No shock there and what a brilliant move by one of the world’s most sophisticated and craftiest marketers. Simultaneous with delivering what will no doubt be a radically improved consumer experience, they will pull off what’s also best for Google and industry. They’ve carefully drawn the line between PII (personally identifiable information), which naturally and correctly creates all of the pundit angst, and anonymous PII which commercial enterprise has successfully dumbed down to a simple, pain-free, four-letter word: data. This is “Synergy” at the highest order, where three constituencies all benefit from ubiquity without inflicting long-lasting damage.
Short-term suffering is always part of a more frictionless society but, over and over again, consumers have voted with their fingers and wallets. The anti-piracy pressure applied two weeks ago was a much more stunning victory than Romney beating Gingrich in Florida. But, the story is long gone. Despite the power of digital marketing for commercial entities to make good on threats by shutting down their websites, people proved they care more about convenience and efficiency than a just price for easy access to what copyright laws portend to protect. Facebook’s $80-$100B IPO valuation will be another affirmation that the privacy train left the station a long time ago.
The NPD Group says that teen spending is up 6-8% over last year. And, they’re buying what’s typical: fashion, lifestyle, electronics. I want to believe it, but I still don’t like what I’m seeing, reading and hearing about Back-to-School and the Fall 2010 retail season. Although the Discount/Variety store sector continues to have busy stores and monthly positive trends, there is much hand-wringing in the specialty and department stores.
Finally, amid the fierce competition in direct marketing, those who create and tell the stories — the imaginative creative voices — are gaining back their seat at the solution table. And, they should. Media, marketing, technology. None of it will spark interest if consumers are not first engaged, then captivated. It’s the work of the designers, the writers, the artists, that capture that moment.