1984-1964-1949

The "1984" commercial by Apple is regarded as one of the best ads ever. It was based on the 1949 novel by George Orwell about a society where all individuals are surveilled by the "Big Brother" aka the government. Apple is the protagonist that uses technology for freedom and not control.

With advancements and emphasis on technology, data, internet of things, social listening, etc, my sense is we're moving closer to 1984. That's really why data privacy is such a big deal today and we should be concerned.

Even as look back to 1984, we can also visit 1964. In 1964, Vance Packard wrote "Naked Society", not so much a work of fiction but rather a serious work that raises the questions on how we should retain our personal freedom through the privacy of our data. It is an amazing read, written with such foresight and only guided by the tech of the day, which were hidden microphones and concealed recorders.

Personal Data protection is a really serious topic and we as Marketers need to be very clear and know how to comply. It should not be an either you "opt-in-for-all-or-nothing-at-all" approach, which is really a lousy and easy way out. A simple example is for the Marketer to give choices to customers on how they want to be contacted (emails only, calls only,ect), the frequency of contact, the type of contact (offers from partners, annoucement relating to account, etc).

Easier said than done and definitely do unto other what you want others do to you.

1984 Apple TVC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I