~ ou grocery shopping history allows 10 send us relevant offers and promotions. Bar there artless visible, even more important uses, stich as being able to identify traffic jams, based on the density, ‘of GPS-setvated mobile phones. So, can we really call the collection and use of data to provide relevant conleat for consumers “spying”? No, ‘does not provide a mutual benefit for both partis, ast does for advertisers and consumers. For digital advertising to be effective, it must deliver someting useful for the-end user so they want to react to it oe “roca now mow insives © we ths ain positive sway than ever before. The latest EU privacy laws and Article B sirectives help guide the ethical use of data. But consumers ‘have powers themselves. They éin slop buying fom firm they fel is misusing their dala. Our firm, Amsereen, uses face detection softwart it. oe ‘advertising screens. While on the surface, this might seem like Big Brother, in reality, this type of software does not recognize ‘individuals or record data. It simuply identifies ‘age and sex, and then groups this insight to provide trends about what kinds of consumers are likely to go intoa store eo ‘This allows for more relevant content on the sercen. It also provides a fr elearer idea of the typeof person Seeing the ad, as Well as where and when, We eanfiol and would not identify o track individuals. ‘Mobile and online advertisers work similarly. They also @Q group individuals based on habits, demographics and so on, which ensures anonymity. ‘While technology evolves, the “spying debate will oe ‘continue, but in the end, the power tests in the hands of ‘the consumer. If data owners keep using the insights they ‘ain to improve ai enich our lives, as they curently da, the majority of people wll eontinue to welcome digital | advertising in all its forms. MIKE HEMMINGS js the internation! marketing rector for Amscreen, a UK outdoor advertising screen ‘business, which docs business in the UK and across Europe. (© Business Spotlight, 3/2014, www.business-spottight de