Scott Monty

Customer Loyalty: You Had One Job

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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QK0UYADlX8A/Wy8Y2r9tQKI/AAAAAAAA9Nk/o98lYXzhijMFWCkEkwHI1tNlW5AncQJygCLcBGAs/s1600/You%2Bhad%2Bone%2Bjob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QK0UYADlX8A/Wy8Y2r9tQKI/AAAAAAAA9Nk/o98lYXzhijMFWCkEkwHI1tNlW5AncQJygCLcBGAs/s640/You%2Bhad%2Bone%2Bjob.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's typically one thing we're looking for from the companies with which we do business.<br />
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Make life easier for me.<br />
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Now, "easier" may mean a number of things, but typically it comes down to one or two: make it more convenient for me or make it less expensive for me.<br />
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And these days, we've seen the accent on convenience. But when there are <a href="https://www.l2inc.com/daily-insights/mcdonalds-app-mishap">slip-ups in the experience</a> that make it less convenient, we're more likely to abandon the brand or app.<br />
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Companies that are <a href="http://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2018/4/9/dominos-cdo-right-internal-structure-to-be-digital-innovator.html">built for innovation</a> and customer experience know how to make people want to come back again and again — even if it's more expensive.<br />
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If a customer makes the effort to hand over their valuable time to you, don't make it hard for them to get your product and give you their money.<br />
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It really is that simple.<br />
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Customer Loyalty: You Had One Job

There's typically one thing we're looking for from the companies with which we do business. Make life easier for me. Now, &qu...

