With the massive amounts of customer data marketers now have access to, it's no wonder privacy has become a widespread concern. In continuation of my recent AMA Boston panel blog post, I thought this issue warranted some further discussion.
While we were discussing marketing automation's ability to provide deep customer insight, a question was raised as to whether marketing automation promoted "stalking" and where the line was drawn in terms of the technology's inherent benefits becoming a privacy concern.
I recently read an article in MediaPost that reflects on recent research conducted by Ball State University's Center for Media Design on privacy. The research found that "the real issue is the overall 'lack of transparency' consumers feel about having their personal information tracked, and their anxiety about how it is being used and feeling that they don't have direct control over the process."
In my opinion and according to this article, privacy is not a black and white issue. Based on the University's research, "the notion of privacy is actually 'situational,' and depends on the context of the consumer, the nature of their information being tracked, and the organizations that are tracking it."
It's clear to me that this article as well as other recent privacy research shows that it's not the technology or data that's so concerning, it's how marketers are accessing this data and how they're potentially using the data that's become the issue.
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With the massive amounts of customer data marketers now have access to, it's no wonder privacy has become a widespread concern. In continuation of my recent AMA Boston panel blog post, I thought this issue warranted some further discussion.
While we were discussing marketing automation's ability to provide deep customer insight, a question was raised as to whether marketing automation promoted "stalking" and where the line was drawn in terms of the technology's inherent benefits becoming a privacy concern.
I recently read an article in MediaPost that reflects on recent research conducted by Ball State University's Center for Media Design on privacy. The research found that "the real issue is the overall 'lack of transparency' consumers feel about having their personal information tracked, and their anxiety about how it is being used and feeling that they don't have direct control over the process."
In my opinion and according to this article, privacy is not a black and white issue. Based on the University's research, "the notion of privacy is actually 'situational,' and depends on the context of the consumer, the nature of their information being tracked, and the organizations that are tracking it."
It's clear to me that this article as well as other recent privacy research shows that it's not the technology or data that's so concerning, it's how marketers are accessing this data and how they're potentially using the data that's become the issue.
To read the full blog post, click here