I saw a truly shocking commercial the other day. It’s IBM’snew commercial for Whirlpool.
Specifically, it was an ad for Whirlpool’s new line of dishwashing machines.
I know, that doesn’t sound like shocking content. But in the
commercial, IBM puts front-and-center the fact that they included a ton of
digital monitors in their new dishwashing machines. These digital monitors,
they say, will track everything about how you use them. A common household
appliance is now a 200-pound tracking device only feet from your bedroom.
The commercial goes on to say how IBM is committed to
collecting all of the data possible from users to continually improve the
products they provide – or as they say, “Harnessing data to make great products
better”.
That sounds fine. And they made it clear that the data they
collect is about use – there are no hidden cameras and no microphones tapping
your conversations.
So why does this sound innovative and acceptable to have in
your home? Because IBM is being upfront. Facebook, whatever GPS system you use,
your internet browsers – they all do the same exact thing. But the major
difference here is that they aren’t upfront about it. They bury data collection
and privacy policy details in their lengthy legal agreements that they know
nobody ever reads.
And this is where IBM is ahead of everyone else in the game
right now. Rapid innovation requires the detailed collection of pertinent data.
But when companies don’t disclose the nature of the data they’re collecting,
the imagination runs wild. IBM got ahead of that knee-jerk reaction with the
novel marketing strategy of honesty. And that’s a strategy everyone should
replicate.
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