CAN I HAVE SOME PRIVACY PLEASE?

How does it make you feel knowing that there might be someone monitoring or even stalking you…

Privacy is something that every individual wants, but sometimes without knowing. It is something we can not have. Having an online presence isn’t always as safe as we think it is.

So what is ‘privacy‘…? There is no single or conclusive definition of privacy. It can mean different things to different people, and individuals will experience privacy in varied ways.

When signing up, purchasing items or marketing yourself online, your personal information is required to proceed. Meaning, when signing up for Facebook for example, your personal details are needed in order for you to join their page. Furthermore, when purchasing a product online, your card details and your home address is required. All this personal information is entering the Internet of Things. When using your personal information to sign up or purchase an item, do you think before you give out your details? If not… I believe you should.

Have you ever seen this before, when going on a website?

Cookies? What is it? If I had to be honest, I had no clue what cookies were until now. I’ve always encountered this banner saying “This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience.” I always pressed accept not knowing what it meant until now. They store files typically containing information about your visit to the web page, as well as any information you’ve volunteered, such as your name and interests.

So, what are the pros and cons? When shopping online most people tend to put items in their cart but do not purchase. Cookies save what you have purchases to the shopping cart making it easier for buyers by saving consumers time by finding items again. However, every pro has a con. Cookies can be used for tracking. They have personal information that is stored about you that you may not want them to have. This may feel as if your personal privacy is being invaded. Therefore, if you don’t want to have your own information private, disable cookies IMMEDIATELY!

Luckily, in Victoria, a right to privacy is included in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006. There are a lot of people out there who don’t acknowledge that they are leaking their own personal information out there. Below I have provided a diagram, that illustrates the comfort levels of individuals when it comes to search engines and social media sites.

As you can see, those that are very comfortable having search engines and net working sites tracking YOU, is very minimal. Compared to that who are very uncomfortable are quite high. So, this leaves me to question you. Do you think websites should stop monitoring and tracking for our own personal privacy? Or should they continue to keep our information for our convenience when logging in or purchasing?

IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS BENEFICIAL TO OUR LIVES?

The internet, the place to be… another world where you meet people, store information, shop and discover new things. The internet is the smartest, most knowledgeable program that has ever been built. The Internet of things is a growing topic in our society. So what really is IoT?

Ashton told ZDNet , “The IoT integrates the interconnectedness of human culture — our ‘things’ — with the interconnectedness of our digital information system — ‘the internet.’ That’s the IoT.” To simplify the meaning of IoT, it encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define objects that “talk” to each other. The objects are known as devices and can be identified as a something so innocent like a child’s doll to something as extreme as an aeroplane.

The driving forces behind IoT includes the rapid fall in cost of sensors and actuators. According to Goldman Sachs and BI Intelligence Estimates, between 2004 and 2014, the average cost of IoT sensors dropped by more than half, from $1.30 to $0.60. And prices are expected to shrink another 37 percent to $0.38 by 2020.

Due to the drop in costs, businesses are starting to lean towards IoT in consumer products. It has optimised and improved the quality of life and the business world with the use of sensors and actuators.

Although, IoT benefits businesses and our everyday life, it does however impact our lives in a negative way as well. Privacy is something that every single individual needs. Whether it is our own personal space or just ensuring that our personal information is kept private is what our personal sense require. While purchasing IoT products, consumers don’t realise that their privacy and personal information is being stored in the Big Data.

How crazy is it? While we are using our devices we are entering the IoT. We don’t realise that there are cyber criminals out there hacking into our systems, such as our Wi-Fi or even our social media accounts. Funnily not too long ago, I got a notification of someone from another country trying to hack into my account… Scary right? Immediately I felt vulnerable and afraid. You really never know who’s out there to hack into your system or your account!

Therefore, it is critical for marketers to ensure that they have a secure security system. This allows consumers to feel a sense of assurance and security when going forward with a business. Anything can be hacked these days, especially with cyber criminals out there. Therefore hiring someone from IT that provides a secure system is crucial!

This makes me come to the end out this discussion and i’m going to leave you with one question, how does IoT make you feel now, knowing that your personal information is stored in the Internet World?

DIVING INTO MOBILE MARKETING

It is just as simple as a touch of a button

WHAT IS MOBILE MARKETING!?!

The term mobile marketing speaks for itself already. In short, mobile marketing is a way to reach customers by utilising multiple platforms and channels to promote goods and services through their devices. As 51% of the internet time is used via mobile, what better way to communicate and engage your audience by showcasing your brand and products through mobile applications.

From 2008 to 2015 internet usage on mobile devices has risen 2.5% and will continue to rise.

So, what makes mobile marketing different? According to Kaplan (2012), mobile marketing is a personal and interactive technology that caters for individuals as it is time relevant and location independent. In today’s high technology society, mobile devices are seen as a must! It is a source of communication, entertainment and a guide for individuals. It is so mind blowing knowing that there are around 67% of the population that owns a mobile phone! However, it doesn’t stop there, it is presumed that this percentage is going to continuously penetrate due to the high popularity of mobiles. It is honestly so rare to see someone not having this technology in their pockets, bags and especially in their hands!

