social
Come out from behind the two-way mirror
That coupon you just downloaded could be a window into your world. When you viewed it online, the barcode on it was dynamically generated with what could be very personal information about you. When you take it into the store to redeem it, the retailer could instantly know the search words you used, where you got the coupon, where you live, and a host of other details that can help them target you better.
16 years after the first cookie was planted on a computer, the business of capturing and profiting from online behavioral data has exploded, and grown to include mobile user data. There’s an attitude amongst us marketers that lack of privacy is the trade-off that consumers make for their access to content on the internet and on mobile phones….and that we have every right to spy if it means we can make faster and more relevant offers to specific individuals.
But please, let’s regulate ourselves before the regulators step in. We’re intrigued by a company called Media6Degrees Inc., who is pushing the envelope. The folks at Media6Degrees envision the day when financial institutions can make judgments about you by who you associate with online. According to this Wall Street Journal article, “The idea is that the creditworthy tend to hang out with the creditworthy, and deadbeats with deadbeats.”
How many times do we need to learn…what the consumer doesn’t know can hurt you. Protect your brand and think twice about how you’re using this data. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Social gaming on campus saves energy
Eneractivity has developed a social game for college students that schools can use to drive energy savings. Groups can compete against each other as they race around a virtual dorm room to turn off lights and adjust settings, destroy things, and get recharged by pizza. Based on the new energy consciousness the game imparts, Eneractivity estimates colleges with 5,000 students can save about $24,000 a year in energy costs — a 300% ROI. (Does anyone else think it’s ironic that you have to use electricity to play this game?)
Anyway, it sounds fun, so I got to thinking about what I would like to learn from the games I play. For instance, maybe Farmville could teach me how to conserve water and reduce my virtual methane production. And maybe Diner Dash(tm) could teach me how to say ‘no’ to that hamburger, fries and shake. Sweet Tooth 2, you could teach me how much I could save on the family’s dental bills every time I cleared the board of those yummy looking candy pieces. I wish you would.
Find out more about Eneractivity, their mission, and their new game at http://www.eneractivity.com/
