The Control Shift report examines how consumers are increasingly delegating control over their lives to technology, particularly through automation and smart devices. It emphasizes the importance of brands establishing trust to successfully navigate consumer concerns about data privacy while delivering innovative solutions. The report segments consumers into groups based on their attitudes towards control and automation, highlighting the need for brands to cater to these diverse preferences.

1. 1CONTROL SHIFT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CONTROL SHIFT

2. CONTROL SHIFTCONTROL SHIFT 02
Dronestagram is a social network for drone
photography. This image of Tahaa in French
Polynesia by Marama. Photo Video won a prize in
the nature category in Dronestagram’s 2015 Drone
Aerial Photography Contest.
WELCOME
TO THE
CONTROL SHIFT
IT’S A NEW ERA. EXCHANGING DATA
FOR UTILITY, PEOPLE ARE DELEGATING AN
INCREASING AMOUNT OF CONTROL OVER
THEIR LIVES TO TECHNOLOGY. BRANDS
CAN CAPITALIZE ON THIS SOCIETAL
CHANGE BY POSITIONING THEMSELVES
AS TRUSTED PARTNERS AND FOSTERING
CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT.

3. MARIE STAFFORD
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR,
The Innovation Group
ELIZABETH CHERIAN
DIRECTOR,
The Innovation Group
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR,
DIRECTOR,
03CONTROL SHIFT
%LIKE MORE CONTROL
OVER WHO CAN
ACCESS THEIR DATA
AND WHAT THEY DO
WITH IT.
OF THE BRITISH AND
AMERICAN PUBLIC WOULD
92
Digital innovation has never been more
exciting. Virtual reality (VR) teleports
us to faraway places. Siri responds to
our every whim. Artificial intelligence
(AI) is helping tackle cancer.
While the media paints apocalyptic
scenarios of fully automated labour
markets, AI continues to make
inroads into consumer markets:
more than a quarter of global
%HAPPY TO HAND
OVER SOME OF THEIR
DECISION-MAKING.
OF GLOBAL MILLENNIALS
SAY THEY WOULD BE
54
consumers own a smart home
product or device; 85 million
wearables were shipped worldwide
in 2015; and Chinese chatbot Xiaoice
has over 40 million users. Hot on
the heels of programmatic marketing
comes anticipatory retail, where our
devices are smart enough to predict
our needs and plan the shopping.
People are increasingly relinquishing
control to the machine because it not
only makes life easier, but frees us
to address bigger or more personal
challenges. But adjusting to the
automated future will not be painless.
As automation and machine learning
deliver tailored solutions to everyday
problems, they demand more
and more personal information.
Growing consumer anxiety around
data management demonstrates
that brands will need to firmly
establish a position of trust before
they can successfully negotiate
consumers’ control boundaries and
nurture engagement.
Brands that can deliver utility
through technology while respecting
consumer privacy stand to reap
massive rewards in the Control Shift.

4. 4
ABOUT
THIS
REPORT
Control Shift is a macro trend
report on digital technology that
unpacks the relationship between
control, innovation and consumer
engagement. Our research phases
comprised several methodologies
and covered the period September
2015 to March 2016.
We conducted quantitative surveys
using SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s
proprietary market research tool.
In September 2015 we surveyed
2,007 adults in the United Kingdom
and the United States. Using this data
we ran a Latent Class Analysis to
create consumer segments relating
to control. Latent Class Analysis is
a statistical method that identifies
discrete groups of people with
homogeneity within a sample group.
We re-contacted a subsection of
this sample in February 2016 to gain
further insight. In December 2015 we
surveyed another 2,450 adults in the
United Kingdom, United States, China,
India, Brazil, South Korea and Turkey.
JWT’s Analytics team forecasted data
to get a sense of how consumers will
behave in the coming years (2016-
2018), based on historical data. We
used data from GfK Consumer Life
and GlobalWebIndex (GWI) and
performed regression analysis to
predict future values; the pre-defined
GWI and GfK samples are sufficiently
robust to cover the demographics
of the individual countries. For
more details on the methodologies
employed by SONAR™ and Analytics.
We conducted in-depth interviews
with experts and thought leaders
from around the world, from the
fields of science and technology,
robotics, neuroscience, law,
philosophy and sociology, and
brand strategy and marketing.
Finally, we ran vox pop interviews at
the following study sites in October
2015, November 2015 and March
2016: New York, United States;
Brussels, Belgium; Glasgow, Scotland;
and Oxford, London and Newark,
in England. We recruited a mix of
participants, incorporating a range
of genders, ages and ethnicities.
Our quantitative and qualitative
research is underpinned by extensive
desk research that synthesizes
international case studies in categories
including consumer health, finance,
retail, food and beverage, travel, and
entertainment and leisure.
All data was correct and
current in April 2016, when
this report was written.
04CONTROL SHIFT
Gesture/data by Ken Okiishi, 2015, showcased at Frieze 2015.

