Listening to the insider discussions and industry reporting about online marketing provides a numbing sense of false comfort. But every so often, we go outside the bubble and hear civilians talking about what we do. I'm sure most of us have had someone at a party or family gathering share their 'creeped out' moment; that instance where they finally saw clearly that somehow they were being 'followed' online. Other times, they offer us largely unformed general concerns about online privacy: they don't really have a sense of what's going on but they instinctively know they don't like it. And once in a great while you'll hear from someone who's really done their homework and brings crystal clarity to the issue from the consumer point of view.
That moment came for me when I stumbled on an NPR radio interview with Joseph Turow, author of "The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth." After using up my ten minute commute, I found myself sitting my car in the parking lot of my office for another 30 minutes just listening to this guy. It was kind of like hearing someone talk about you in a bathroom when they don't know you're in one of the stalls. Except they're totally getting it right.
This week's Drift is proudly underwritten by Evidon. Evidon empowers consumers and businesses to see, understand and control data online. Find out how Evidon Encompass can help you improve performance, protect your data and comply with privacy regulations.
Turow, an associate dean at the Annenberg Communication school at Penn, has done a lot of homework. The book is detailed and rigorous, but also extremely accessible to the curious consumer. While it's probably not going to sell millions of copies, I believe it's going to be a hugely influential and important book for several reasons.
- To my knowledge, it's the first crossover book that's attempted to explain in great detail our industry's use of data to the consumer. And while explaining it all to the consumer, Turow also explains it all to the business and consumer press. Perhaps for the first time, they will really understand the digital marketing ecosystem. And that understanding is almost certain to drive a lot more reporting. Expect a lot more stories like the Wall Street Journal's 2010 "What They Know" series, only better informed.
- "The Daily You" is also clear eyed and inclusive. Turow is not a wild eyed privacy crusader tilting at windmills. A walk through his index and end notes is like thumbing through a digital marketing "who's who" -- you'll recognize a lot of names, companies and concepts right off the bat.
- And finally, the book builds an intellectual bridge that's the link to a very powerful idea: that on some level this is not just a privacy issue, but a human rights issue. For Turow, the real issue is the digital caste system that's being imposed on consumers without their knowledge or consent. Over time, one consumer will enjoy better discounts and better access to quality brands and offers than his less fortunate counterpart. Perhaps more important are the ways in which these two consumers content experiences will diverge as a result of all the profiling that's been done. Like it or not, each of us is getting an online data version of an invisible credit score. Turow gets this and his readers will too.
For my money, "The Daily You" should be a mandatory read for anyone in our industry. It's the beginning of an important new conversation about sustainable and inclusive data practices, a conversation that will form much quicker than many of us might imagine.
