The Right t o Anonymity This message will self-destruct in …

1. The Right to Anonymity This message will self-destruct in… Microsoft Digital Trends The more technology becomes entwined with our world, the more we want our experiences online to mirror those offline.  We’re making permanent the things we want to remember, deleting the things we want to forget and shaping our profiles to create multiple identities that reflect the professional self, the fun self, the studious self. The Right to Anonymity, to erase our digital footprints and to tailor everything we share with a public audience, are all high on the agenda. Much of this is moving out of the hands of individual companies, and into the realms of legislation. “Over time, people are going to be as astute about their privacy status as they have been about their financial status and managing that profile, and they’ll want that control” Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer, Microsoft UK Key measures Global online consumers are increasingly aware of their ability and right to delete their online information. Nearly three-quarters of consumers (73%) would be interested in using a service that allows them to remove information and set life-spans for every piece of information they upload. However, 36% of consumers want all their information they share online to be automatically removed after a specified time. And if a brand allows consumers to update their privacy settings, 65% of us are more likely to buy. Big opportunities Banking and financial services, pharmaceuticals, technology brands and mobile networks should all establish themselves as privacy conscious organizations as quickly as possible. They should offer total and complete access to the information they have collected about their customers, and give them the option to remove it on demand. They should always ask permission to keep data, and always place use-by dates on user-generated content. Over time, these brands should also stand side by side with the international bodies and innovators driving the conversation around privacy. So now…? Some apps enable people to share vast amounts of content each day, providing a way to share spontaneous, transient moments with friends and family that self-destruct after a timeframe determined by the user. What if…? Consumers controlled multiple online identities that appeared and disappeared according to which brands and networks they trust with their data, and can receive maximum rewards from. Marketers would have to understand that consumers have these multiple identities and work to earn their trust to get access to premium identities.

2. How did we find all this out? The Microsoft Digital Trends study was several years in the making but commenced in earnest in January 2013 when Microsoft Advertising partnered with IPG Mediabrands and The Future Laboratory to help brands understand the future of digital behavior and technology. To align with Microsoft’s Consumer First vision, our ambition was to uncover, capture and track emerging digital consumer behaviors and attitudes that we believe will grow into a global phenomenon. Combining expertise with common research practices across Microsoft Advertising; Microsoft Business Groups; Microsoft Research; and Microsoft Office Envisioning, we created actionable brand toolkits. These can be used by key clients and internal teams to instruct media planning and product development based on consumer data. Methodology Taking the lead from Everett M Rogers’ theory of Diffusion of Innovations which identifies that new ideas are adopted and passed from early adopters to the majority and laggards we undertook a series of qualitative and quantitative steps. Qualitative exploration Interviews with 45 early adopters were conducted across the UK, USA, China, Brazil, Sweden and Czech Republic, covering a range of topics including • changing behavior and attitudes to technology and digital services. • All respondents completed a 3 day online diary exploring the role of tech/digital services in their lives prior to taking part in in-depth interviews to provide further understanding of their motivations, behaviors and attitudes to these technologies. • These “switched on” consumers were both males • and females aged between 18 and 44. • 1 hour interviews with experts across Microsoft and IPG Mediabrandswere also undertaken. • Quantitative exploration • An online survey with regular and heavy internet users in UK, USA, China, Brazil, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russia and Germany was conducted. We interviewed circa 1,000 respondents in each market, 8,055 in total. • We measured their awareness, engagement and intent to participate with trends in the future, as well as their likelihood to engage with brands who deliver experiences that align with these trends. • Further validation of the trends and their brand implications were captured through a series of workshops with Microsoft and IPG Mediabrands. Find out more, contact http://advertising.microsoft.com/international