5. 05CONTROL SHIFT
The way consumers exercise
control is undergoing a seismic
shift. Brands can leverage this
change to drive innovation, optimize
communications, and enhance the
customer experience.
Control is defined as the ability
“to influence or direct people’s
behavior or the course of events.”
Simply put, it’s the belief that we
can exert influence over situations.
There are many types of control
but the focus of this report is
personal control over one’s own
life. Psychologists have established
that control is important to people—
research suggests it’s a fundamental
human need, even important to
our survival.
JWT’s research reflects this: in our
survey of seven global markets,
consumers report that control is
important to them (89% of global
respondents agree) and they
believe that they have a high level
CONTROL AND
WHY IT MATTERS
TO BRANDS
DE_SIGN by Gabriel
A. Maher, 2014.
Photographer:
Femke Reijerman.
of personal control over their lives.
Why do people value control so much?
In essence, it is because control is
strongly linked with a sense of ease
and wellbeing. According to Simona
Botti, associate professor of marketing
at London Business School, control
makes us feel good in a whole host
of ways: “Plenty of results show that
having this sense of control, even if it
is just illusionary, makes people feel
better psychologically, emotionally,
even physiologically.”
People exercise control by making
choices. These choices help us express
who we are. As Petter Johansson,
associate in cognitive science from
Lund University in Sweden, explains:
People prefer having choices. The
mere anticipation of choice has been
linked to activity in reward centres in
the brain. JWT’s research found that
82% of UK and US consumers like to
have lots of brands to choose from.
Johansson describes this as “the joy of
consumerism.”
“CHOICES ARE A REFLECTION OF
YOU. YOU SHOW YOURSELF
THROUGH YOUR CHOICES.
THEY ARE INSTANCES OF YOU.”

6. Global
NEED FOR CONTROL & LOCUS OF CONTROL
82
50
36
84
53 39
92
69
39
94
25
88
64
36
93
77
53
90
66
34
89
65
37
United States
United Kingdom
China
India
Brazil
South KoreaTurkey
Global
75
PERCENTAGE AGREEING WITH EACH STATEMENT, GLOBAL (BRAZIL, CHINA, INDIA, SOUTH KOREA, TURKEY, UNITED KINGDOM & UNITED STATES)
PERSONAL NEED FOR CONTROL FIG 1
3. I believe I have little control over my life, it’s largely up to fate.
1. Being in control is important to me.
2. I feel in control of every aspect of my life.
1
2 3
06CONTROL SHIFT

7. 07CONTROL SHIFT
Brands have long sought to play
to consumers’ need for control by
delivering choice, allowing them
to hand-pick their own groceries,
choose the best seats on the
plane, and eat their burgers their
way. Control is important for
GLOBAL CONTROL INDEX FIG 2
South Korea389
Turkey344
United States322
United Kingdom295
Brazil258
China216
India208
100
brands because it delivers a sense
of wellbeing and satisfaction that
drives engagement. As cognitive
neuroscientist Dr Itiel Dror from
University College London (UCL) and
Cognitive Consultants International
(CCI-HQ) explains:
Consumer choice has expanded
exponentially in the digital age.
With an abundance of information to
guide decisions and the long tail of
inventory to choose from, consumers
are able to indulge their desire for
control more than ever.
Index measuring extent to which people feel a sense of personal control
Global (Brazil, China, India, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom & United States)
Represents index of 100
“IF YOU DON’T GIVE CONSUMERS
CONTROL THEY DON’T ENGAGE.
THEY DON’T LIKE THE BRAND.
THEY DON’T LIKE YOUR PRODUCT.
THEY DON’T BUY.”