The global market is constantly evolving, therefore businesses are to keep up to date with the current and future trends. As mobile marketing has become so popular, opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch and build their brand is constantly available. Some mobile marketing methods marketers should recognise to assist in creating avenues are:

Apps
Mobile advertising
QR codes
Location based marketing

There are around 52% of users that access web content while using mobile apps and this percentage is continuously increasing. Applications are one of the best ways for businesses to gain brand visibility that allows their target consumers to have access to it with just a click of a button.

One of the best things about mobile apps is that it gives businesses the opportunity to display their advertisements on them. You may have seen banner advertisements, or advertisements before watching a video. Let me ask you a question… have you ever been on a website and after some time you see advertisements for that brand constantly pop up? I’m almost certain this has happened with or without you realising, but this is a form of a pop-up advertising that brands communicate to their audience.

QR codes known as quick response codes are becoming a rising form of mobile marketing. You may have seen these unique codes appear on apps, billboards or products. These codes contains a URL that can transport you to a website or to a special offer.

Finally, location based marketing basically speaks for itself. It is a form of marketing that reachers and connects to consumers based on their location. It triggers notifications to target markets that determined through GPS location on the mobile device.

As “Mobile is happening faster than all of our internal predictions.” Eric Schmidt (2011), businesses should incorporate this marketing strategy to build their brand name and use this as a form of communication to their audience. Therefore, mobile marketing is crucial to all business as brand can be accessed through the touch of a finger.

ESCAPING REALITY?!

Who would have ever thought that being in two places at once is possible? As you turn on your phone and log into Facebook, Instagram or even Twitter, immediately you have entered a whole new world, the cyber world. Utilising these applications, we can enter the cyber-world anytime, anywhere- whether we are on the train, in the car, or even on the toilet, with a touch of a button you can escape reality. You’re not alone though. The social media world has captivated modern society as there 3.196 billion individual users within it. It has allowed individuals to market themselves, socialise with people and provide content for entertainment and knowledge. Consumers are able to feel as if they connect with other consumers, as well as marketers through a providing reviews or a even simple ratings of the product. This provides a more intimate experience between customer as they are able to share their own experiences of the product with each other- one of which is not prominent in real life.

Some say that we are going through a digital era. Social media has been the best possible way to market any business and help individuals gain knowledge about information around the world. An example would be the recent, devastating Christchurch shooting. I personally do not watch TV, so the best way for me to keep up to date with current news is through social media. Many businesses are now advertising and promoting through any possible online service that will provide them the most reach to their target market. One dominant platform is Facebook. Facebook is a social media platform that has 1.44 billion monthly active users, it is a place where even news platforms, such as 7news are advertising themselves. Rather than just reporting the news on TV, they have shifted their media towards Facebook. As you can see in the above image, viewers are even able to see a live news report, as well as just reading a news article. Facebook is revolutionising, it almost gives that vibe of google. You may think how? When I search ‘7 News Melbourne’ on the search bar, it immediately takes me to the page of all the recent news that have occurred. It’s mind blowing isn’t it? How Facebook keeps innovating and creating new ways to access intriguing information. Facebook is only one of many social media platforms. The cyber world is so big that there is so much more out there to explore.

Facebook has now also allowed individuals to express how they feel about a post through a reaction tab showing whether they are angry, sad, happy etc. Facebook has created such a platform where consumer behaviour can be tracked and examined.

Now, as you switch off your device, close all your social media applications, you are now back to reality. The cyber world that you have left still remains, it will always be there for your escape.

THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are all well-known social media platforms that have changed communication to a whole new level. It has enabled individuals to connect, build and voice themselves through the internet. Social media is a platform where people come together, interact and share information with each other, which is readily available 24/7 and can be accessed to all. It is also a place where individuals and businesses are able to market themselves online. From communicating to shopping and finding information, the internet has become a convenience to our lives. Whether it is trying to send a message across, receiving information or even just communicating and building your own profile. The internet has provided a way for marketers to access their followers in the cyber world, which is phenomenal. Social publishing is another form of digital marketing which includes different vehicles to present content and information.

‘Mecca,’ a beauty store that is well known to men and women across Australia and New Zealand has used this strategy to market their brand. The way that Mecca does this is through publishing their content through a wide range of platforms. As I have noticed, they use social media influencers that many young teens and adults follow on YouTube and Instagram to promote their brand as well as their products. They also hold events for workers as well as the influences to attend, which continues to expand their audience as each individual will be posting on their own social media which starts to draw more attention to their brand.

Social Media influences have recently played a major role in marketing in the cyber world. Having an individual with a high social media following platform can target men and women from across the globe. Without these influences, businesses may not have reached their level of success that they have today. An example of this would be, Tammy Hembrow, who was an ordinary individual that has now blown up through instagram that influences young women into fitness and health. She has started her own activewear business ‘Saski’ and is also advertising for many other brands on the side. As women’s best has endorsed Tammy Hembrow as their influencer, their business sky rocketed since due to her actively promoting their product on her channels. Through her role as an active influencer, she has inspired many individuals whilst creating brand awareness and generating exposure to her audience.

Social media is a great way to increase the number of followers and draw in the audience to maximise businesses in a positive way. As influencers, they are have the access of a number of individuals to talk about products as well as the company, to give their target audience their opinion on what is good and what is not. Therefore, social media influences in the cyber world, is an important aspect for brand recognition and awareness.