With the digital evolution, privacy and perception are becoming more prominent concerns for consumers. Our images are everywhere, thanks to the internet and social media. As a result, consumers are now facing the “face dilemma”—a trade-off between the informative and beneficial use of facial images and the harmful effect of these images being misused or used for discriminatory purposes. Previous research has shown that face perceptions significantly impact many aspects of business, including dating, social networking, employee allocation, and services. As such, using facial images can lead to concerns about privacy and discrimination. To address these concerns, (2020) have developed the contour-as-face (CaF) framework, and they highlight its effectiveness in their recent article in the Journal of Marketing Research.

Can contours help combat the face dilemma?

Yes! The authors find that using the novel CaF framework to show images of contours allows researchers and practitioners to predict how people react when they see someone’s face, without revealing the face itself (i.e., when they see a contour). When we asked the authors about the greatest strength of their research, they emphasized that their research is the first to apply the Fourier transformation technique to resolve the face dilemma. This new method enables privacy protection, combats discrimination, and allows firms to quantify the effects of holistic contour information of facial parts on various face perceptions.

Highlights from the Article

• Facial information is used by consumers and marketers to make inferences in many contexts; meanwhile, consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy and discrimination, resulting in a privacy-perception trade-off.

• The authors provide a comprehensive literature review on face perceptions in business-related contexts.

• They compare facial contour imaging with visual face images for the first time in the academic or practitioner domain.

• The authors introduce the contour-as-face (CaF) framework using novel methodology.

• Three robust empirical studies test the effectiveness of the CaF framework and demonstrate its effectiveness in a real-world context (i.e., online dating). 

Generating the Research Question

The idea for this research initially came from the authors’ observation of the face dilemma in the online dating industry: users’ dating decisions are largely determined by profile photos; however, some users are reluctant to post any facial photos due to privacy and discrimination concerns. This observation led the authors to formulate a research question to resolve the trade-off between the value of face perceptions and facial privacy protection. To identify a valid solution to the face dilemma, the authors used the principle of reduction. They sought to determine how much information could be reduced from a photographed face to inhibit recognizability while still preserving enough information for perception. After considering different options, the authors decided to remove all facial information except for the facial contours, which allowed for a rigorous modeling method using the Fourier transformation.

The Method

The authors first developed the CaF representation, which presents the contour of a facial image beside the actual face image as the visual stimulus. Then, they performed modeling on the contour-as-face image in two steps: (1) extraction of the features for the contour and (2) quantifying the effects of those facial features through machine learning techniques. To extract the features, the authors use the CD-FD (centroid distance–Fourier descriptor) method, which has been widely used in computer vision applications like image retrieval and object recognition. This technique uses the discrete Fourier transformation, which converts the contours to mathematically precise Fourier coefficients.

Next, the authors tested the effectiveness of this framework in three empirical studies. Study 1 assessed whether humans would have similar perceptions of contours versus facial images. The authors found that the CaF framework was indeed effective as a stimulus and as a modeling method. Specifically, their findings show that humans make inferences on contours consistent with those made with the corresponding face images. They also found that using the contours masked the ability to identify gender or age, thereby enhancing privacy and reducing discrimination.

Study 2 further investigated the effectiveness of the CaF framework in protecting privacy. They found that when participants were asked to pick out the faces of the corresponding contours, they were mostly unsuccessful (i.e., a success rate of 2.68%). Additionally, their findings show that it is quite difficult for humans to guess the age or gender of the contour image. Study 3 then applied the CaF framework to a real-world context using a field study methodology. The authors created an online dating site implementing their framework and found that consumers were willing to use contour images to make decisions in real life, and they appreciated the privacy that contours provided.

Managerial Implications

The CaF framework provides important implications for business practices. Specifically, it can help practitioners overcome the face dilemma by (1) protecting customers’ facial identity privacy while preserving the ability to infer useful information from the face and improving marketing effectiveness; (2) accommodating customers’ face-based preferences while masking sensitive information (e.g., age, gender) and avoiding discrimination; and (3) developing face-related recommendation systems.

The managerial implications of this research extend beyond the facial data related to areas such as dating, social networking, employee allocation, and service. The CD-FD method can also be used as a feature extraction method—a method widely used in computer vision applications such as image retrieval and object recognition. In addition to faces, it can also be used to analyze other types of contour information in business contexts, such as contours of brand logos, product designs, and package designs.

Academic Implications

The authors’ research has several substantial contributions to academic literature. First, the authors introduced a rigorous method to model face data that has never been employed in the marketing literature. Second, the authors used face contours to elicit perceptions from humans on 15 fundamental dimensions, providing a comprehensive understanding of the trade-offs between desirable (e.g., emotional state) and undesirable (e.g., age, gender) facial inferences. Finally, the authors’ CaF framework was shown to effectively address the privacy–perception trade-off associated with using facial data.

Future Research Opportunities

The authors lay the foundation for a fruitful future research stream, and in an effort to springboard upcoming work in the optimal direction, they note several promising extensions of their research:

• Exploring the use of more realistic-looking CaF representation, such as 3-D CaF representation or a representation that includes other facial parts (e.g., ears).

• Testing the CaF framework in larger-scale studies with more diverse faces/contours, which would explore the heterogeneity in how people respond to specific features in contour images of different faces using larger data sets.

• Extending the use of the CaF method to model other types of visual information in related marketing contexts, such as perceptions of brands’ visual representations (e.g., BMW’s iconic grill).