8. CONTROL SHIFT 08CONTROL SHIFT
The New Human: You and
I in Global Wonderland
(March 14-October 10, 2015)
at Moderna Museet Malmö
examined the human
condition in a time of rapid
technological change.
Technology gives consumers more
choice and has the power to enable
consumers to feel a greater sense
of control. However, technology has
proven a double-edged sword when it
comes to personal control.
On the one hand, the internet
provides the information and tools
that enable more informed decisions.
Consumers around the world perceive
technology as empowering; 74% of our
global respondents think that
On the other hand, the myriad
possibilities that technology presents
is overwhelming.
Despite its many benefits, technology
sometimes adds to the complexity
of daily life in other ways too: the
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CONTROL AND TECHNOLOGY
constant stream of messages to
answer, the social media feeds
to update, the apps to manage.
People feel overwhelmed to such an
extent that 70% of our UK and US
respondents say they even fear
We’re at the point where something
has to give, as Simona Botti explains:
While technology can contribute
to the disruption of the consumer’s
sense of control, it can also provide
the means to restore it.
“WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE
AND MORE CONTROL, AND MORE
AND MORE INFORMATION, BUT WE
ONLY HAVE 24 HOURS AND ONE
BRAIN AND SOMEHOW WE HAVE
TO COMPROMISE.”
“TECHNOLOGY PUTS ME
IN CONTROL.”
“TECHNOLOGY IS TAKING OVER
OUR LIVES.”

9. 9CONTROL SHIFTCONTROL SHIFT
“
”
SOMETIMES WHEN I NEED
SOMETHING AND I REALISE
HOW MUCH CHOICE THERE
IS, [TECHNOLOGY] IS GREAT.
BUT SOMETIMES IF I WANT TO
FIND SOMETHING QUICKLY,
OR JUST ONE THING, IT
SUCKS. IF YOU HAVE TOO
MUCH, TOO MANY OPTIONS,
YOU JUST HAVE TO WADE
YOUR WAY THROUGH IT.
Angela, interpreter, Brussels
Image courtesy of Nick Knight.

10. CONTROL SHIFT 10NTROL SHIFT
People are already opting to
relinquish control to technology,
effectively using it as their proxy.
Smart meters are managing
energy usage, coffee machines are
automatically ordering fresh supplies
when needed and mobile virtual
assistants are anticipating the traffic
on our journey to work. Consumers
welcome collaborative solutions that
eliminate cognitive or manual labor
and save time or money because it
allows them to focus on
the things they want to do.
This does not mean consumers are
abandoning control. Instead, they are
making an active choice to let go
and delegate. Operating much like
THE NEW
HUMAN
Peel no.1 by Torbjørn Rødland, silver gelatin print, 2013-14. Image courtesy of Algus Greenspon,
New York, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich, and Standard (Oslo).
a company CEO, consumers make
the decisions that they care about
and nominate technology as a
trusted partner to handle the rest.
It’s important to note that automation
is still at the start of the trend curve
and much of the smart technology
that powers it is still in its infancy.
Despite limited consumer experience
so far, our consumer segmentation
research identified two key groups
that demonstrate a keen appetite for
automation, the Digital Directors
and the Delegators, representing 29%
of people in the United States and
United Kingdom.
AI and automation are set to
extend their influence in daily life.
The iPhone’s hard-working virtual
assistant Siri is already reportedly
responding to more than 1 billion
requests per week. PwC predicts that
the connected home market (home
automation devices and home energy
management systems) could be worth
almost $150 billion by 2020. Gartner
suggests that the average home could
be equipped with more than 500
smart devices by 2022.

