New Media Age magazine reports that Phorm may consider offering financial incentives to encourage user sign-up. Certainly Phorm must try something as it appears that their deadlines have slipped again, possibly due to tests of consumer registration on BT.
When I wrote about Phorm previously, a debate was started on BadPhorm, and one of the points discussed was around ISP customers getting a share in the money Phorm make. I personally don't feel that it would be ethically or morally necessary for Phorm to do this as they are simply providing a revenue stream for the ISPs, organisations who are facing tough questions around magnetisation in a bandwidth-heavy world. I more share the view of Tony Evans from Phorm rival NebuAd, as quoted in the NMA article, who feels that ISPs should be trialling this without incentives first.
Surely this is a perception and marketing issue?
If the ISPs start down the road of incentives could we not be seeing free-for-consumers ISPs?
Watch this space.
Previous posts on Phorm:
Well Phormed Campaigns are Not Evil (July 25th 2008)
What is going on at Phorm? (December 1st 2008)
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Dax Hamman
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2 comments:
"Surely this is a perception and marketing issue?"
translation:
"Surely through clever marketing techniques we can trick users to sign up."
I'm sorry, but the way BT conducted the recent trial using "marketing strategy" for informed consent was a disgrace.
Dax, drop the marketing hat for a second and think as an average internet user. Could you live without this?
Yes I could live without it. However, if the incentive was good enough, I would happily allow this sort of tracking being placed on what I view.
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