In an age of NSA scandals, cyber crime and data misuse, the future of the ‘connected home’ will be dependent on trust between brands and consumers, according to leading media and digital experts.
Speaking at MediaTel’s CES Debrief on Tuesday, Freesat’s managing director, Emma Scott, and Starcom MediaVest’s digital lead, Stewart Easterbrook, warned that if brands want to expand into the household – utilising the data derived from an increasing array of everyday devices connected to the internet – they must not “over-step the mark” or “trap” consumers.
This year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saw some striking innovations in the connected market, from toothbrushes that tell you – via your phone – how well you’re brushing, to a ‘Mother‘ device that keeps tabs on the home, and Scott and Easterbrook were invited to discuss the challenges the technological advancements would have on the media industry.
“The so-called ‘Internet of Things'” Easterbrook told Newsline, “will throw off vast amounts of data and for people who are smart at communicating it will give us a much better understanding of customer and consumer motivations and behaviours – but it will be done increasingly on the consumers’ own terms.”
It is therefore crucial, both Easterbrook and Scott argue, that trust, transparency and responsibility must become an essential part of a world in which we are surrounded by devices collecting data on us.
“We’re always going to let brands into our homes because there are always going to be brands that we trust,” Scott said. “But it’s the extent to which we allow brands to go that bit further and really try to get a bit deeper into our lives.”
It was widely reported that more than 750,000 spam emails were sent from more than 100,000 household gadgets over the Christmas period – including at least one refrigerator which was used to launch spam messages – making it clear to consumers that everyday items can be prone to misuse.
The concern, Scott said, is that if we can use the Internet of Things to acquire data about consumer habits – and that same data for more sophisticated advertising in future – then brands must exercise great care.
Easterbrook also said the practical challenges for advertisers were important to spot early on.
“For advertisers, the challenge is that you can’t be everywhere; you can’t be all things to all people and you’ll need to prioritise different types of device and screen – and have a more flexible approach to the creation of content.
“However, a much deeper, richer understanding of the context in which you reach consumers will have a profound effect on advertisers”