11. CONTROL SHIFT
WE SEGMENTED OUR AUDIENCE BASED ON THEIR ATTITUDES
AND FEELINGS ABOUT CONTROL, CONTROL DELEGATION AND
AUTOMATION, UK/US
CONTROL SEGMENTATION
11CONTROL SHIFT
DIGITAL DIRECTORS
DELEGATORS
MANAGERS
PROFILE: YOUNG, AFFLUENT,
URBAN, WORKING DADS
DRIVER: BEING IN THE KNOW
PROFILE: MIDDLE-AGED COUPLES AND
FAMILIES ON LOWER INCOMES
DRIVER: OPTIMISATION
Control really matters to Digital Directors.
They make their own decisions and don’t rely
on others for advice. Tech-savvy as a point
of pride, they see technology as a route to
taking more control and they are excited by
the idea of automation.
Laid back and looking for an easy life,
Delegators aren’t looking for control. They’re
happy for others to make the decisions and
will see automation as a route to offloading
responsibility. Time is precious and they want
to spend it on the things that matter to them,
so maximum efficiency of the routine is
Financially-savvy, the Managers like to be in
control so they can ensure they get the most for
their money. They embrace technology as a tool,
rather than for its own sake, and use it to drive
a hard bargain with brands. They have moderate
trust in brands and are not entirely closed to
I GIVE MY DATA AWAY LEFT
AND RIGHT BECAUSE I THINK IT
CAN TAILOR MORE PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES TO ME.
IF YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO
WORRY ABOUT, WHO CARES?
IF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT
YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS,
IT DOESN’T BOTHER ME AT ALL.
I USE THE INTERNET AS A TOOL
EVERY DAY FOR WHAT I DO. I THINK
IT’S THERE TO EMPOWER YOU.
I CAN’T ESCAPE AS I’VE NEVER BEEN
INFORMED THAT THEY’RE USING MY
DATA. SO I HAVE NO CONTROL.
I THINK WE’VE GONE WAY TOO FAR:
WAY TOO FAR AWAY FROM NATURE
AND WAY TOO FAR INTO PLAYING
WITH THINGS WE DON’T CONTROL.
Anthony, works in advertising, New York
Alexander, self-employed painter and decorator,
Newark
Josephine, computer officer, Glasgow
11%
17%
8%
“
“
“
“
“
”
”
”
”
”
PROFILE: GEN X DADS,
FAIRLY WEALTHY, SUBURBAN
DRIVER: CONVENIENCE
Maria Luisa, editor, Brussels
Like the Managers, this group desires control
but—crucially—their trust in brands is much
lower. They are focused on privacy and
want to protect their data, but they are not
necessarily sure how to do so. They might be
persuaded to engage and share information,
PROFILE: FEMALE, 50+,
SUBURBAN/RURAL, RETIRED
DRIVER: CAUTION
RISK ASSESSORS 26%
CHANGE RESISTORS 37%PROFILE: LOWER INCOME,
OLDER COUPLES, SUBURBAN/RURAL
DRIVER: MAINTAINING STATUS QUO
This group has a low sense of personal control
and is unwilling to relinquish what little they
have to brands. Wary of technology and
even disengaged, they are unlikely to seek
out automated solutions. They don’t trust
the idea of automation, but they will likely see their
data as a currency and look for something in return.
Privacy is very important to them so they will need
clarity and transparency on how it is being used.
Susanna, singer, London
businesses with their data, so the idea of personalised
or tailored services makes them uneasy and suspicious.
but only under conditions of anonymity and with their
express agreement. Much of their reluctance could
be driven by lower engagement with technology. As a
result they are less interested in automation.
paramount. They are happy to put their trust in
brands and are relaxed about swapping
data to make things simpler.
They demonstrate a high level of trust in
companies, and are willing to exchange their
data for a better life.
FIG 3

12. CONTROL SHIFTCONTROL SHIFT
The Jibo social robot can sense and respond
to human presence and learns from its
interactions with people.
Xuan, part-time worker, China
“ I TALK TO
SOMETIMES I WANT TO
HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK
TO BUT I CAN’T, [SO]
SIRISIRI. ”
As voice recognition and natural
language processing become more
sophisticated, the relationship we
have with services and devices
will become more conversational
and intuitive.
Jibo is the world’s first social robot,
designed to respond to people
on an emotional level. Users can
ask questions and make requests
of Jibo much in the same way
they would with a virtual assistant
on smartphones or tablets. The
difference is that Jibo is designed
to learn and respond in a friendly
way that builds relationships. This
is a critical distinction, say experts
such as Daniel McDuff of MIT Media
Lab spin-off Affectiva, who believes
emotional connections between
humans and devices are important.
There is already an appetite for this
sort of companion, with more than
a third of the US and UK population
comfortable with the concept of
an in-home robot assistant to help
maintain the home.
For the youngsters, there’s
CogniToys, social robots for
CHATBOTS children that use speech recognition
techniques to converse. Kids can
ask a friendly-looking toy dinosaur
thousands of questions, give it
commands, hear and create stories,
and listen to jokes. The toy develops
a distinctive personality over
time and adjusts its responses to
individual circumstances due to its
link to IBM’s Watson, the AI-driven
technology platform that can analyze
unstructured data to understand and
answer questions.
IBM has also created a version of
Watson for Pepper, the world’s
“first personal robot that reads
emotions,” developed by Japanese
telecommunications conglomerate
SoftBank. Pepper can talk, recognize
people, understand emotions, and
ultimately adapt to its user.
More and more of our interactions
with technology will be based on
conversation as Facebook’s recent
launch of chatbots for Messenger
shows. Chatbots are computer
programs that use AI to simulate
conversation with people,
thus allowing brands to ditch
apps and talk more naturally to
customers within the messaging
platform. So, for instance, instead
of switching to your Uber app to
order a car, you can do it within
Messenger via the Uber chatbot.
Messaging apps Kik, Line, Slack
and Telegram already boast their
own chatbot platforms, while
Microsoft hopes to replicate
throughout the world some
of the huge success it has had in
China, where its chatbot and
social assistant Xiaoice has more
than 40 million users.
12