Membership Has Its Privileges

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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_uIS0IgFh5M/WygeHfC49NI/AAAAAAAA9Iw/T5e83TMtyFcv_k8I4ZhMo2AJG0gNHP4UQCLcBGAs/s1600/Hitchcock%2Bbass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1476" height="468" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_uIS0IgFh5M/WygeHfC49NI/AAAAAAAA9Iw/T5e83TMtyFcv_k8I4ZhMo2AJG0gNHP4UQCLcBGAs/s640/Hitchcock%2Bbass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You may not remember this, but back in the 'Nineties, the slogan of American Express was "membership has its privileges." It meant that if you paid the annual fee to have an Amex card, there were benefits to be had.<br />
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Well, I don't have a membership tier on this site (although I'd encourage you to support my newsletter <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/" target="_blank">Timeless & Timely</a>). But if you're a regular subscriber or reader, there are benefits.<br />
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The first is that we get to know each other a little more. That's not exactly fair – I should say that <i>you</i> get to know <i>me</i> a little more; I can't say I know much about you unless you reach out to me. Which you're always welcome to do.<br />
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But the other thing is that if you're a regular reader, you notice patterns. For instance, over the last five posts, each one contained a painting by Thomas Cole. Check them out on the <a href="http://scottmonty.com/">home page</a> again. There, on <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2018/05/in-shift-from-channel-to-customer.html">May 14</a>, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2018/05/oh-humanity.html">May 17</a>, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2018/05/with-great-power-comes-great.html">May 29</a>, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2018/06/the-fault-is-in-ourselves.html">June 5</a>, and <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2018/06/our-terms-of-service-have-not-changed.html">June 12</a> you'll see them.<br />
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They aren't just any random paintings by Cole. These were the five-part series <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Course_of_Empire_(paintings)">The Course of Empire</a></i>. According to Wikipedia,<br />
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"It is notable in part for reflecting popular American sentiments of the times, when many saw pastoralism as the ideal phase of human civilization, fearing that empire would lead to gluttony and inevitable decay."</blockquote>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BnxMXu1owCw/WygfpBa3QmI/AAAAAAAA9JE/drEnt2ivpNAfrV6LdNeZcHA792Xsc8r3QCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B1%2B-%2BThe_Savage_State_1836.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1600" height="124" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BnxMXu1owCw/WygfpBa3QmI/AAAAAAAA9JE/drEnt2ivpNAfrV6LdNeZcHA792Xsc8r3QCLcBGAs/s200/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B1%2B-%2BThe_Savage_State_1836.jpg" width="200" /></a>  <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbm05pxAgDE/WygfpA8OJrI/AAAAAAAA9I8/7KSDHE9mZTgNjb4pqGjhx2MUBvBR_0qRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B2%2B-%2BThe_Arcadian_or_Pastoral_State_1836.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1200" height="124" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbm05pxAgDE/WygfpA8OJrI/AAAAAAAA9I8/7KSDHE9mZTgNjb4pqGjhx2MUBvBR_0qRQCLcBGAs/s200/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B2%2B-%2BThe_Arcadian_or_Pastoral_State_1836.jpg" width="200" /></a>  </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5kgKIUI0OCM/WygfpLhRH3I/AAAAAAAA9JA/ByabNgTZXFYR9qBHYekYZeUWbNly-0VqwCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B3%2B-%2BThe%2BConsummation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1200" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5kgKIUI0OCM/WygfpLhRH3I/AAAAAAAA9JA/ByabNgTZXFYR9qBHYekYZeUWbNly-0VqwCLcBGAs/s200/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B3%2B-%2BThe%2BConsummation.jpg" width="200" /></a>  <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8_8jsSRW4c/Wygfpz816iI/AAAAAAAA9JI/Z3kt5_ugMaQGBjdVJdrQ-J-JCgZMJ6MigCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B4%2B-%2BDestruction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1200" height="123" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8_8jsSRW4c/Wygfpz816iI/AAAAAAAA9JI/Z3kt5_ugMaQGBjdVJdrQ-J-JCgZMJ6MigCLcBGAs/s200/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B4%2B-%2BDestruction.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l2rN9Jkdl3Q/Wygfp6FwZiI/AAAAAAAA9JM/Jslz9OctuwkAXhaKXHIuaHuwvCm8xa_6QCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B5%2B-%2BDesolation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1200" height="124" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l2rN9Jkdl3Q/Wygfp6FwZiI/AAAAAAAA9JM/Jslz9OctuwkAXhaKXHIuaHuwvCm8xa_6QCLcBGAs/s200/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B5%2B-%2BDesolation.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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And so my intent was to use each of these phases in Cole's series (<i>The Savage State</i>,<i> The Arcadian or Pastoral State</i>,<i> The Consummation of Empire</i>,<i> Destruction</i>, and<i> Desolation</i>) as a look at how we've evolved technologically in the last couple of decades, and how we need to reflect on the direction we're going. That we need just as much attention on the human and sociological impact of our decisions as we do on the technical.<br />
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Were you among the few who picked up on the subtlety in each image selection? Or on the overall series?<br />
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It's a subtle nod to Alfred Hitchcock, who famously made <a href="https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Vertigo_(1958)_-_Hitchcock%27s_cameo">cameo appearances</a> in nearly every movie he directed. It took him six years and three films to pull off his cleverest gag: in <i>Spellbound </i>(1945) , he was seen carrying a <a href="https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Spellbound_(1945)_-_Hitchcock%27s_cameo">violin case</a>; in <i>The Paradine Case</i> (1947), he had a <a href="https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/The_Paradine_Case_(1947)_-_Hitchcock%27s_cameo">cello case</a>; and in <i>Strangers on a Train</i> (1951), he struggled to bring a <a href="https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Hitchcock%20Gallery:%20image%208831" s_cameo="">double bass</a> onto the train.</div>
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Over the course of his directing career, Alfred Hitchcock was exacting and knew precisely what he wanted to convey. He wasn't always easy to work with, because of his high standards and vision for the finished product. But movie-goers knew that if they saw a Hitchcock film, it was likely to be suspenseful and a good story. Viewers came to expect his cameo appearances, but true aficionados were able to appreciate his long game, as with the instruments. </div>
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And that's the other part of the payoff of loyalty and attention: the results can be enormously gratifying and rewarding, but in some cases, it takes a quite a while to manifest. Along the way, you need to keep the interest and attention of your customers, fans, employees, or anyone else whom you'd like to reach. </div>
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If that's the case, the parts must be of equal if not higher quality than the whole.</div>
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Membership Has Its Privileges

You may not remember this, but back in the 'Nineties, the slogan of American Express was "membership has its privileges." I...

