Natasha Hritzuk,
Vice President of Consumer Innovation Research at Turner has deep roots in
market research, analyzing consumer motivations and attitudes. Her work experience
includes stints at research vendors before moving over to the brand side at General
Mills U.K. and later at Microsoft.
Now at Turner, Hritzuk’s research work began
in support of Ignite and recently expanded to include, as she explained, “more
of a pure consumer insights role that sits across the business,” with the
intent to “bring a consumer perspective to the media industry.”
Hritzuk recently
completed a study that focuses on building a consumer culture of data sharing
by delivering explicit benefits around improved content and ad experiences. She
will be presenting her findings at the ARF CONSUMERxSCIENCE
Conference in New York on Wednesday, March 28. I sat down with Hritzuk to dive
into the findings:
Charlene Weisler: What did you
want to accomplish from this study?
Natasha Hritzuk: Initially, I came at this research
from a very philosophical perspective. Data is currently thought of in the
broader corporate sector as a corporate asset rather than a consumer asset. As
someone representing the voice of the consumer, this is overtly one-sided.
Certainly
corporations can derive benefits from data, but it’s actually a consumer asset.
As individuals, we produce data footprints that companies need, acquire and use,
but often without our explicit consent or without clear articulated benefits. I
believe at some point there is going to be a correction or re-balancing, where
consumers come to the realization that companies are selling and making money from
their data, and they’re not entirely clear on what they’re receiving in return.
I think data will become recognized more
as a currency, which means that we as media companies need to be very clear
about what our policies are around data acquisition. We also need to be clear
and transparent about what we are explicitly providing back to consumers in
exchange for their data.
Weisler: How close do you think
we are to that consumer tipping point?
Hritzuk: I think we are still in a
position where consumers are aware, but complacent. With the way information is
spread today through social media and other consumer driven platforms, we may
witness something in the world of consumer data similar to the activism we
recently experienced around gun control. Instead of assuming that the status
quo will be complacency, my recommendation is that it’s better to be on the
forefront of developing transparent, consumer centric data policies rather than
being reactive when and if there is some sort of backlash.
Weisler: What were the major
takeaways of the study and were there any surprises?
Hritzuk: What was particularly
surprising to me is how willing people are to share most data that is vital to
the media industry. In fact, consumers
are willing to share roughly 17 of the 23 different data types we listed. This includes data around show and genre
preference, what is watched and when, and even mood. The data consumers are more reticent to share
is generally more sensitive and personal – fingerprints, financial information,
calendars and appointments, facial scans.
Why are
people so willing to share most data types? A lot of it is because of habituation. The
more consumers regularly share data, and at least implicitly see a benefit, the
more willing they are to share in the future. Years ago, we might have been worried
about typing our credit card information into a digital retail site. Today, we
do it without a question. Why? Because the benefit is that sharing this data streamlines
the purchase process. There is an implicit benefit, so we now share without
thinking. Sharing your location used to be really touchy territory. Now we share
fairly regularly and reflexively because companies like Uber have habituated
us. I need to share my location so a
driver can reach me; the benefit of providing location data to Uber is clear.
But are we
really comfortable with a long term view that consumers will remain passive and
complacent about data sharing? It just
doesn’t jibe with the current culture of consumer awareness and activism –
particularly with younger generations. We need to shift from habituating to empowering
consumers to share their data with a clear understanding of the benefits they’re
receiving in return. By being transparent with consumers that the data they are
providing delivers a very clear set of benefits that are valued, both companies
and consumers win.
Weisler: We might be unwittingly sharing
data like loyalty cards where all of sudden it is being sold somewhere else.
Hritzuk: That is definitely part of this
broader consumer/data discussion. The evolution of data sharing is fascinating.
For a long time, many people weren’t aware that data was an active currency in
the corporate world. Now they are certainly aware of it.
Consumers are
even more acutely aware of their data being used when the outcome is a negative
experience. Consumers regularly complain about irrelevant recommendations or
“ads that stalk you.” In these instances – which are far too common – consumers
know that their search and purchase data has been tracked, but what they get
back is irrelevant or, even worse, irritating. For example, say I bought a pair of shoes, and
I continue to see a targeted ad for those shoes over the next six months. Consumers increasingly view these experiences
as a misuse of data – about as far away from a benefit as you can get.
This is an opportunity
for media companies to be more proactive about asking consumers to share data and
deliver an explicit, valued benefit as a result. Only a conscious effort to provide explicit
and meaningful benefits in exchange for data will lead to a true data sharing
economy. And, in many cases, the benefits consumers value are organic to what
media companies are already offering: content on demand, recommendations,
content playlists. So, we’re moving into
low hanging fruit territory in terms of what companies need to do to live up to
their end of the bargain.
Weisler: Looking forward, what do
you see as the most critical data issues three years from now?
Hritzuk: Companies need to reflect on
their philosophy regarding data transparency and the relationship they want to
cultivate with consumers and data. Trust and transparency are important as a
proactive measure. Opt-in terms and conditions written in language that is
consumer friendly is a basic starting point. Making clear what the terms and
conditions are – why data is needed and what benefits will be accruing back to
the consumer is also key. And communication back to the consumer celebrating how
data has improved consumer products and services is basic, but incredibly
meaningful. You provided us with ‘X,’ so we could give you ‘Y.’ If we as media
companies can provide a better consumer product because of the data that
consumers share, everybody benefits.
This article first appeared in www.MediaVIllage.com
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