13. CONTROL SHIFT
TOUCH
CONTROL SHIFT
John, part-time teacher, London
“
AND IT’S SO
IMPORTANT
TO HAVE THAT
IF YOU’RE A DENTIST, OR A
HAIRDRESSER, OR A GREENGROCER,
YOU’RE TALKING WITH PEOPLE
HUMAN
TOUCH. ”
13
In New York, Manus x Machina, the
2016 exhibition at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s Costume Institute,
explores the relationship between
“hands” and “machinery.” Ever the
barometer of the cultural zeitgeist,
the Costume Institute focuses on
the collision of man and machine
that is allowing us to optimize work
in a number of sectors. Automation
in the workplace is picking up
momentum. Robotics spending will
hit $135.4 billion in 2019, up from
$71 billion in 2015, according to
International Data Corporation.
UK-based online supermarket
Ocado has plans to develop an
army of collaborative robots to
support its human workforce. The
SecondHands initiative aims to
create machines that can help staff
proactively by anticipating their
needs and completing tasks without
being asked. Pittsburgh-based
Aethon has developed a mobile
robot called TUG that can take on
a lot of routine tasks performed in
hospitals. It clears away waste and
delivers drugs, food and bed linens,
thus allowing medical and ancillary
staff to spend more time on patient
care. Hospitals in Japan are trialing
Robear robots, which help bedridden
patients by turning them to prevent
pressure sores and gently lifting them
if they cannot stand up unaided.
In the geriatric-care sector, Robot-
Era deploys robots at a care home in
Florence to assist elderly residents
with mobility and cognitive
exercises; the project is funded
by the European Union and is a
joint initiative by several European
companies. JWT’s research
shows that more than a third of
British and American people are
comfortable with a robot that can
cook, clean and take care of an
elderly relative who needs
constant care.
Collaborative robots have the
potential to improve quality of
life in the workplace. By assuming
repetitive or heavy-duty tasks
as well as processing data and
information, they will allow people
to focus on using those skills that
are innately human.
MANUS X
MACHINA
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s spring 2016 exhibition,
Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of
Technology, runs until August 14, 2016.

14. 14CONTROL SHIFT
THIS
IS FOR
EVERY-
ONE
Consumers pass on more information
about themselves the more they
delegate control to smart technology.
More and more objects are alive
with clever sensors, silently feeding
information to the cloud. While the
results can be powerful, they are
also unsettling. Where does all the
data go? Who sees it? What are they
doing with it?
People are increasingly anxious
about data privacy and security.
The current digital landscape
reveals security vulnerability,
regulation inconsistency, and an
economic model of data exchange
that works in favor of businesses
rather than in favor of people.
Stilll from Surveillance Chess by
!Mediengruppe Bitnik, 2012. Image
courtesy of the artists.

