OMMA Behavioral Take 2: What is in it for the customer

Last time I wrote about my journey to the OMMA Behavioral conference in San Francisco and something that was M.I.A. – a discussion by vendors of BT's ROI. This time I take on something that was only mentioned in passing and something that happened to my car in the parking garage.

Something that was mentioned in passing

There was a legal point/counterpoint on the privacy and legal implications of Behavioral Targeting (BT). Each side expressed very strong opinions. Too little attention was paid to the fact that BT does not need to be a scary, black box to visitors of websites.

In the tech industry we love the next big thing; it is exciting, gives us jobs, and potentially makes us a lot of money. Most website visitors are not as inherently excited by the next big deal to come along, especially if it feels like an invasion of their privacy.

However, most people who go to websites want a convenient experience. They want relevant content and products. People, in general, want to have their lives made easier.

Companies pushing BT products and companies with websites using BT need to start educating the public on the win/win aspect of BT. Companies need to:

* Explain more clearly to the general public why using BT is in their self-interest

* Demystify and put BT technology in perspective by comparing it to what is known about the consumer in the offline world

* Explain clearly, concisely and truthfully what in the world BT is so that it isn’t a black box and imagined as being worse than it is

* Make sure that all their interactions with customers are such that most customers feels that they can trust the company

Something that happened to my car

Right along with buy low, sell high, I now hold as a truth – be careful when you park in the Union Square Garage. If you like shopping to replace items that were stolen, then park there without a concern in the world. If, on the other hand, you want to do something else with your time, take everything you can with you or have someone guard your car.

M.I.A. at the OMMA Behavioral conference

I went last week to the OMMA Behavioral conference in San Francisco. The conference was memorable primarily for three things: something vendors didn’t address, something that was only mentioned in passing, and something that happened to my car in the parking garage.

Something vendors didn’t address – ROI M.I.A.

The topic of the ROI of BT was conspicuously missing in action during vendor’s on stage conversations. Most potential corporate customers do not share the tech industries inherent love for the next big thing, especially if the next big thing is expensive, time consuming, hard to use, or simply not one of the things that wake them up at three in the morning. There is a lot of inbred enthusiasm at conferences about the wonders of what we are doing. After all, we are wonderful, so what we are doing must be wonderful! Case closed. Why doesn’t the rest of the world just get it?

Well, one of the main reasons they don’t “get it” or “buy it” is tech companies do a lousy job demonstrating an ROI and focusing on ROI. By not presenting the ROI the customer will receive, BT companies allow price to become more important than ROI. The lack of ROI, complete with specific case study examples, increases the odds that new technology will be placed in the “nice to have/maybe someday when we get around to it after we put out all our never ending fires” category.

Next time: Something that was only mentioned in passing, and something that happened to my car in the parking garage