The contemporary trend for privacy professionals is to try and ‘sell’ the maturity and competency of their company’s privacy practices as a kind of competitive advantage. Much like our friends in info security have had to do for years, we had to justify everything we did with an ROI. Usually, we failed if we took that approach, since we would up in the same cul-de-sac of ‘cost avoidance.’ I have yet to overtly or blatantly see any company use privacy as a competitive advantage versus their competitors, but I hear it being talked about all the time in privacy circles. Usually in hushed, reverential tones.
I have written about this before, even going so far to insinuate that privacy ranks above many other considerations customers evaluate and ultimately treasure when doing business with a company, or even considering it.
Data, and lots of it, has always been a by-product of most businesses. That asset had historically been considered as just another company commodity to be managed or warehoused like an extra tractor or overruns from last season’s fashions. Protection and confidentiality of the data was mostly an afterthought. But today, data is like a new natural resource for companies that has brought new life – a digital B-12 shot - into an area that was once discounted.
But rather than thinking of privacy as some kind of operational advantage you have over some other company - which fails to excite average customers - I am increasingly intrigued with the idea of privacy as a marketing concept, or at least a concept to be marketed better. You might be tempted to dismiss my flippancy of the idea to equate privacy with gems like “Tastes great. Less filling,” “I’d walk a mile for a Camel,” or “With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good.” But indulge, please.
The term ‘creepy’ is very popular in the privacy lexicon these days. It of course means an app or service that knows too much about you, and causes you to have a strong emotional response, even if the results are beneficial. We initially react to these invasive products, apps or services and deem them creepy, but over time, the creepiness factor diminishes. Most of us are now used to customized Google search results, GPS on our phone, and prophetic Facebook recommendations following us from site to site; they no longer make our skin crawl (much). Now, one man’s creepy is another man’s targeted ad. (Think about this: caller ID was once thought of as an invasion of privacy – now it is the complete opposite: it protects our privacy.)
A very popular product/service in use right now that had a potential creepiness factor, but instead has been marketed so perfectly that consumers do not think of it that way is the Disney MagicBand. This plastic band worn in the company’s theme parks is an electronic band that can simply and digitally carry everything a guest might need—park tickets, photos, coupons, even money. It allows guests entry to Disney World, pay for goods at retail shops, and unlock their hotel room doors. It is literally a virtual key to the Magic Kingdom – and it knows a lot about you! I doubt though that anyone who has been reunited his or her lost children with the help of this band would still decry this product as creepy. We all surrender privacy when the benefits begin to outweigh the shortcomings. (E-ZPass anyone?)
Why? Because ‘creepy’ is only a poorly placed product reference.
It may seem unctuous to the privacy purists out there, and you may have to hold you nose a bit while the rest of us ‘market’ privacy as a product. But really, if our discipline becomes a product, it becomes marketable and becomes ever more tangible, it become even more commonplace and routine. That’s a good thing. It raises the bar for everyone. It means people no longer will be pleasantly surprised to see an app, service or web site respecting their privacy preferences, it will be an expectation of every customer and their experience with our products. Just like we all expect to see a smile on Mickey’s face every time at the Magic Kingdom.