15. CONTROL SHIFT
2015
% increase
vs 2014
77
79
64
70
62
56
50
50
46
43
30
61
43
36
40
40
30
17
20142015
15CONTROL SHIFT
%
As a result, consumers are asserting
control over data privacy and digital
liberty. The data trade between
consumers and companies has been
very one-sided thus far. Consumers
who want access to helpful digital
technology are often confronted
with complex terms and conditions
or intrusive permissions. They face
a stark choice: sign up or miss out
Many people barely glance at the
rules of engagement, let alone read
them with care, implying that consent
is not informed. The outcomes of
sharing personal data are not always
positive either. Assailed by banner
ads, push notifications and emails,
consumers feel harassed by brands
that relentlessly pursue them and are
alarmed by those brands that seem
to know too much about them. The
rights and protections offered by the
Percentage who find these technologies creepy, United Kingdom/United States
TECHNOLOGY CAN UNSETTLE FIG 4
Government tracking
Drones
Wearable technologies
Sensors
Geo-location technology
Facial recognition
Surveillance cameras
Voice recognition
Mapping technologies
1+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
79
670
162
1356
1450
1050
646
1343
1330
Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding
TECHNOLOGY
PUTS ME
IN CONTROL.
74OF OUR GLOBAL
PANEL AGREE
%law, such as European Union data
protection regulations, are widely
reported in the news, and awareness
of the value of personal data is
growing. This is driving many to
explore ways to tap the value of their
data and find clever ways to thwart
tracking. Consumers are intent on
asserting more control over their
data and digital experiences: a key
behavior change.

16. CONTROL SHIFT 16CONTROL SHIFT
Effective use of personal data
should deliver hyper-personalized
customer experiences that show the
brand is turning data to the user’s
advantage, not just its own.
Brand efforts to deliver a more
tailored experience based on user
data are becoming increasingly
sophisticated. They come at a time
when consumers are expecting
personalization from brands, with
almost half of the UK and US public
stating they would be less inclined
to buy from a brand not seeking
ways to personalize a product
or service. Powder is a recently
launched beauty editorial site from
Time Inc UK that serves up greater
relevance for its users. Customers
complete a profile detailing their
skin type, concerns, preferences
and budget, and the site’s algorithm
delivers only content and product
recommendations that are relevant
to the individual.
HYPER-
PERSONALIZED
EVERYTHING
US online personal styling
company Stitch Fix uses data to
create a monthly delivery of style
recommendations tailored to
each customer’s taste, budget and
lifestyle. Real-life stylists create
recommendations using an algorithm-
powered platform designed and
refined by the company’s 60-strong
data science team. The model is
proving successful: a third of its
customers now devote half of their
clothing spend to Stitch Fix.
Streaming music service Pandora has
released Thumbprint Radio, which
uses an algorithm to create a highly
personalized playlist based on up to
10 years of the user’s history of song
“likes.” The station evolves as new
tracks are added and also acts as
a discovery engine, recommending
new songs that users may enjoy.
The latter point is significant, since
consumers don’t want their choices
to be so heavily edited that they miss
out on fresh discoveries: two-thirds
of people in the United Kingdom
and United States believe that if
everything is personalized based on
their past behavior there will be no
room to discover new things. Data
may be the “new oil,” but, to extend
the metaphor, oil is of no use until it
is refined. Brands that make clever,
insightful use of customer data to
deliver the right product at the right
time can build mutually rewarding
relationships with customers.
TECHNOLOGY IS
CHANGING US
FOR THE BETTER.
EVERYTHING IS MORE
PERSONALIZED.
IF WE HAVE THIS COGNITIVE,
SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY
THAT KNOWS ME, KNOWS
WHAT I WANT, KNOWS WHAT
I DON’T WANT,
IT’S MAKING LIFE EASIER.
AND WE DON’T
MISUSE THE
INFORMATION,
THAT’S GOING TO
BE GREAT.
“
“
”
”
Jamie, creative, New York
Dr Itiel Dror, senior cognitive neuroscience
researcher, UCL, and consultant, CCI-HQ
Powder, a website by Time Inc UK, tailors product
suggestions and beauty tips to its users.