Our Terms of Service Have Not Changed

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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOjJ8pf-Auo/Wx_dEHVsIxI/AAAAAAAA82w/-eVEnu98HSQOVod-9rCC32DpySfGQFJggCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B5%2B-%2BDesolation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1200" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOjJ8pf-Auo/Wx_dEHVsIxI/AAAAAAAA82w/-eVEnu98HSQOVod-9rCC32DpySfGQFJggCLcBGAs/s640/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B5%2B-%2BDesolation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The <b>Facebook / Cambridge Analytica</b> news has brought quite a bit of the unrealized or unspoken of the tech world into national consciousness. Collectively (and individually in some cases), we've been talking about <b>data</b>, <b>privacy</b>, and what we're willing to give up for our beloved free services.<br />
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But it strikes us that there's an element that's been with us all along which could have saved us from ourselves — a functional piece of each and every app and service that we use that should have been a talisman, but was instead a nuisance at best or an impediment at worst.<br />
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We're of course referring to the <b>Terms and Conditions</b>.<br />
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Ts and Cs (or ToS for "Terms of Service" on some platforms) are what we're typically greeted with when we sign up for new apps, platforms and services. Before you can dive in and share your photos from last night's party, your political opinion on the hypocritical politician of your choice, or message someone, you need to make your way through the legalese of the 20-thumb scroll to find the "I Accept" button that you press, having read none of the Terms.<br />
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And is it any surprise that <a href="https://tosdr.org/">you haven't read them</a>? With some of them <cough><b>PayPa</b>l</cough> being longer than <i>Hamlet</i>, who has time to read them in their entirety? This is how some Londoners <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/29/londoners-wi-fi-security-herod-clause">were tricked into signing over their firstborn children</a>. With this kind of easy slip-up, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/terms-of-service-didnt-read/">simplification is needed</a>.<br />
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The real function of these dense, jargon-filled policies and agreements — which most of us universally ignore — isn't for companies to inform users of our rights, but <a href="https://people.howstuffworks.com/the-real-reason-website-app-terms-service-are-confusing.htm">to establish legal grounds for collecting and sharing our information</a>. That's it. Plain and simple. It's a way to ensure that business models stand because we're too lazy or stupid to read and understand the terms.<br />
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But now, thanks in part to the advent of <b>GDPR</b>, meant to return control of <b>personal data</b> to the individual by ensuring companies follow a new set of <b>data protection compliance</b> rules, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-20/uber-paypal-face-reckoning-over-opaque-terms-and-conditions">companies are scaling back and simplifying their terms of service</a>. Why? Because users' consent would be legally invalid if they don't understand the agreement they're signing. But you might ask: <i>if they can simplify to adhere to regulations, why couldn't they have simplified for the sake of customers in the first place?</i> To which we'd answer: <b>see the above paragraph</b>.<br />
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Facebook is no exception, and the company <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-agrees-to-follow-gdpr-strict-new-european-privacy-law/">initially said that it would adhere to GDPR standards</a> around the world – not only in Europe. <b>However</b>, the company quickly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy-eu-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-to-put-1-5-billion-users-out-of-reach-of-new-eu-privacy-law-idUSKBN1HQ00P">changed its position to mean <i>only</i> in Europe</a>, meaning that the other <b>1.5 billion Facebook users</b> around the world would be governed by the looser U.S. standards.<br />
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U.S. regulators have an opportunity to step up and create the same level of data protection for Americans that have been created in Europe. Certainly, multinational companies will need to create a single standard that complies with GDPR. Facebook should step up and meet this need before regulation is required.<br />
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Then again, perhaps consumers should step up and demand more accountability from the tech companies. But we'd have to show that <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-05-09/web-privacy-is-important-for-gmail-not-facebook">we actually care about issues of privacy</a> first.<br />
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<i>Top image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=183020">The Course of Empire - Desolation</a> by Thomas Cole (public domain)</i><br />
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Our Terms of Service Have Not Changed

The Facebook / Cambridge Analytica news has brought quite a bit of the unrealized or unspoken of the tech world into national conscious...