The authors hope their research stimulates further discussion regarding privacy-related problems associated with visual data in various marketing contexts and that their framework becomes a valuable tool for improving consumer welfare in business marketing. It will be exciting to see what insights will be discovered using the authors’ novel CaF framework.

Referenced article

Zhou, Yinghui, Shasha Lu, and Min Ding (2020), “,” Journal of Marketing Research, 57 (4), 1–23.

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Strategic digital marketing among a global privacy and security landscape is already a challenge, yet has been further exacerbated during the global coronavirus pandemic. But it’s now even more crucial for digital marketers to strongly consider the privacy and security of their consumers. This is especially true with the increased digital transformation that organizations are now facing and the trail of data left by consumers. The fact that many consumers are voluntarily or involuntarily quarantined or working from home means that they rely further on the internet for many facets of their lives. This can include greater engagement with digital marketing for their immediate needs.

Amid coronavirus, digital marketing can help to provide real-time or quick access to relevant products and services, as available. At the same time, this can raise many privacy and security concerns. While marketers often consider privacy and security to be at odds with digital marketing, it doesn’t have to be. By considering these five key strategies, marketers can be on their way to a successful balance during crisis situations.

Be Open ÂÜŔňÉçąŮÍřt Your Privacy and Security Measures

Consumers should know where you stand in terms of privacy and security during a pandemic like this. Don’t be shy about making this public and don’t hide your potential lack of privacy measures and force the consumer to figure it out themselves. Let them know how you handle their data and what the benefits are for providing such data to the organization. Include how you’re securing their data or how your products are secure. This can go a long way in building trust with consumers.

Open a privacy policy nowadays and the first thing you might read is that the organization cares about a consumer’s privacy. Consider if your privacy policy contradicts other statements within it. In a digital marketing context, consider where else consumer data may end up and assess whether security measures are possible. You should also educate consumers on privacy and security considerations outside of your organization’s control as they engage with your digital services and integrated marketing communication during the crisis.

Don’t Overpromise Privacy and Security

Do not overpromise what you deliver. Avoid statements such as “100% secure” or “completely private,” as you are not able to assure this. Trust can easily be lost, especially if consumers are more willing or compelled to provide further data to obtain needed services during a crisis but are then affected by a privacy or security breach.

Ensure That You Deliver Value

Providing value is a key component of all marketing. Organizations may choose to significantly revamp their digital marketing efforts as more consumers work from home. Consider value in relation to privacy and security as you make marketing decisions during these times. For example, if your organization collects heaps of consumer data and uses it to provide products and services, consider what value you are giving back to the consumer for what they’re providing. In a pandemic context, this can potentially amount to a constant stream of data fed into a digital marketing system. Consider how this increases value for consumers and how you can use the data to personalize and provide relevant, timely services. It’s crucial to do this the right way while being sensitive to the times.

Some retailers have set up a digital alert option for consumers to let them know when products will be available or have run out. Others are implementing tactics to digitally reach a consumer looking for something they offer. However, when the pandemic is over, be considerate in relation to the data collected and held. Providing consumers privacy choices about their data may be strategically prudent in these circumstances. For example, should you collect the data for use only during the pandemic? If you don’t need certain data, consider getting rid of it where appropriate, so as to avoid potential security breaches.

Communicate Pandemic-Related Messaging Based on Audience

If you’ve redirected your marketing spend due to the coronavirus situation and determine that it’s relevant to your customers, digitally communicate to let them know what benefits this could afford them. If you’re offering new relevant products and services that consumers do not know about but might need, offer these through your digital channels. If organic traffic and conversions are down, consider alternative digital marketing techniques.

Consequently, email isn’t the only effective way to reach consumers. As you consider your digital strategy, and to protect consumers’ privacy, avoid personalizing all digital marketing content during a crisis. For example, there may be a variety of products and services that consumers may not feel comfortable about having tracked. Personalized messaging should be avoided unless it’s secure or expected.

Consider local need during the pandemic and where you might fit in to help or provide a valued product or service. Ensure you are communicating these efforts through local digital channels. This is not a time to use personal data in your possession to take advantage of consumers and their needs. In fact, some marketers are heavily engaged in marketing-related philanthropy and helpful efforts in these crisis times.

Also, if you have enhanced privacy and security in your services, for your products, or for customer data in response to the crisis, communicate this to consumers—it may matter. This can assist in enhancing their trust in your organization, especially due to the further reliance on digital marketing that you may offer. Don’t forget to address privacy and security as you communicate to reassure consumers about the longevity and resilience of your brand and the steps you’re taking during the coronavirus. This can help consumers build confidence in your organization and address their privacy and security concerns.

Consider Whether This Pandemic is a Trigger to Creating a Privacy Culture

Many digital marketers are concerned about the growing regulations on the privacy front and complying with various jurisdictions. However, if a privacy culture is built, this can help with compliance efforts and create an opportunity to be a privacy-conscious digital marketer. Although this is not an alternative to understanding the intricacies of global legal regulation as applicable, consider whether this is a way to enhance your privacy orientation. Proactively considering privacy in a digital marketing context can help form a basis for marketing decision-making for online channels. And, if your organization proactively implements privacy-enhancing strategies, why not tout this as a differentiating factor?

Marketing in a digital context is especially complex amid a global pandemic. It also opens opportunities to reconsider privacy and security related digital marketing strategies. These strategies can help guide and inform your marketing decisions with the hope that the pandemic concludes in the shortest of order.

Image by Darwin Laganzon from .

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