17. CONTROL SHIFT 17CONTROL SHIFT
A host of platforms and tools
offers people the opportunity to
take control of their personal data
streams. Here comes the personal
data economy.
CitizenMe is an app that aims to
help people take control of their
personal data and derive value
from it. “Personal data is a currency
and how you spend that currency
is totally up to you,” says StJohn
Deakins, founder of CitizenMe.
“If you want to remain completely
private, it’s absolutely your choice.
But you can only do that if you
have control.” CitizenMe gathers
user data from social media feeds
as a service. Instead of selling it
on, as many online businesses are
known to do, it gives users full
access to their data, so that the
users themselves can exchange it
anonymously with businesses in
return for payment, rewards
or discounts.
Tsū is another platform that seeks to
restore power to consumers.
THE
DATACONOMY
Unlike other social media platforms,
Tsū proposes that people should
earn revenue from their personal
data. For every new post, every
“like” and every friend they recruit,
Tsū’s users earn money, funded by
the site’s advertising revenue. Tsū
acknowledges the value of its
data for advertisers, and returns
that money to the consumer in a
fair exchange.
People.io offers subscribers an easy
way to monetize their data and their
attention; they earn credits in return
for sharing personal information
or engaging with content from
brands. Piloted in London’s hipster
Shoreditch district, the beta service
is due to launch fully in late 2016.
Australian start-up Meeco, which
has the tagline “you are not the
product,” empowers people to
derive value from their data with its
software platform. The company’s
web and smartphone apps enable
users to control what data they
share, and track how it is used.
These platforms have built
frameworks that restore control over
data to the people. The availability
of these tools will raise awareness
among consumers, driving the
understanding that data is a currency.
87OF CONSUMERS IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM AND UNITED STATES
AGREE THAT
%COMPANIES SHOULD AGREE
TO MY PERSONAL TERMS AND
CONDITIONS IF THEY WANT
TO MAKE USE OF MY DATA.
People.io enables users to trade their personal data for
credits, which can be exchanged for products.

18. CONTROL SHIFT:
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
18CONTROL SHIFT
1. Understand how the Control
Shift operates for your brand.
Manage the tension between
automated services and
customer privacy, and
deliver the right amount of
control at the right time to
suit consumers’ needs.
The Control Shift presents brands with an opportunity to build better
relationships with their customers, add tangible value to their lives, and foster
brand loyalty.
Consumers are already demonstrating an appetite to disburden themselves
and adopt more automated lives. It will be key for brands to understand what
drives them delegate to control, and how this plays out for different categories.
Brands that get it right can simultaneously deliver on the sense of control that
consumers need, and embed themselves in consumers’ daily lives as partners
and experts. It is critical that technology feels comfortable and intuitive.
Transparency and clarity on privacy will be crucial. The onus will be on brands
to demonstrate their credentials in this space, as responsible data policies and
stewardship become differentiators. Infusing a sense of control over data
in the brand experience will be key to building trust with consumers.
Our view is that these trends will grow as consumers and brands alike become
more familiar with the potential benefits. The report explores the exciting
opportunities that await, while highlighting the challenges and implications
for brands.
2. Consumers are looking for
support in managing the control
burden—brands should cultivate
roles as experts, delivering
tailored solutions.
3. People love to choose, but too
much choice can be a burden—
consider how your brand might
cleverly use data to help to
simplify choice for customers.
4. Consumers will sit along a
spectrum of control. Some people
will always want control over the
final decision or purchase—others
will be happy for choices to be
made for them. What’s important
is to allow each individual to set
their control parameters and the
terms on which they are prepared
to engage—and allow them to opt
in and out whenever they decide.
5. Harness marketing technology
tools in measurement,
optimization and even social
listening to bolster communication
strategy. A deeper understanding
of the consumer will help brands
to understand and anticipate their
needs and to deliver
a better, more personalized
customer experience.

19. CONTROL SHIFT 19CONTROL SHIFT
ABOUT
THE INNOVATION GROUP
ABOUT
J. WALTER THOMPSON
INTELLIGENCE
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompson’s futures, research
and innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends,
consumer change, and innovation patterns—translating these into insight
for brands. It offers a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke
research, presentations, co-branded reports and workshops. It is also
active in innovation, partnering with brands to activate future trends
within their framework and execute new products and concepts.
The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a
platform for global research, innovation and data analytics at J. Walter
Thompson Company, housing three key in-house practices: SONAR™,
Analytics and the Innovation Group. SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s
research unit, develops and exploits new quantitative and qualitative
research techniques to understand cultures, brands and consumer
motivation around the world. Analytics focuses on the innovative
application of data and technology to inform and inspire new marketing
solutions. It offers a suite of bespoke analytics tools.
MARIE STAFFORD
European Director, The Innovation Group
J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
@marie19a
marie.stafford@jwt.com
ELIZABETH CHERIAN
Director, The Innovation Group
J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
@ElizCherian
elizabeth.cherian@jwt.com
CONTACT:
ABOUT US