Read the following article: Ads you watch in mall may be watching you
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/mailstory-clickthru/278244.php
Post your answers by Wednesday, February 18th at 12pm (noon).
1. Does this new advertising technology cross an ethical line or is this simply one more tool in the advertier's toolkit to better reach its target audience?
2. What ethical issues do you foresee with this technology?
3. Should it be disclosed to consumers that they are being watched, studied and categorized while watching a commercial? Why or why not?
1. This advertising innovation is a highly effective way to show the right ad to the right person. Ads are thrown at us all day anyway, why not have them change accordingly. Advertisers and researchers are constantly studying, assessing,and analyzing people and their buying behaviors as well. This may seem eerily futuristic but less invasive than the current internet practices that occur on gathering information on people.
ReplyDelete2. I can see ethical issues arising among people who feel discomfort with being "scanned". However, this is less information than a surveillance camera would provide. People may feel it is a breech of privacy because the machine will guess specifics on their demographics and advertise directly to them.
ReplyDelete3. I do think that this information should be disclosed to the consumer. people have a right to know all surveillance in a store. The same as when a sign is posted telling entering consumers that surveillance cameras are in the store to deter shop lifting.
ReplyDeleteI also think public education on the new technology is highly important in order to ease some of the automatic feelings of offense that may occur. people should know that the information is not stored and is simply there to show them a more appealing ad.
1. This new and developing advertising technology is a big contribution to the advertising world! I do not consider it unethical because it is just another way of gathering information. I see it as a technological display and reaction to people and what they do. Just like a person that people watch, if we could analysis them just like a camera and computer could, we would be able to do it manually in how we advertised on the big screen.
ReplyDelete2. The issues of privacy as well as "labeling" will arise. Just because a person's appearance fits into a category of genre does not mean that type of person is actually going to respond positively to what is shown. It will be based off of assuming and that just leads to stereotypical labeling.
3. It is the rights of the consumer to know they are being taking "advantage" of and being used as method of triggering ads and advertisements. It'll give the person a better understanding of why they ironically get targeted by ads that supposedly they fit into the category. the tension of "big brother" will be loosen and it will be more so a heads up to the people versus being constantly bombared and being made into an experiment than being treated as a person. however, even if a person was told in the beginning or end of the ad that they were part of the experience, i do not think they would have a choice in whether the camera's eye and technological analysis will select them or not.