3. “People have really gotten comfortable, not only sharing
more information and different kinds, but more openly and
with more people. The social norm is just something that
has evolved over time. We view it as our role… to
constantly be innovating and be updating what our system
is, to reflect what the current social norms are.”
Mark Zuckerberg
CEO, Facebook
7. A chance to win £1,000
Must make profile public
Allow Dr. Pepper to post embarrassing updates
as you
Examples:
Lost my special blankie. How will I go sleepies?
Seriously, what’s wrong with peeing in the
shower?
…just used cardboard bit of the bog roll. Not
nice.
12. Dr. Pepper…
Did not control what was posted where
Did not ensure content was appropriate
And more importantly…
Relied on users to understand extent of sharing
All without considering potential consequences of
visibility!
13. Yellow…
Provided benefit for privacy infringement
Did not divulge status of “saddest friend”
Private information was gathered and processed on
prompt of friend
14. As Marketers…
Consider privacy legislation
Foresee sharing and viewing patterns
Educate users on consequences for their privacy –
don’t rely on social media providers to do so!
Provide consumers with benefits in exchange for
access to personal information
15. As marketers, how far can we push the
boundaries of what is private online, and under
what circumstances, without appearing
disturbingly invasive?
Editor's Notes
The business model of social media websites is such that users exchange private information for access to social networks. This raises privacy concerns.
Widespread sharing is, indeed, a social norm. Those who do not participate are often considered asocial.
But people are still concerned about privacy. Facebook’s move to make default sharing settings more public caused significant user backlash.
In 2011, Google Buzz was shut down over privacy concerns.
Social media websites attempt to align privacy concerns with their own technical capabilities and business models, which most frequently results in complex, convoluted website regulations and settings. Information is usually (and increasingly) shared publicly by default. Significant effort is required to change default settings, and 80-85% of users never do.
Social media marketing campaigns thus operate in a setting where individuals are willing to share personal information, but where privacy issues can surface, especially when users realize they shared more than they wanted. Some campaigns falter because of privacy concerns; others are highly successful despite them. Dr. Pepper’s UK “what’s the worst that could happen?” campaign an example of the former.
The girl’s mother saw the update. She was a blogger on Mumsnet. All hell let loose on Dr. Pepper.
What if an individual was denied an employment opportunity because of an embarrassing post by Dr. Pepper?
KLM’s gift of a tennis racket following an investigation into a guest’s Facebook profile is another example of how privacy invasion isn’t so creepy when there’s a tangible benefit involved!
