2009 BEUC Consumer Privacy and Online Marketing Forum – I’m Going…

… well more accurately I’ve been asked to attend and speak on behalf of “Every Single One of Us” (and myself & consumers of course) at the two and a half hour workshop on Alternative Business Models.  Details are over on the BEUC forum site but here’s an teaser for this session:

The B2C equation could be seen as wider than just offer and demand. Trust, including high privacy standards, may be a company’s most valuable asset. Today, some companies have developed alternative business models that allow a business to flourish while at the same time being consumer-friendly and setting a high level of consumer rights and privacy. Some European projects and business initiatives are also researching alternatives to existing business models that would ensure a higher protection of consumers’ data when surfing the Web or shopping online.

The workshop will look at existing alternative business models and identify potential developments.

As speakers we are being asked to consider the starter topics below, my question to the crowd has to be “any input, thoughts or angles?”

• What do you consider to be an alternative business model?
• What kind of alternative model should be developed/encouraged?
• Do you know of any such alternative models today?
• What incentives are required for alternative business models to develop?
• Who should promote alternative business models? Businesses? European Commission? Civil society organisations?
• Should privacy- and security-by-design be a feature of new business models?

In Marketing Privacy Legal Compliance is Never Enough

News hit the feeds today that, rather unsuprisingly, BT has dropped plans to run with the behavioural tracking company Phorm.   If any (marketing) company ever wanted proof positive where privacy is concerned that the will of the masses has greater authority than merely being legally compliant – this is it.

BT helped to develop Phorm and the system adheres to the UK DPA (if not the EU), consulted with the Home Office to ensure their position but screwed up by breaking the social norms in place by the community at large.

But BT did what any commercial entity would have done and ditched the system (irrespective of it’s worth or value) when it was apparent that their ability to retain Customers was severely hampered as trust had broken down.

In a world so acutely (albeit not always accurately) sensitised to security and privacy issues it never ceases to amaze me that companies believe that just because legally they can do something means they should.

Marketing or Advertising?

Which ever camp one sits in one has to agree it is genius.