Marketing & Media
in a Global Context
Lecture #7
Consumer privacy in
marketing communications
Marie Trbovic
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
Definitions
• State of limited access to a consumer’s
information
• Individual’s ability to exercise some form of
control
• Context
• The right to be left alone
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
Consumer’s
Type of information relationship with the
disclosed brand
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
Privacy calculus theory
• We engage in benefit-risk appraisal when
deciding to share or withhold information
• Posting on Instagram = self-expression
• WhatsApp / FB Messenger = building
relationships and staying connected to others
• Likes, views and comments on TikTok = self-
validation, instant gratification and
reassurance-seeking
• Retargeting messages = reminder of products
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
Social contract theory
• An implied contract individuals feel they
enter when sharing personal information
with marketers.
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
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Consumer privacy in marketing communications
Communication privacy management theory
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Weekly readings
Required readings
• Shin, W. (2020). Youth media consumption
and privacy risks in the digital era (Chapter
12). In M. Filimowicz and V. Tzankova (Eds.),
Reimagining Communication: Experience (Vol
2). Routledge, pp. 195-208
• Joeckel, S., & Dogruel, L. (2020). Default
effects in app selection: German adolescents'
tendency to adhere to privacy or social
relatedness features in smartphone apps.
Mobile Media & Communication, 8(1), 22-41.
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Media stories
• Begin this week
• Post on Padlet by 12pm the day before your
seminar
• Find a media story related to this week’s topic
of consumer privacy
• Think about how marketers collect and use
consumer information for marketing
communications purposes
• Consider how this affects consumers? What
can be done?
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