This blog post will discuss the concept of personalisation in a mobile digital marketing format through the analysis of Tiffany & Co’s ring mobile application; with aid of literature I will also analyse how consumers could be concerned about privacy issues within this concept and how businesses could address this.

What is personalised marketing?

Personalised marketing is method created through the medium of information databases that are used to send appropriate information relating to a consumer users present activities, past preferences and future plans (Gratton, 2002).

Industry example of personalised marketing

Tiffany and Co ring finder application

Tiffany and Co a luxury jewellery store has brought out a mobile application, giving its customers the opportunity to virtually experience the brands exquisite diamond engagement ring collections.The applications ring finder feature directly give the consumers the chance to select the perfect ring for a romantic proposal. The company decided to create this application in an attempt to respond to growing interest for convenient online mobile shopping, The companies Ringer Finder product provides its consumers with an interactive shopping experience, that allows the customer to accurately size its chosen finger through the company latest mobile technology and is the first tool of its kind within the jewellery industry (Tiffany, 2010).

The ring sizer feature on the app also allows the customer to browse the companies products according to shape, setting, metal or design, with true size examples. The application gives the consumer the options to zoom in to analyse the products detailing, giving the visual impression of an in-store experience. The company has paired its application to its social media platforms allowing the consumer to share their favourite collection via email, Facebook and Twitter (Tiffany, 2010)

The application also gives the consumer the chance to make in-store consultation appointments via phone or email and is available in the U.S, UK, Australia, Japan and China; This digital marketing strategy could be considered to be technological innovation within the online shopping experience, having a product the shows its true and exact nature, is an issue that most consumers take into consider when buying online as most brands often disclose that some items may be appear different due to lighting and camera quality. The concept creates the impress of assured quality and trust that not only gives the consumer to opportunity to virtually experience the brands produce but also come in-store to confirm it (Tiffany, 2010).

The aim of this application was to increase sales from a consumer generated content medium that allowed consumers to share and pick their favourite jewelry from the companies collection; this was achieved with a 20% increase in sales after the application launch (Sommerfeld, 2014).

Being the first of its kind and having the success that this product has had, I personally have no in depth critical opinions against this product; expect to say that having a product presented in such an openly accessible format, could open the door for product plagiarism. An article entitled How to Watch for Plagiarism of Your Web Marketing Material, provides information on how to avoid content plagiarism and the advice could be transferred to Tiffany and Co’s mobile app (Arnold, 2015).

Privacy concerns with personalised marketing, how can business address this?

The concerns:
An article entitled Privacy Issues in Mobile Advertising, states the innovative methods currently used to collect consumer data can only effectively be received if business address public privacy concerns when creating mobile advertising campaigns (Cleff, 2007). The concept of a personalised service could be considered a beneficial method of marketing practise for businesses and customers. The level of tolerance towards unsolicited communication differs based on information pertaining to services or products of interest as opposed to services of little interest or personal relevance (Ross,2003). However, the use of this method could be considered intrusive if the content is presented in an unanticipated manner e.g. spamming to the consumers/user (Gratton, 2002); based on this factor providing privacy could be considered a complex execution. Despite the benefits of personalised marketing without adequate privacy protection businesses face scrutiny from the constant surveillance of consumer behaviour.

The potential solution:
Permission based advertising could be used to address the issues associated with personalised content in marketing; this method establishes a legal foundation to control the use and surveillance of personal data and is created through the use of consumer consent, a method that discloses the terms and conditions on how personal information may be processed for use.
In conclusion the practice of personalised marketing is an innovative and creative tool, that could be used to directly meet the needs of the consumers on an intimate and relevant level but despite this the findings within this blog despite the benefits received from this concept it is always strategically smart to assume that not all consumers share the same level of openness towards concepts that abuse the accessibility of personal data.(Cleff, 2007).

Reference:
Cleff, Evelyne Beatrix. (2007). Privacy Issues in Mobile Advertising. International review of law, computers & technology. 22 (3), 225.

D Petty Ross ‘Wireless advertising messaging: legal analysis and public policy issues’, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing Vol 22, No 1, pp 71–82, 2003.

Gratton, L., and Ghoshal, S. (2002) “Improving the Quality of Conversations” Organizational Dynamics, Winter 2002, 31/3: 209-223

John Arnold, Michael Becker, Marty Dickinson, Ian Lurie, and Elizabeth Marsten. (2015). How to Watch for Plagiarism of Your Web Marketing Material. Available: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-watch-for-plagiarism-of-your-web-marketing-.html. Last accessed 19/04/2015.

Karen Sommerfeld . (2014). Tiffany & Co.: A Digital Marketing Gem. Available: http://www.paceco.com/tiffany-co-digital-marketing-gem/. Last accessed 19/04.

Tiffany. (2010). Tiffany and Co. Launches Iphone app for engagement rings. Available: http://press.tiffany.com/News/NewsItem.aspx?ID=93. Last accessed 19/04/2015.