The Fault Is In Ourselves

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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEwMFMuXm00/WxbFgloCBhI/AAAAAAAA8ow/XzWxYgpZEugwh1rex5Staf2J4x-hzNKhQCLcBGAs/s1600/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B4%2B-%2BDestruction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1200" height="396" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEwMFMuXm00/WxbFgloCBhI/AAAAAAAA8ow/XzWxYgpZEugwh1rex5Staf2J4x-hzNKhQCLcBGAs/s640/Thomas%2BCole%2B-%2BThe_Course_of_Empire%2B4%2B-%2BDestruction.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We've certainly learned quite a bit about Facebook over the last few weeks, haven't we? What's becoming increasingly clear with every conversation, every question answered (or skirted), and every discovery is that data privacy and ownership are at the center of things. And those issues remain critical for businesses to address with regard to their own customers. But more than that, we need to take a good hard look at the very technology that makes all of this possible.<br />
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With regard to harmful content and its role in twisting what people see, read and believe, Mark Zuckerberg indicated that the short-term plan is more humans (up to 20,000 new hires!) and then <a href="https://qz.com/1250605/dont-buy-zuckerbergs-line-that-ai-will-save-facebook/">artificial intelligence could handle the scale</a>: “<i>We’re going to shift increasingly to a method where more of this content is flagged up front by AI tools</i>.”<br />
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In a confidential document recently uncovered by <b>The Intercept</b>, we find that instead of merely offering advertisers the ability to target people based on demographics and consumer preferences, Facebook will use AI to also offer the ability to predict future behavior. That is, Facebook promises the ability to target consumers <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/04/13/facebook-advertising-data-artificial-intelligence-ai/">based on how they will behave, what they will buy, and what they will think</a>.<br />
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You know what else is powered by AI? Recommendation systems. They're behind Amazon's suggestions ("<i>people who bought this also bought...</i>") and they're behind the algorithms that control the content you see on Facebook. While they can save us time and bring us the content that (we think) we want, recommendation engines are perhaps the biggest threat to societal cohesion on the Internet – bubbles, conspiracy theories, and nonsense make their way to the top.<br />
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And this mist of online reality threatens to break down the basic elements that hold us together as a society offline, as arguments and people alike become intractable. "Fake news" and "alternative facts" have crept into our collective vocabulary and some members of society are unable to discern truth from fiction.<br />
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Are we already too far down a path of platform-induced destruction? Is it too late to wrest control of our fate from the algorithms? Is the result of making the world a more connected during this fractious political time actually made us more disagreeable than ever?<br />
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Elon Musk – that technological wunderkind known for embracing technology and all it has to offer – recently said "<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/13/elon-musk-says-humans-are-underrated-calls-teslas-excessive-automation-a-mistake/"><i>humans are underrated</i></a>," noting that "<i>excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake</i>." And pioneers in areas of the Internet have begun <a href="http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/04/an-apology-for-the-internet-from-the-people-who-built-it.html">apologizing for their creations</a>.<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,</span></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">But in ourselves, that we are underlings."</span></b></i></div>
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But maybe – just maybe – the underlying factor isn't the algorithms that drive the platforms, nor even the platforms themselves. Perhaps our problem lies within. When freely available information meets confirmation bias meets positive feedback loops, the fact is clear: we cannot resist. The temptation to engage is too much.<br />
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The sad truth about technology is deceptively simple: <a href="https://medium.com/@davepell/the-real-technology-problem-bc6aa27e526b">we're addicted</a>.<br />
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<i>Image credit:</i>  <i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=183045">The Course of the Empire - Destruction</a> by Thomas Cole (public domain)</i></div>
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The Fault Is In Ourselves

We've certainly learned quite a bit about Facebook over the last few weeks, haven't we? What's becoming increasingly clear ...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor

Customer Loyalty: You Had One Job

Membership Has Its Privileges

Our Terms of Service Have Not Changed

The Fault Is In Ourselves

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