Last week, I read this blog post from Digital Trends about Facebook’s testing of Facedeals, a service that checks you into a location using facial recognition and gives you coupons based on interest.
Here are some of my thoughts on the concept/test:
The video below shows the technology in action.
What say you, McCreepy or pretty damn cool?
@WomenWhoTech @jeffespo I am Austin who lives in Ghana, I need a Good woman to trust and love in my life.
I'm like you (in so many, highly frightening ways) and also think it's cool. And I like deals. Marketers, regardless of what your personal feelings are, should be paying attention.
@ShellyKramer the world is changing and this isn't your father's privacy. While on a different level, the Google's of the world are using similar data when it comes to your email and serving ads.
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Why does it have to use facial recognition? Vs scanning a QR code or something like that. I don't use Facebook mobile and never check in using Facebook or share where I am with Facebook. I never will. But I have been promoting personalized deals for a long time based on purchase history at stores. Like if I went to a sporting goods store they might know it has been 4 years since I bought my tent and offer me a free lantern if I replace it that visit. That works.
The Facebook fail is Liking brands on facebook often is random. And we like a lot. I might LIKE 27 beers. Who gives me a deal? Why should a premium beer I already buy reduce their margins and reduce their pricing power for the bribe? I am not a big fan of bribes because it erodes the price-value proposition view. If the deal is based on which brand pays facebook does that really mean I get the best deal or just the one that paid facebook?
Shouldn't the deal be restaurant/bar based to increase their sales vs promote a brand they carry? Like add dessert and get a free cordial. Or spend $100 get 10% off. Vs 'Here is a deal on a beer'
Just my thoughts....oh and @jeffespo You are FANCY!
@HowieG You know my ass is Fancy... my damn shirt says so. All valid points on your end. In all honesty the reason that I think the facial deals will be more successful than say a QR code is because it requires no effort on the user's end and also has a deal embedded in it. QR codes are still looking to gain traction and Zuck didn't drop a boat ton of money into their tech like he did for Face.com.
Now if you like 27 beers in one night, we should hang out ;) I think the deal is a combination of the beer company mixed with the location so in a sense the store is getting a benefit from moving more product and possibly drawing in eaters who might not normally buy a few brews.
OK I watched the video before I just watched you LOL F-That shit. Bad enough big brother watches us out in the street. No way am I ok with this. If @ShellyKramer wants a deal we will walk in with guns and steal what we need ;-)
@HowieG you do need to opt into it and well we all know how much you love Facebook to begin with... plus you know you use some kind of bio-algorithm to fly your spaceship homeboy. And look I agree it is creepy but is cool at the same time.I also think about it with a clean slate for a second. Say you are accused of a crime an awful one, eye witnesses say you were there and you weren't, they got the wrong guy, but your alibi has no one to back it up but you. Now say you were using this tech and were really walking your dog and stopped by the self-serve dog washing station that had a deal... BOOM vindication. Or if someone goes missing after a night at a club, using the tech can see who was there and ask for some help or see who left with said person.
@jeffespo I guess I am confused. How will a business know I am there unless I check in? Isn't a QR code the same? And if there is a scanner watching people to come in I will never enter that establishment. That makes 1984 seem tame. So curious how the facial recognition comes into play did I miss something?
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This is an interesting topic Jeff, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of facial recognition around the world. There are those who feel that facial recognition technology without any chance for a consumer to opt-out is the crux of the problem because it removes the ability to protect one's privacy and civil liberties by not offering the chance to decline the use of such a service. Others feel that in a public environment anything is fair game and if you want to not be subjected to this type of tech used on yourself, just don't go to public places. Another big issue is who is managing the database where your biometric profile exists, and how secure is that database. If someone were to hack into it and steal your biometric identity and then assume it in other places, it's a lot harder to just get a new identity like a PIN or a password and start over. Whatever your opinion, my personal feeling is that this technology is the way we are moving in the world so the key seems to use it but use it in a way that allows people to choose to opt-out if they don't want to participate. People should wake up to the fact that biometric identification is going to be a large part of our lives in the future and learn more about how it works and what steps they can take to push for more transparency and oversight of the industry.
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[...] into the game with Facedeals, which are nicely explained by my friend Jeff Esposito in his post over here. And if you don’t know @jeffespo, consider this an introduction. He’s smart, sassy and [...]