Facebook is just the tipping point on Big Data discussions

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or kidnapped for the past month, it’s hard to miss Facebook’s latest blunder with the mishandling of its users’ cyber-data. Over 30 million users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics company used by the Trump Campaign for the 2017 election. The crazy thing is, The Guardian reported on this more than three years, and Americans just started to notice.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, Facebook is not the only perpetrator of this type of invasiveness, however they are the biggest brand name to have let this slide. What’s so special about our information anyways? Our data helps businesses pyschosocial profile us, meaning they can tailor digital advertisements based on our personal characteristics, down to the very flavor of ice cream we prefer. Cambridge Analytica used this information to influence political decisions, and if that’s even possible, it begs the question: what else can it influence?

Other companies that sit on a large amount of collected data are Google, LinkedIn and Amazon. Businesses have access to Big Data analytics whenever they chose to advertise via Google Adwords or Amazon’s recommendation search engine. The other side to this argument is all the benefits of harvesting Big Data. For instance,  cybersecurity companies are on the board for access to this information to prevent future attacks. As well as health research labs who, with access to the right information can use AI to detect patterns of disease development, among other issues.

Regardless of your stance, Big Data is here to stay, it is time for discussions around the amount of data that can be harvested. This issue is bigger than Facebook, and to be honest, other larger firms may be sitting on more pertinent information in comparison to Facebook’s data. If you’re easily swayed by what you see on social media, it may be time for you to be more careful with what information you’re providing.

XO Gen

Dove is giving women body-image issues

Dove, who once had the lead positive-body image advertising campaign, is now under fired for their most recent social media campaign. The video, which was posted to Dove’s Facebook page, depicts a woman of color taking off her shirt to show a lighter skinned woman, as shown in the picture below.

While this is not Dove’s first foray into racial controversy, it is definitely their largest scandal to date. In fact, according to a CNBC article, many social media users commented on the post, noting how it reminded them of “racist soap adverts from the 19th century or early 20th century that showed black people scrubbing their skin to become white.” Dove then issued the following apology statement on Twitter: 

However, the apology failed to dispel the anger on social media over Dove’s latest campaign, and #BoycottDove began trending. While I understand the purpose of these campaigns was to continue on with their ‘Real Beauty’ mantra, it seems as if whoever “okayed” these social media adverts must’ve had their eyes closed. Any normal person could have spotted the issues with this campaign from 100 feet away. In today’s marketing world we are at peak-level competition, so I understand the need for innovation and creativity, but there is no room for cutting corners. While it is Marketing’s job to make sure these types of campaigns never see the light, Public Relations is just as important for damage control when, god forbid, someone royally messes up. What’s out there is out there now, so all a brand can do is damage control and move forward smartly and cautiously. 

Can we just go back to this?

XO Gen

Hey! There’s a Spy in your Pocket

The hottest topic of 2018 is going to be cyber-securities, and if it’s not, it should be. Every other news story these days is about hacking, identity theft, or stolen digital information. While a smartphone’s location-based technology has many uses such as figuring out the weather in your area or helping to guide you to the nearest donut shop…regardless of your personal uses, marketers often pay a hefty fine to be able to use location-targeted mobile ads for their firm, simultaneously downloading your data. According to an article by the Wall Street Journal, marketers spent over $16 billion in 2017 on location-targeted ads for mobile devices. Additionally, this number is expected to double by 2021. 

Little did you know, every time you allow an app know your location in the settings, they have the potential to save and store your data, tracking your behavior like a crazy ex. This data then essentially gets sold to the highest bidder, dictating which mobile ads you see and where. The same goes for shared Wi-Fi and open hotspots. The Wall Street Journal then goes on to highlight GroundTruth, a location advertising company. GroundTruth owns WeatherBug, one of the most highly-used weather apps out there, collecting users’ data via this location-based app…yikes! They currently track around 70 million people in the U.S. from their phones; going to work, at the gym, on the toilet, you get the picture.

GroundTruth is certainly not the first company to do this and it won’t be the last. With increasing concerns over personal security, on top of very little legislation around it, this may be the new norm of digital marketing. We need our representatives to put tighter restrictions around the access of this kind of information, or at least the distribution and selling of it. It’s our job as marketers to find a sense of business moral when working with such sensitive material. This topic may not be detrimental now, but one day when they’re selling off our social security numbers bank account information email addresses for direct email marketing campaigns, we’re going to need a plan b.

P.S. sorry for the heavy content 🙂

XO Gen