I wanted to comment on a relevant marketing story from today’s Wall Street Journal:
Procter & Gamble helped develop a technique being tested in China to sidestep Apple’s new privacy features. P&G joined forces with Chinese trade groups and tech firms working with the state-backed China Advertising Association to develop technology that can track users for purposes of targeting ads in a way that Apple is seeking to prevent. The technology, called device fingerprinting, runs afoul of Apple’s rules, and Apple has said it would ban any app that violates its policies.
Let’s step back for a moment.
Why are Apple and Google taking steps to protect consumer privacy and hurt the advertisers who pay for most of the internet?
Because that’s what consumers want them to do.
As I document in the Marketing Rebellion book, every time companies irritate and annoy consumers, they eventually lose. The consumers rebel … and they win. In the long-term, P&G is holding a losing hand.
Essentially, P&G is saying: “We hear you loud and clear. You don’t want our ads. We’re going to show them to you anyway. And oh yes, we’re working with offshore companies to do it.”
The world’s second-largest consumer product company in the world is ignoring consumers. Clearly, that is not going to work out.
I can certainly sympathize with the millions of businesses that depend on cookie-based digital ads. But we need to be preparing for what IS, not what we would wish the world to be.
Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of several best-selling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.
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